Origin
Downey, CA
Late night in Downey on Saturday
Local time
4:14 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Downey, CA to Anaheim, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
15.2 mi
25 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 22m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Downey, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 15.2-mile drive from Downey to Anaheim in California is easily manageable as a day trip, taking about 23 minutes to complete. The route primarily utilizes the Santa Ana Freeway, Firestone Boulevard, and West Lincoln Avenue, offering a mixed driving experience. With a modest fuel cost estimated at $3, this trip is quite budget-friendly. Given its brevity, it’s perfect for a quick hop between destinations within the Pacific Coast region. You won't need an overnight stay; just plan your departure to avoid local traffic.
About the Cities
Starting in Downey, CA
Full guide →Founded 1873
Top landmarks
- • Columbia Memorial Space Center — science Museum in Downey, California
Arriving in Anaheim, CA
Full guide →Founded 1857
Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. It is best known for being the home of Disneyland. Its second claim to fame is hosting the National Hockey League's Anaheim Ducks and Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels.
Top landmarks
- • Disneyland — American theme park in California owned by The Walt Disney Company
- • Disney California Adventure — theme park in California, part of Disneyland Resort
- • Soarin' — flight motion simulator attraction at Disney parks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 23m. Total distance: 15.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (58%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
You'll find this drive to be a blend of highway cruising and surface street navigation, with 58% of the journey on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch covers 8.9 miles on the Santa Ana Freeway, providing a period of consistent speed. As you transition off the freeway, the character shifts to more local roads, requiring attention to traffic signals and varying speed limits. This mixed profile means you'll experience both the efficiency of freeway travel and the more intimate feel of neighborhood streets.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Santa Ana Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.2 miles you will encounter 11 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Dolan Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles (Firestone Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Dolan Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto Dolan Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Firestone Boulevard
Turn left onto Firestone Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Merge onto I 5 / Santa Ana Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.4 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward Lincoln Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 111
Toward Lincoln Avenue
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Santa Ana Freeway | 8.9 mi | 10m |
| Firestone Boulevard | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| West Lincoln Avenue | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| Imperial Highway | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| South Anaheim Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Dolan Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Santa Ana Freeway
— 8.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Downey, CA and Anaheim, CA.
1
Start on this road
0.1 mi
·
43 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right
199 ft
·
16 sec
3
At end of road, turn right onto Dolan Avenue
340 ft
·
16 sec
·
Dolan Avenue
4
Turn left onto Firestone Boulevard
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Firestone Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5
Turn slight left onto Imperial Highway
0.6 mi
·
59 sec
·
Imperial Highway
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right
0.5 mi
·
55 sec
Toward I 5 South: Los Angeles
7
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
·
this road
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
Use the left / straight lanes.
8
Merge onto I 5
8.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 111
Toward Lincoln Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn left onto West Lincoln Avenue
1.3 mi
·
3 min
·
West Lincoln Avenue
Use the left lane.
11
Turn right onto South Anaheim Boulevard
370 ft
·
14 sec
·
South Anaheim Boulevard
12
Turn right
200 ft
·
14 sec
13
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.49 one way
$6.99 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.70 | $7.39 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.36 | $6.71 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.33 | $0.61 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.13 | $0.97 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Anaheim, CA
Late night in Anaheim on Saturday
Local time
4:14 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
23m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Downey, CA to Anaheim, CA covers 15.2 miles and takes about 23m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Santa Ana Freeway, Firestone Boulevard, West Lincoln Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.6 miles from Downey, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.49 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 15.2 miles you will encounter 11 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Dolan Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles (Firestone Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Downey, CA to Anaheim, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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