Origin
El Dorado Hills, CA
Morning in El Dorado Hills on Saturday
Local time
11:02 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
8h 2m
Distance
426.3 mi
686 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$98
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
El Dorado Hills, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Long Beach, CA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from El Dorado Hills, CA to Long Beach, CA covers 426.3 miles and takes about 8h 2m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Westside Freeway, I 5 Truck, South Sacramento Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 250.2 miles on Westside Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $97.98 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
213.1 miles from El Dorado Hills, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 2m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Freeway | 250.2 mi | 4h 28m |
| I 5 Truck | 58.6 mi | 1h 7m |
| South Sacramento Freeway | 29.7 mi | 34m |
| I 405 Truck | 23 mi | 26m |
| San Diego Freeway | 18 mi | 20m |
| US 50 | 15.5 mi | 17m |
| Bradshaw Road | 11.6 mi | 16m |
| Golden State Freeway | 4.1 mi | 4m |
Step-by-step road directions between El Dorado Hills, CA and Long Beach, CA.
Start on Stanford Lane
Turn left onto Governor Drive
Turn right onto El Dorado Hills Boulevard
Take the ramp
Merge onto US 50
Take the exit
Turn left onto Bradshaw Road
Enter roundabout onto Bradshaw Road
Continue on Bradshaw Road
Turn right onto E2
Continue on E2
Take the ramp
Merge onto CA 99
Take the exit
Merge onto CA 4
Take the exit onto CA 4
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 4
Merge onto I 5; CA 4
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 405
Take the exit
Continue on this road
Merge onto I 710
Continue on I 710
Take the exit
Continue on Shoreline Drive
Turn left onto South Chestnut Place
Turn right onto West Ocean Boulevard
Continue on East Ocean Boulevard
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 94 miles or 1h 54m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 213.1 miles or 4h 2m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 213.1 miles or 4h 2m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 50m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Long Beach, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving El Dorado Hills, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from El Dorado Hills, CA
Aim for roughly 213 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Long Beach, CA
Aim for roughly 213 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
213 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Fresno, CANight 1
213 mi · about 4h in
A practical overnight split lands near Fresno, CA after about 213 miles or 4 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 94 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 213.1 miles from El Dorado Hills, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Westside Freeway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 250.2 miles.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 213 miles or 4 hours on the road.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 423.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto El Dorado Hills Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Take the ramp toward US 50 West: Sacramento
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Bradshaw Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 405 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Downtown Long Beach, Convention Center, Aquarium
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$97.98 one way
$195.96 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $100.97 | $201.94 |
| premium | $6.18 | $103.67 | $207.34 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $94.12 | $188.24 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$98
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$228–$338
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 149.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $45 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 127.9 | 1 | $44.76 | $20.46 |
| Efficient EV | 106.6 | 1 | $37.30 | $17.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 170.5 | 2 | $59.68 | $27.28 |
Gas CO2
149 kg
EV CO2
50 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in El Dorado Hills on Saturday
Local time
11:02 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Destination
Morning in Long Beach on Saturday
Local time
11:02 AM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Partly Sunny
Lake Wind Advisory
Lake Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 16 at 11:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 2:48PM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
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Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
426.3 mi in 8h 2m, mostly highway — 250.2 mi of that is on Westside Freeway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and I 5 Truck. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near El Dorado Hills Boulevard.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 30 significant decision points across 426.3 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (El Dorado Hills Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 18.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Founded 1888
Long Beach is a large port city in Los Angeles County in Southern California. Long Beach has some nice people-gathering amenities and genuine tourist attractions, such as a world-class aquarium and the Queen Mary floating museum/hotel. Special events are also held in the city like the annual Long Beach Grand Prix (a premier racing event held on city streets) and the annual Long Beach Lesbian & Gay Pride event. When compared to other areas like Hollywood, West Hollywood, Santa Monica and West L.A., Long Beach may not always be at the top of someone's tourist visit to the Los Angeles area, but the city draws its fair share of visitors and has proven it can definitely hold its own.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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