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Trip from El Monte, 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

34m

Distance

23.8 mi

38 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 31m ★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 32m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Los Angeles County, California, United States

El Monte, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This straightforward 23.8-mile drive from El Monte, CA, to Anaheim, CA, is easily manageable in about 34 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. You'll primarily navigate the Santa Ana Freeway and the San Gabriel River Freeway, with a portion on Peck Road. With a modest fuel cost estimated at $5, this route is budget-friendly. The entire journey stays within the Pacific Coast region, offering a consistent feel. Given its short distance and duration, no overnight stops are necessary, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule.

About the Cities

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 34m. Total distance: 23.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

34m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (76%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

Expect a highway-focused drive for approximately 76% of this route. The personality of the road is largely defined by the Santa Ana Freeway, where you'll encounter the longest uninterrupted stretch of 11.6 miles. While predominantly freeway, the inclusion of Peck Road offers a slight variation. The overall feel is one of efficient travel, designed for covering ground quickly between these two Southern California cities. It's less about scenic detours and more about direct transit.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 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 11.6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Santa Ana Freeway and San Gabriel River Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.7 miles in near Durfee Avenue.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 23.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles (Durfee Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 14 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
1.7 mi into trip | ~3m in | Durfee Avenue

Turn right onto Durfee Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
8
9.8 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward I 5 South, I 5 North: Santa Ana, Los Angeles

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 11 Toward I 5 South, I 5 North: Santa Ana, Los Ang...
9
10 mi into trip | ~15m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Florence Avenue

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Florence Avenue
8
10.1 mi into trip | ~15m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Santa Ana

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana
7
22 mi into trip | ~29m 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

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from El Monte, CA to Anaheim, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Los Angeles along the way.

Los Angeles

9.8 mi in | ~14m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Santa Ana Freeway 11.6 mi 13m
San Gabriel River Freeway 6.4 mi 7m
Peck Road 2.4 mi 5m
West Lincoln Avenue 1.3 mi 3m
Durfee Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
South Anaheim Boulevard <0.1 mi <1m
Valley Boulevard <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Santa Ana Freeway — 11.6 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between El Monte, CA and Anaheim, CA.

1

Start on this road

10 ft · 0 sec · this road
Exit 29B Toward Valley Boulevard
2

Turn right onto Valley Boulevard

201 ft · 12 sec · Valley Boulevard
3

Turn left onto Peck Road

1.6 mi · 3 min · Peck Road
4

Turn right onto Durfee Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Durfee Avenue
Use the right lane.
5

Continue on Peck Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Peck Road
6

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 53 sec
Toward I 605 South
7

Merge onto I 605

6.4 mi · 7 min · San Gabriel River Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Exit 11 Toward I 5 South, I 5 North: Santa Ana, Los Angeles Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 21 sec
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana, Florence Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward I 5 South: Santa Ana Use the slight left lane.
11

Merge onto I 5

12 mi · 13 min · Santa Ana Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 33 sec
Exit 111 Toward Lincoln Avenue Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Turn left onto West Lincoln Avenue

1.3 mi · 3 min · West Lincoln Avenue
Use the left lane.
14

Turn right onto South Anaheim Boulevard

370 ft · 14 sec · South Anaheim Boulevard
15

Turn right

200 ft · 14 sec
16

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.47 one way

$10.94 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $5.64 $11.27
premium $6.18 $5.79 $11.58
diesel $5.61 $5.25 $10.51

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.1 0 $2.50 $1.14
Efficient EV 6 0 $2.08 $0.95
EV Truck/SUV 9.5 0 $3.33 $1.52

Gas CO2

8 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (63% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

El Monte, CA

Morning in El Monte on Saturday

Local time

9:12 AM

PDT

Current temp

75°F

Mostly Sunny

SW 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

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

Destination

Anaheim, CA

Morning in Anaheim on Saturday

Local time

9:12 AM

PDT

Current temp

73°F

Partly Sunny

SW 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

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

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

2 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

34m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from El Monte, CA to Anaheim, CA covers 23.8 miles and takes about 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Santa Ana Freeway, San Gabriel River Freeway, Peck Road. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 11.9 miles from El Monte, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.47 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 is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 23.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles (Durfee Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

On the drive from El Monte, CA to Anaheim, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Los Angeles along the way.

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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