Origin
Pomona, CA
Late night in Pomona on Friday
Local time
1:17 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pomona, CA to Riverside, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
35m
Distance
25.1 mi
40 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Fair
4 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pomona, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Riverside, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 25.1-mile drive between Pomona, CA and Riverside, CA is easily manageable as a day trip, taking approximately 35 minutes. You'll primarily travel on the Pomona Freeway and Van Buren Boulevard, with a portion on Central Avenue. Given the minimal distance and estimated fuel cost of $6, this route is very budget-friendly. The mixed drive profile suggests a blend of highway and local road conditions, so expect some variation during your journey. This trip falls within the Pacific Coast region, offering a convenient connection between two points in Southern California.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 35m. Total distance: 25.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
35m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (49%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This route offers a mixed driving experience, with 49% of it being on highways. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 12.3 miles on the Pomona Freeway, which is likely to be a faster-paced section. As you transition to Van Buren Boulevard and Central Avenue, expect the character of the drive to change, potentially involving more local traffic and varied speed limits. The overall feel is less of a pure highway grind and more of a blend that connects different areas within the region.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Pomona Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 12.3 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 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West Mission Boulevard.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 25.1 miles you will encounter 7 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: near the start (West Mission Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Garey Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Mission Boulevard
Turn left onto West Mission Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Garey Avenue
Turn right onto South Garey Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
2.4 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Turn left toward CA 60 East: Riverside
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward CA 60 East: Riverside
8
14.8 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward Van Buren Boulevard, Etiwanda Avenue
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 42
Toward Van Buren Boulevard, Etiwanda Avenue
6
21.5 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
Central Avenue
Turn left onto Central Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Pomona Freeway | 12.3 mi | 14m |
| Van Buren Boulevard | 6.1 mi | 8m |
| Central Avenue | 3.6 mi | 6m |
| South Garey Avenue | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Mission Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Mission Boulevard | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Pomona Freeway
— 12.3 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pomona, CA and Riverside, CA.
1
Start on South Main Street
90 ft
·
11 sec
·
South Main Street
2
Turn left onto West Mission Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
West Mission Boulevard
3
Turn right onto South Garey Avenue
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
South Garey Avenue
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward CA 60 East: Riverside
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto CA 60
12 mi
·
14 min
·
Pomona Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 42
Toward Van Buren Boulevard, Etiwanda Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn straight onto Mission Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
15 sec
·
Mission Boulevard
8
Continue on Van Buren Boulevard
6.1 mi
·
8 min
·
Van Buren Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
9
Turn left onto Central Avenue
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
Central Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Turn sharp right
171 ft
·
12 sec
11
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.77 one way
$11.54 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.94 | $11.89 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.10 | $12.21 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.51 | $1.61 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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
Riverside, CA
Late night in Riverside on Friday
Local time
1:17 AM
PDT
Current temp
52°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
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
35m 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 Pomona, CA to Riverside, CA covers 25.1 miles and takes about 35m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Pomona Freeway, Van Buren Boulevard, Central Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.6 miles from Pomona, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.77 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 25.1 miles you will encounter 7 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: near the start (West Mission Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (South Garey Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Pomona, CA to Riverside, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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