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Trip from Riverside, CA to Ladera Ranch, CA

Compiled by the Trip.ovh editorial team · Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026 · Methodology

Drive Time

1h

Distance

48.6 mi

78 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$11

one way

EV Charging

Fair

2 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 15 min
4 AM
0h 55m ★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m

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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county seat of Riverside County, California, United States

Riverside, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Ladera Ranch, CA, CA

Ladera Ranch, CA

Stephen Leonardi

Trip Overview

The drive from Riverside, CA to Ladera Ranch, CA covers 48.6 miles and takes about 1h behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Foothill Transportation Corridor, Riverside Freeway, CA 91 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15 miles on Foothill Transportation Corridor. At current regular gas prices, budget about $11.17 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h. Total distance: 48.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (50%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

The drive from Riverside, CA to Ladera Ranch, CA covers 48.6 miles and takes about 1h, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Foothill Transportation Corridor is the longest continuous segment at about 15 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 11.6 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 48.6 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 11.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 21 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 28 miles (CA 241 Toll / Foothill Transportation Corridor): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

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

7
11.6 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward Main Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 50 Toward Main Street
7
21 mi into trip | ~25m in

Take the exit toward CA 241 South: Irvine

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 41B Toward CA 241 South: Irvine
6
28 mi into trip | ~33m in | CA 241 Toll / Foothill Transportation Corridor

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 241 Toll / Foothill Transportation Corridor

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
43 mi into trip | ~50m in

Take the exit toward Antonio Parkway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 18 Toward Antonio Parkway
6
47.8 mi into trip | ~57m in | Benjamin Drive

Turn right onto Benjamin Drive

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Foothill Transportation Corridor 15 mi 17m
Riverside Freeway 10.7 mi 12m
CA 91 9.1 mi 10m
Eastern Transportation Corridor 5.7 mi 6m
Antonio Parkway 4.4 mi 6m
Central Avenue 0.6 mi 1m
Benjamin Drive 0.5 mi 1m
Laurelhurst Drive 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Foothill Transportation Corridor — 15 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Riverside, CA and Ladera Ranch, CA.

1

Start on this road

87 ft · 8 sec · this road
2

Turn slight right onto Central Avenue

0.6 mi · 1 min · Central Avenue
3

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Toward CA 91 West: Beach Cities
4

Merge onto CA 91

11 mi · 12 min · Riverside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 20 sec
Exit 50 Toward Main Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Continue on CA 91

9.1 mi · 10 min · CA 91
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Take the exit

1.2 mi · 1 min
Exit 41B Toward CA 241 South: Irvine Use the slight right lane.
8

Continue on CA 241 Toll

5.7 mi · 6 min · Eastern Transportation Corridor
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 241 Toll

15 mi · 17 min · Foothill Transportation Corridor
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 26 sec
Exit 18 Toward Antonio Parkway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Turn right onto Antonio Parkway

4.4 mi · 6 min · Antonio Parkway
12

Turn right onto Benjamin Drive

0.5 mi · 1 min · Benjamin Drive
Use the right lane.
13

Enter roundabout onto Sienna Parkway

172 ft · 9 sec · Sienna Parkway
14

Continue on Sienna Parkway

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Sienna Parkway
15

Turn left onto Walden Street

210 ft · 13 sec · Walden Street
Use the left lane.
16

At end of road, turn right onto Laurelhurst Drive

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Laurelhurst Drive
17

Arrive at destination

Laurelhurst Drive

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 24.3 mi from Riverside, CA · 29m into the drive

city in Orange County, California, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Orange, CA

24 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Home Gardens, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Orange, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 24.3 miles from Riverside, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Ladera Ranch, CA

The final approach into Ladera Ranch, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$11.17 one way

$22.34 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 17 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $11.51 $23.02
premium $6.18 $11.82 $23.64
diesel $5.61 $10.73 $21.46

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$11

Estimated CO2 emission: 17 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 14.6 0 $5.10 $2.33
Efficient EV 12.2 0 $4.25 $1.94
EV Truck/SUV 19.4 0 $6.80 $3.11

Gas CO2

17 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (65% 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 17, 2026

Origin

Riverside, CA

Late night in Riverside on Friday

Local time

12:38 AM

PDT

Current temp

51°F

Mostly Clear

E 0 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 10:33PM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 10:33PM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Destination

Ladera Ranch, CA

Late night in Ladera Ranch on Friday

Local time

12:38 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

1h 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 Riverside, CA to Ladera Ranch, CA covers 48.6 miles and takes about 1h without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Foothill Transportation Corridor, Riverside Freeway, CA 91. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 24.3 miles from Riverside, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $11.17 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 48.6 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 11.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 21 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 28 miles (CA 241 Toll / Foothill Transportation Corridor): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Riverside, CA to Ladera Ranch, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Data sources

The figures on this page are computed from open government and mapping datasets, not crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Full methodology, refresh cadence, and limitations are documented on the methodology page.

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Return Trip

Ladera Ranch, CA to Riverside, CA

Plan the drive back the other way.

47.8 mi 1h

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