Origin
San Diego, CA
Late night in San Diego on Friday
Local time
1:02 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Diego, CA to Crest, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
22.8 mi
37 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Crest, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
The drive from San Diego, CA to Crest, CA covers 22.8 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway, Mission Valley Freeway, La Cresta Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.6 miles on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.24 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 22.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (72%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 30m highway drive covering 22.8 miles, with most of the trip on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway and Mission Valley Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 8.6 miles on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Martin Luther King Junior Freeway and Mission Valley Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.1 miles in near G Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 22.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (G Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (Martin Luther King Junior Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
G Street
Turn left onto G Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
9.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto Martin Luther King Junior Freeway toward CA 125 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 125 North
7
11.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward I 8 East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 18B
Toward I 8 East
5
12.3 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
I 8 / Mission Valley Freeway
Merge onto I 8 / Mission Valley Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
18.2 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward Greenfield Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 20
Toward Greenfield Drive
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Junior Freeway | 8.6 mi | 9m |
| Mission Valley Freeway | 5.9 mi | 6m |
| La Cresta Road | 3.1 mi | 4m |
| CA 125 | 2 mi | 2m |
| West Broadway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| La Cresta Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Greenfield Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Lane | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
— 8.6 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Diego, CA and Crest, CA.
1
Start on Front Street
26 ft
·
6 sec
·
Front Street
2
Turn left onto West Broadway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West Broadway
3
Turn right onto 16th Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
16th Street
4
Turn left onto G Street
278 ft
·
9 sec
·
G Street
Use the left lane.
5
Continue on CA 94
8.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
0.4 mi
·
25 sec
·
Martin Luther King Junior Freeway
Toward CA 125 North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on CA 125
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
CA 125
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 18B
Toward I 8 East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto I 8
5.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Mission Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 20
Toward Greenfield Drive
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn right onto Greenfield Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Greenfield Drive
Use the right lane.
12
Turn left onto La Cresta Road
3.1 mi
·
4 min
·
La Cresta Road
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on La Cresta Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
La Cresta Boulevard
14
Turn right onto North Lane
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
North Lane
15
Arrive at destination
North Lane
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.24 one way
$10.48 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.40 | $10.80 |
| premium | $6.18 | $5.54 | $11.09 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.03 | $10.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
| Efficient EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.19 | $1.46 |
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.
Destination
Crest, CA
Late night in Crest on Friday
Local time
1:02 AM
PDT
Current temp
50°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
6 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
30m 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 San Diego, CA to Crest, CA covers 22.8 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Martin Luther King Junior Freeway, Mission Valley Freeway, La Cresta 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 11.4 miles from San Diego, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.24 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 10 decision points packed into just 22.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (G Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles (Martin Luther King Junior Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from San Diego, CA to Crest, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Cabrillo National Monument.
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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. 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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