Origin
San Diego, CA
Late night in San Diego on Saturday
Local time
2:31 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
10h 7m
Distance
540.9 mi
870 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$124
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Olivehurst, CA
Stephen Leonardi
The drive from San Diego, CA to Olivehurst, CA covers 540.9 miles and takes about 10h 7m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on West Broadway, 1st Avenue, I 5 North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $124.32 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
270.4 miles from San Diego, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 5h 3m into the drive .
Founded 1769
From balmy beaches with a laid-back attitude to a gleaming modern image, San Diego offers much for the tourist to enjoy. Situated on the Southern California seacoast, San Diego is the second largest city in the state, with 1.4 million residents (2020), and has long attracted travelers for its ideal climate, miles of beaches, and location on the Mexican border right across from Tijuana. But there's much more here than surfer culture and a quick hop across the border. A rich maritime and military heritage lives on in San Diego, which is home to the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy. The city has also become known for its part in the wildlife conservation movement, owing to the presence of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Natural scenery abounds from rocky tidepools and seaside cliffs to desert hills and canyons inland.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
10h 7m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Long-distance drive route profile.
At 540.9 miles and 10h 7m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are West Broadway and 1st Avenue.
At 10h 7m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. Navigation is simple, but the total wheel time makes endurance and break timing the real challenge.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
Navigation is easy, but the length (10h 7m) means fatigue is the real challenge. The route is 0% highway with very few tricky spots, so this is more about pacing than navigation skill.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from San Diego, CA to Olivehurst, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| West Broadway | — | — |
| 1st Avenue | — | — |
| I 5 North | — | — |
| San Diego Freeway | — | — |
| Bake Parkway | — | — |
| Jamboree Road | — | — |
| El Camino Real | — | — |
| Newport Avenue | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Step-by-step road directions between San Diego, CA and Olivehurst, CA.
Start on Front Street
Turn left onto West Broadway
Turn left onto 1st Avenue
Take the ramp left toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Merge slight left onto San Diego Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on San Diego Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on San Diego Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on San Diego Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Bake Parkway
Keep slight right
Take the exit slight right toward Jamboree Road
Continue straight
Turn right onto Jamboree Road
Turn left onto El Camino Real
Turn left onto Newport Avenue
Take the ramp right toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Merge slight left onto Santa Ana Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Santa Ana Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Golden State Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on Golden State Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Keep slight left
Keep slight left to continue on Golden State Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Westside Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Westside Freeway
Keep left to continue on Westside Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Golden State Highway
Continue on Bernie Richter Memorial Highway
Keep slight right to continue on CA 70 North: Marysville, Oroville
Take the exit slight right toward Olivehurst Avenue
Turn left onto Olivehurst Avenue
Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward Olivehurst Avenue
Exit the roundabout onto Olivehurst Avenue
Turn right onto 7th Avenue
Arrive at your 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 119 miles or 2h 13m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 270.4 miles or 5h 3m 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 270.4 miles or 5h 3m
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 8h 59m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Olivehurst, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving San Diego, 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 San Diego, CA
Aim for roughly 270 miles and 5.1 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Olivehurst, CA
Aim for roughly 270 miles and 5.1 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 270.4 mi from San Diego, CA · 5h 3m into the drive
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
178 mi into the route
Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch
This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.
Second major stop
Overnight candidate
357 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
270 mi · about 5.1h in
A practical overnight split lands near Santa Clarita, CA after about 270 miles or 5.1 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 119 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 270.4 miles from San Diego, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 270 miles or 5.1 hours on the road.
The final approach into Olivehurst, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Olivehurst, CA.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Olivehurst, CA with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Regular Gas
$124.32 one way
$248.64 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $128.11 | $256.22 |
| premium | $6.18 | $131.54 | $263.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $119.42 | $238.85 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$124
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$254–$364
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 189.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $57 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 162.3 | 2 | $56.79 | $25.96 |
| Efficient EV | 135.2 | 1 | $47.33 | $21.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 216.4 | 2 | $75.73 | $34.62 |
Gas CO2
189 kg
EV CO2
63 kg (67% less)
Plan for 2 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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
Late night in San Diego on Saturday
Local time
2:31 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Destination
Late night in Olivehurst on Saturday
Local time
2:31 AM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
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.
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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