Origin
Santa Ana, CA
Evening in Santa Ana on Friday
Local time
7:21 PM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Santa Ana, CA to Lawndale, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
34.1 mi
55 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Santa Ana, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Lawndale, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
The drive from Santa Ana, CA to Lawndale, CA covers 34.1 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on San Diego Freeway, Garden Grove Freeway, North Broadway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.2 miles on San Diego Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.84 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 34.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 42m highway drive covering 34.1 miles, with most of the trip on San Diego Freeway and Garden Grove Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 20.2 miles on San Diego Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
San Diego Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 20.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on San Diego Freeway and Garden Grove Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North Broadway.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 34.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Broadway
Turn right onto North Broadway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 106
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
7
2.9 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
7
33.4 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Take the exit toward CA 107: Hawthorne Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 42A
Toward CA 107: Hawthorne Boulevard
6
33.6 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
Hawthorne Boulevard
Turn right onto Hawthorne Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Freeway | 20.2 mi | 23m |
| Garden Grove Freeway | 10.2 mi | 11m |
| North Broadway | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Manhattan Beach Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Santa Ana Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Hawthorne Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Santa Clara Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
San Diego Freeway
— 20.2 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Santa Ana, CA and Lawndale, CA.
1
Start on West 1st Street
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
West 1st Street
2
Turn right onto North Broadway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
North Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn right onto West Santa Clara Avenue
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
West Santa Clara Avenue
4
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
·
this road
Toward I 5 North: Los Angeles
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
5
Merge onto I 5
0.3 mi
·
19 sec
·
Santa Ana Freeway
6
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 106
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork
414 ft
·
8 sec
Toward CA 22 West: Long Beach
Use the slight left lane.
8
Merge onto CA 22
10 mi
·
11 min
·
Garden Grove Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on CA 22; I 405
20 mi
·
23 min
·
San Diego Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 42A
Toward CA 107: Hawthorne Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto Hawthorne Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Hawthorne Boulevard
Use the left / right lanes.
12
Turn left onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Manhattan Beach Boulevard
Use the left / uturn lanes.
13
Continue on Manhattan Beach Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
Manhattan Beach Boulevard
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
Manhattan Beach Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.84 one way
$15.68 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.08 | $16.15 |
| premium | $6.18 | $8.29 | $16.59 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.53 | $15.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.98 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.77 | $2.18 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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
Lawndale, CA
Evening in Lawndale on Friday
Local time
7:21 PM
PDT
Current temp
68°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
4 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
42m 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 Santa Ana, CA to Lawndale, CA covers 34.1 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are San Diego Freeway, Garden Grove Freeway, North Broadway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 17 miles from Santa Ana, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.84 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 11 decision points packed into just 34.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Broadway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Santa Ana, CA to Lawndale, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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