Origin
Sunland, CA
Late night in Sunland on Friday
Local time
4:30 AM
PDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sunland, CA to Los Angeles, 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
19.4 mi
31 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
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.
Sunland, CA
Dominik Gryzbon
Los Angeles, CA
Stephen Leonardi
Trip Overview
This short 19.4-mile drive from Sunland, CA to Los Angeles, CA is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking about 30 minutes to complete. With a modest fuel cost estimate of $5, it's a budget-friendly excursion. The route primarily utilizes major freeways and boulevards, offering a mixed driving experience. As both your origin and destination are within the Pacific Coast region, you'll remain in a familiar, urbanized landscape throughout your journey. This trip is ideal for a quick transit or a brief exploration without the need for an overnight stay.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 19.4 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 (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a mixed drive on this route, with 53% of the journey on highways. You'll experience stretches on the Glendale Freeway, Foothill Boulevard, and the Foothill Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7 miles on the Glendale Freeway. This means you'll transition between faster-paced freeway driving and more local boulevard conditions as you make your way towards Los Angeles. The road's character shifts between efficient, high-speed transit and more typical urban street navigation.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Glendale Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 7 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 6.5 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 20 decision points packed into just 19.4 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 6.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 20 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
6.5 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward CA 2 South: Los Angeles
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 19
Toward CA 2 South: Los Angeles
7
14.6 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward I 5: Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles, Sacramento
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.
Toward I 5: Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles,...
8
14.7 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 South: Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 5 South: Golden State Freeway, Los Ang...
9
16.4 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CA 110 South: Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los Angeles
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 137B
Toward CA 110 South: Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los A...
8
17.9 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward Civic Center, Hill Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
Exit 24C
Toward Civic Center, Hill Street
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Sunland, CA and Los Angeles, CA, road signs point toward Sacramento and Civic Center.
Sacramento
14.6 mi in
|
~22m
Civic Center
17.9 mi in
|
~27m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Glendale Freeway | 7 mi | 8m |
| Foothill Boulevard | 2.5 mi | 5m |
| Foothill Freeway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| North Broadway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Lowell Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Arroyo Seco Parkway | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Mount Gleason Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Golden State Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Glendale Freeway
— 7 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sunland, CA and Los Angeles, CA.
1
Start on Wentworth Street
117 ft
·
10 sec
·
Wentworth Street
2
Turn left onto Mount Gleason Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Mount Gleason Avenue
3
Turn left onto Foothill Boulevard
2.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Foothill Boulevard
4
Turn right onto Lowell Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Lowell Avenue
5
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 210 East: Pasadena
6
Merge onto I 210
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Foothill Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 19
Toward CA 2 South: Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto Hillard Avenue
0.2 mi
·
11 sec
·
Hillard Avenue
Toward CA 2 South
9
Merge onto CA 2
7.0 mi
·
8 min
·
Glendale Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
8 sec
Toward I 5: Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles, Sacramento
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
Toward I 5 South: Golden State Freeway, Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
30 sec
Toward I 5 South: Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
17 sec
Toward I 5 South: Los Angeles
Use the slight left lane.
14
Merge onto I 5
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
Golden State Freeway
15
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Toward CA 110 South: Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 137B
Toward CA 110 South: Arroyo Seco Parkway, Los Angeles
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
17
Merge onto CA 110; US 6 Hist; US 66 Hist
0.7 mi
·
55 sec
·
Arroyo Seco Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
Exit 24C
Toward Civic Center, Hill Street
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
19
Continue on this road
50 ft
·
1 sec
·
this road
Use the straight lane.
20
Turn slight right onto North Hill Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
North Hill Street
21
Turn left onto West College Street
404 ft
·
15 sec
·
West College Street
Use the left lane.
22
Turn right onto North Broadway
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
North Broadway
Use the straight lane.
23
Turn left onto West 1st Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
West 1st Street
Use the left lane.
24
Arrive at destination
West 1st Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.46 one way
$8.92 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.59 | $9.19 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.72 | $9.44 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.28 | $8.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.04 | $0.93 |
| Efficient EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.70 | $0.78 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.72 | $1.24 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Los Angeles, CA
Late night in Los Angeles on Friday
Local time
4:30 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°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 warmer 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 Sunland, CA to Los Angeles, CA covers 19.4 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Glendale Freeway, Foothill Boulevard, Foothill Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.7 miles from Sunland, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.46 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 20 decision points packed into just 19.4 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 6.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Sunland, CA and Los Angeles, CA, road signs point toward Sacramento and Civic Center.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.
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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