Interstate 10: Santa Monica to San Bernardino – California

Take a legendary ride across the spine of Southern California as we follow Interstate 10 from its iconic western terminus in Santa Monica to the bustling city of San Bernardino. This 71-mile journey cuts across the heart of Los Angeles and into the Inland Empire, weaving together beachfront beginnings, dense urban sprawl, and foothill-bound freeways—each mile steeped in motion, momentum, and the unmistakable rhythm of Southern California life.

Our trip begins at the end—or the beginning—of a transcontinental journey: the western terminus of Interstate 10 at Pacific Coast Highway (CA-1) in Santa Monica. The ocean is just out of sight, but its breeze and influence still linger in the air as we merge onto the freeway. At first, we’re surrounded by palm trees and upscale neighborhoods, but within minutes we’ve entered Los Angeles proper, greeted by the complex web of interchanges that define driving in this region. We pass beneath Interstate 405, also known as the San Diego Freeway, a critical artery for west-side traffic. The road here is dense, multilane, and ever in motion.

Continuing east, we approach Downtown Los Angeles, with skyscrapers rising to our left as we skim past on the south side. The I-110/CA-110 interchange—where the Harbor and Arroyo Seco Parkways meet—feels like a deep breath before plunging into the center of LA’s freeway maze. At Interstate 5, the Golden State Freeway, we briefly join the northbound lanes before splitting again, I-10 asserting its independence as the San Bernardino Freeway. The traffic can be thick, the signage dizzying, but the path is sure. This is the route millions have taken—from commuters to cross-country travelers—and it shows in every ramp, bridge, and signpost.

In East Los Angeles, we pass Interstate 710, a freeway frequently in the headlines for its environmental and urban planning controversies. (It’s worth a Google search if you’re curious about freeway activism.) Then come the communities of Monterey Park, Alhambra, and El Monte, where commercial corridors and residential neighborhoods line the route, tucked just out of view beyond soundwalls. At the I-605 interchange, another key north-south connector, the tempo of the drive quickens—fewer downtown distractions, more wide-open motion.

As we head deeper into the San Gabriel Valley, the freeway opens up a bit. We glide past Covina, and then hit a minor slowdown at the CA-57/CA-71 interchange, a spot currently undergoing upgrades and roadwork. Construction zones are a constant on this corridor, but even so, the transition eastward continues smoothly. Past Pomona and Montclair, the urban density gradually gives way to bigger lots, business parks, and the feel of the Inland Empire. Entering Ontario, we pass the junction with CA-83 and then the impressive I-15 stack interchange, which serves both Ontario International Airport and the major north–south corridor connecting to Las Vegas and San Diego.

We press onward into Fontana, a city born of steel mills and freight yards, now transformed into a fast-growing residential hub. Warehouses and distribution centers line the freeway here, evidence of the goods movement economy that pulses through this corridor. Finally, we enter San Bernardino, where the palm-lined freeway meets Interstate 215. We exit here, wrapping our journey just as I-10 begins its long eastward climb toward the desert, the Colorado River, and eventually Florida.

Interstate 10 is more than a freeway—it’s a cross-section of California itself, from surf to suburb, skyscrapers to semis. Along this stretch, we glimpse the shifting fabric of Southern California’s history and economy, its contradictions and charms. Whether you’re just beginning a transcontinental odyssey or simply making the daily grind, this ride from Santa Monica to San Bernardino never ceases to surprise and remind us that out here, the freeway is the story.