The Wayro route from Santa Monica to Mexicali is 244 miles (392 km), about 4 h 13 min of driving without stops. The U.S.–Mexico border is at about mile 240 on this route, near the Calexico West port of entry.
What the State Department tells travelers on this route:
- Baja California: “Travelers should remain on main highways and avoid remote locations.”
| Distance | 244 mi (392 km) |
|---|---|
| Driving time, no stops | 4 h 13 min |
| Main roads, in order | I-10 → I-10 EXPR → CA-86 → US-99 Hist → CA-78 → CA-111 |
| Border crossing | about mile 240 of this route, California → Baja California (near the Calexico West, CA port of entry) |
| Mexican states on the route | Baja California (Level 3) |
| Fuel estimate (car at 25 mpg) | about 9.8 gal; actual use varies by vehicle and traffic |
| Stops listed below | 8 |
Crossing into Mexico: what you need for Mexicali
| Passport | Passport book or passport card to enter Mexico by land |
|---|---|
| FMM entry permit | Not needed if you stay within 12 miles (20 km) of the border for 6 days or less; required for longer stays or if you travel farther in |
| Temporary vehicle import permit (TIP) | Not needed: Baja California is in Mexico's hassle-free zone for U.S. vehicles |
| Mexican auto insurance | Required for all vehicles: buy a Mexican policy before you cross |
Sources: U.S. State Department, Mexico travel information (updated August 11, 2026); permits are issued by Banjercito.
Crossing at Calexico West
Calexico West sits in downtown Calexico, directly across from Mexicali, and GSA describes it as the main border crossing linking the Imperial Valley to Baja California. It handles passenger vehicles and pedestrians and is in the middle of a multi-phase federal modernization.
Sources: [1]
What the drive from Santa Monica to Mexicali is like
I-10 (134 mi) and US-99 Hist (34 mi) carry about 69% of the 244 miles. The U.S. part of the drive runs through California for about 240 miles; after the border at Calexico West you have about 4 miles left in Mexico. None of the 8 stops below is right on the road, so plan each as a short side trip.
The route from Santa Monica to Mexicali, road by road
| Road | Route miles (from–to) | Length, mi | State |
|---|---|---|---|
| local roads | 0–1 | 1 | California |
| I-10 | 1–48 | 47 | California |
| I-10 EXPR | 48–58 | 10 | California |
| I-10 | 58–145 | 87 | California |
| CA-86 | 145–177 | 32 | California |
| US-99 Hist | 177–211 | 34 | California |
| CA-78 | 211–217 | 6 | California |
| CA-111 | 217–237 | 20 | California |
| connecting roads | 237–239 | 2 | California |
| local roads | 239–244 | 5 | California, Baja California |
- Mile 240 of this route: California → Baja California (international border)
Stops between Santa Monica and Mexicali
- Nature and outdoors: Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (mile 110)
- Museums and history: Museum of Tolerance (mile 7), La Brea Tar Pits (mile 9), Hollyhock House (mile 12), The Broad (mile 14), Little Tokyo, Los Angeles (mile 17), Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (mile 18), Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument (mile 110), Sand to Snow National Monument (mile 111)
Museum of Tolerance
Run by the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, this museum confronts prejudice through a narrated Holocaust exhibit tracing events from the 1920s to 1945, an immersive exhibit on Anne Frank and the interactive Peltz Social Lab.
La Brea Tar Pits
Natural asphalt still bubbles up in Hancock Park, where Ice Age fossils of mammoths, mastodons and dire wolves have been pulled from the tar. Visitors can walk the grounds and see active excavation sites in the heart of Los Angeles.
Hollyhock House
Frank Lloyd Wright designed this house for the heiress Aline Barnsdall. Now a house museum in Barnsdall Art Park in East Hollywood, it's a National Historic Landmark and one of eight Wright buildings in the UNESCO World Heritage listing The 20th-Century Architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright.
The Broad
Founded by Eli and Edythe Broad and opened in 2015, this Grand Avenue museum shows postwar and contemporary art by artists such as Basquiat, Warhol, Koons, and Kusama inside a veil-and-vault building by Diller Scofidio + Renfro with Gensler.
Little Tokyo, Los Angeles
Settled by Japanese immigrants from 1885, this downtown Los Angeles National Historic Landmark district includes the 1925 Hompa Hongwanji Buddhist Temple and 1923 Japanese Union Church, and the Japanese American National Museum opened here in 1992.
Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels
Designed by Rafael Moneo, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles glows through alabaster windows and displays John Nava's tapestries. Guided tours cover the cathedral, its plaza gardens, and the mausoleum.
Santa Rosa and San Jacinto Mountains National Monument
Rising from the Coachella Valley toward alpine peaks, this monument holds fan palm oases, bighorn sheep habitat, wilderness areas, and part of the Pacific Crest Trail. Its visitor center sits on Highway 74 in Palm Desert.
Sand to Snow National Monument
Established in 2016, this monument climbs from the Sonoran Desert floor to San Gorgonio Mountain, the highest peak in California south of the Sierra Nevada, and carries 30 miles of the Pacific Crest Trail.
When you get to Mexicali
Baja California's state capital sits on the desert floor directly across the border from Calexico, and summer highs here can approach 50°C (about 122°F). Mexicali is known across Mexico for its Chinese food, a tradition that took root when Chinese immigrants settled in the 1910s and built the downtown district called La Chinesca.
- La Chinesca: The historic Chinese quarter downtown mixes Chinese and Mexican architecture and has a Chinese temple, small museums and plenty of Chinese-Mexican restaurants. source
- Museo UABC: Run by the state university since 1977, it covers desert ecology, paleontology, archaeology and the Cucapá, Kiliwa, Pai Pai and Kumiai peoples. source
- Museo Sol del Niño: A hands-on science and environment museum for kids, housed in La Jabonera del Pacífico, a former cottonseed warehouse recognized as heritage by INAH. source
More drives to Mexicali
- Fresno, CA to Mexicali
- Silver City, NM to Mexicali
- Long Beach, CA to Mexicali
- Winslow, AZ to Mexicali
- Poway, CA to Mexicali
- El Centro, CA to Mexicali
From Santa Monica to other places in Mexico
- Santa Monica, CA to San Quintín
- Santa Monica, CA to Tijuana
- Santa Monica, CA to San Luis Río Colorado
- Santa Monica, CA to Rosarito
- Santa Monica, CA to Ensenada
- Santa Monica, CA to Puerto Peñasco
All routes to Mexicali, border crossings and permits in one place: Driving to Mexicali, Mexico from the U.S.
Continue Your Adventure
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Santa Monica to Mexicali?
About 4 h 13 min of driving without stops, over 244 miles.
How far is Mexicali from Santa Monica by car?
About 244 miles (392 km) on the Wayro route. Other map services may show a few miles more or less, depending on where they start and end in each city.
Where does the Santa Monica to Mexicali drive cross into Mexico?
At about mile 240 of this route, from California into Baja California, near the Calexico West port of entry.
Do I need a permit to drive my car from Santa Monica to Mexicali?
No vehicle permit is needed. Baja California is in Mexico's hassle-free zone for U.S. vehicles. You also need Mexican auto insurance and a passport book or card.
Is it safe to drive from Santa Monica to Mexicali?
The U.S. State Department rates Baja California Level 3: Reconsider Travel (advisory issued May 29, 2026). Read the full advisory before you go.
What roads does the drive from Santa Monica to Mexicali use?
In order: I-10, I-10 EXPR, CA-86, US-99 Hist, CA-78 and CA-111. The road-by-road table above shows the route miles and states for each one.
What are good stops between Santa Monica and Mexicali?
Closest to the road: Museum of Tolerance (museum, mile 7, 2 mi from the route); The Broad (art museum, mile 14, 2 mi from the route); Little Tokyo, Los Angeles (historic district, mile 17, 1 mi from the route). All stops are described above.
How we put this guide together
Wayro calculates the route from OpenStreetMap road data; mile numbers are positions along this route, not highway mile markers, and "from the route" distances are straight-line, so the real detour depends on access roads. Stops are chosen from parks, natural sites, museums, historic sites and attractions close to the route (roughly 2 to 7 miles depending on the type, farther for World Heritage sites): at least one strong stop for each stretch of the drive, then the best-known places nearest the road, with no more than five of one type, up to nine in all. Places that are closed, private or not open to visitors are removed. Place and city descriptions are written by the Wayro team from official park, museum, tourism and government websites and other published sources. Safety levels and entry rules were checked against the U.S. Department of State on September 29, 2026. Conditions change, so check the linked sources before you travel.
Route data © OpenStreetMap contributors.