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The San Diego Freeway splits away from the Golden State Freeway in the Mission Hills district of Los Angeles, becoming Interstate 405. From the northern San Fernando Valley it heads straight south toward the Santa Monica Mountains. After crossing over the Sepulveda Pass , its route roughly follows the outline of the Pacific coast, but between five and ten miles inland. It crosses the Los Angeles/ Orange county line in Long Beach, then continues southeast through Orange County. It is joined by the Santa Ana FreewayThe Santa Ana Freeway is a portion of Interstate 5 in Los Angeles, California and its southeastern suburbs. It begins at the East Los Angeles Interchange, running in a generally southeasterly direction from there to its intersection with the San Diego Fre in southeastern IrvineIrvine is an incorporated city located in Orange County, California. It is a planned city, mainly developed by the Irvine Company since the 1960s. Formally incorporated in 1971, the 46-square mile city has a population of 148,000 ( as of 2001). It current at the massive El Toro YThe El Toro "Y is a freeway interchange in southern Orange County, California where the Santa Ana Freeway, Interstate 5, and the San Diego Freeway, Interstate 405 merge. South of that point, it retains the name "San Diego Freeway" but the highway designat interchange, below which it assumes the designation Interstate 5Interstate 5 is an interstate highway along the west coast of the United States. Like other interstates, it is commonly referred to as I-5 by most Americans ( Southern Californians typically call it the 5 . Its odd number indicates that it is a north-sout.

The route turns due south in Mission ViejoMission Viejo is a city located in Orange County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 93,102. Geography Mission Viejo is located at 33°36'46" North, 117°39'22" West (33. 612739, -117. According to the United States Census and continues in that direction until it reaches the bluffs overlooking the Pacific in Dana PointDana Point is a city located in southern Orange County, California. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 35,110. As one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via California State Route 1, it is a popu, at which point it once again turns southeastward to follow the contour of the shoreline. After passing through the 28 miles of Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps USMC is the second-smallest of the five branches of the United States armed forces, with 170,000 active and 40,000 reserve Marines as of 2002. The United States Coast Guard is the smallest. The Marine Corps is nonetheless la Base Camp PendletonMarine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is near Oceanside, California. The United States Marine Corps established the base on the Pacific Ocean coast north of San Diego in Southern California in 1942 to train U. Marines for service in World War II. The base is n in northern San Diego County, it travels through the wealthy northern suburbs of San Diego and into the city itself. In the Sorrento Valley district, the freeway ends, splitting into the unnamed final portion of I-5 and the Jacob Dekema Freeway (Interstate 805).

The San Diego Freeway's congestion problems are legendary; average speeds as low as five miles per hour are routinely recorded during morning and afternoon commutes. In particular, its interchanges with the Ventura Freeway and with the Santa Monica Freeway each consistently rank among the five most congested freeway interchanges in the United States. While much of this gridlock has to do with the lack of alternate routes between many of the areas it connects (some of which, such as the Pacific Coast and Laurel Canyon freeways, were proposed but abandoned for political reasons), the freeway would likely be busy even with the addition of other roads and mass transit solutions, as it connects so many important locations in the Greater Los Angeles area.