Your total trip with all stops is around 2,080 miles / 3350 km, taking roughly 30.5 hours for the whole trip. If you want to see every small town along the way, you can get a full list of cities between ORD and SAN.
Start from Chicago O'Hare International Airport.
Des Moines, Iowa is stopping point #1 after driving about 330 miles (530 km) or 5 hours.
Denver, Colorado is stopping point #2 after driving about 670 miles (1080 km) or 9.5 hours. Your total trip so far is about 1,000 miles or 1610 km over roughly 14.5 hours of driving.
Grand Junction, Colorado is stopping point #3 after driving about 240 miles (390 km) or 4 hours. Your total trip so far is about 1,240 miles or 2000 km over roughly 18 hours of driving.
Saint George, Utah is stopping point #4 after driving about 390 miles (630 km) or 5.5 hours. Your total trip so far is about 1,630 miles or 2630 km over roughly 24 hours of driving.
Finally, San Diego International Airport is your destination after driving about 450 miles (720 km) or 6.5 hours. Your total trip with all stops is around 2,080 miles or 3350 km, taking roughly 30.5 hours for the whole trip.
Travelmath helps you figure out where to stop when planning a long road trip from one location to another. The best stopping point for an overnight hotel stay or a break from driving often depends on how far or how long you want to drive before pausing to rest. You can find the closest city to your stopping point to look for hotels, or explore other cities and towns along the route. Use this as a road trip planner when you're driving cross-country or mapping a route with multiple stops.