Rosecrans Avenue begins at the beach near El Porto in
Manhattan Beach. On its route, it crosses through Manhattan Beach,
El Segundo (northside of street only),
Hawthorne,
Lawndale,
Gardena,
Harbor Gateway,
Willowbrook,
Compton,
East Rancho Dominguez,
Paramount,
Downey (for one block between Century Blvd and Lakewood Blvd/
SR-19),
Bellflower,
Norwalk,
Santa Fe Springs,
La Mirada,
Buena Park (southside of street only;
Fullerton and La Mirada connect on the northside near Beach Blvd/
SR-39), and Fullerton where the road ends at Euclid Street (eastern terminus). It intersects the
405,
110,
710,
605, and
5 freeways (all Interstates). Rosecrans is mostly a straight road until the intersection with Clark Avenue in Bellflower and again at Valley View Avenue in La Mirada when it starts to curve through the
West Coyote Hills. Rosecrans enters the cities of Fullerton and Buena Park crossing into
Orange County after the intersection with
Beach Boulevard. Rosecrans Avenue enters Buena Park approaching
Ralph B. Clark Regional Park before entering Fullerton halfway the park (no signs indicate where La Mirada ends and Buena Park begins/ends; there is one for where Fullerton begins on the southside of street). From Lakewood Boulevard in Downey/Bellflower to Valley View Avenue in Santa Fe Springs/La Mirada, Rosecrans is about one mile south of, and runs parallel to
Imperial Highway. Rosecrans at Marquardt Avenue in Santa Fe Springs had been considered the most hazardous railroad
grade crossing in California because from 2013 to 2019 there were 31 accidents and 6 deaths. As a result, an overpass that takes Rosecrans Avenue up over the train tracks was completed in early 2025.
BNSF,
Amtrak's
Pacific Surfliner and
Southwest Chief, and
Metrolink's
Orange County and
91 lines run towards that crossing. ==Termini==