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Trip from Bakersfield, CA to Wasco, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

33m

Distance

28.3 mi

46 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 31m ★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city and county seat of Kern County, California, United States

Bakersfield, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in California, United States

Wasco, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This short 28.3-mile drive from Bakersfield, CA to Wasco, CA takes approximately 33 minutes and is a perfect one-day trip. You'll primarily navigate the Golden State Highway and Paso Robles Highway, with a portion on the Golden State Freeway contributing to an 18% highway share. The estimated fuel cost for this journey is around $7. This route offers a straightforward local drive within the Pacific Coast region, ideal for a quick transit or an easy excursion. Given its brevity, no overnight stays are necessary, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Golden State Highway 11.7 mi 12m
Paso Robles Highway 7.5 mi 8m
Golden State Freeway 5.2 mi 5m
Golden State Avenue 1.9 mi 2m
Chester Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Griffith Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Truxtun Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
Golden State Road 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Golden State Highway — 11.7 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bakersfield, CA and Wasco, CA.

1

Start on Truxtun Avenue

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Truxtun Avenue
2

Continue on Truxtun Avenue

0.1 mi · 26 sec · Truxtun Avenue
3

Turn right onto Chester Avenue

0.9 mi · 1 min · Chester Avenue
4

Enter roundabout onto Golden State Road

0.1 mi · 11 sec · Golden State Road
5

Continue on Golden State Road

427 ft · 8 sec · Golden State Road
6

Take the ramp

395 ft · 10 sec
7

Merge onto CA 204; CA 99 BUS

1.9 mi · 2 min · Golden State Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto CA 99

5.2 mi · 5 min · Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on CA 99

12 mi · 12 min · Golden State Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 13 sec
Exit 44 Toward CA 46 West: Wasco, Paso Robles Use the slight right lane.
11

Continue on CA 46

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Paso Robles Highway
12

Continue on CA 46

7.4 mi · 8 min · Paso Robles Highway
13

Turn left onto Griffith Avenue

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Griffith Avenue
14

Turn right onto 7th Street

167 ft · 4 sec · 7th Street
15

Arrive at destination

7th Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 20.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | Chester Avenue

Turn right onto Chester Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
1.2 mi into trip | ~2m in | Golden State Road

Enter roundabout onto Golden State Road

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

5
1.4 mi into trip | ~3m in | CA 204; CA 99 BUS / Golden State Avenue

Merge onto CA 204; CA 99 BUS / Golden State Avenue

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
3.4 mi into trip | ~5m in | CA 99 / Golden State Freeway

Merge onto CA 99 / Golden State Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20.2 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward CA 46 West: Wasco, Paso Robles

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 44 Toward CA 46 West: Wasco, Paso Robles

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.50 one way

$13.01 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $6.70 $13.41
premium $6.18 $6.88 $13.76
diesel $5.61 $6.25 $12.50

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.5 0 $2.97 $1.36
Efficient EV 7.1 0 $2.48 $1.13
EV Truck/SUV 11.3 0 $3.96 $1.81

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% less)

This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.

DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Bakersfield, CA

Late night in Bakersfield on Tuesday

Local time

5:00 AM

PDT

Current temp

74°F

Mostly Sunny

NW 0 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 7:07AM PDT until April 16 at 9:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 7:07AM PDT until April 17 at 3:00AM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Destination

Wasco, CA

Late night in Wasco on Tuesday

Local time

5:00 AM

PDT

Current temp

74°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

33m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route. While 18% of your journey will be on the highway, much of it involves navigating local roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.7 miles on the Golden State Highway. This profile suggests a driving experience with frequent adjustments rather than a monotonous highway cruise, requiring your attention as you transition between different road types and local traffic.

Only 18% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.7 mi on Golden State Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Chester Avenue.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 28.3 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Chester Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (Golden State Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.4 miles (CA 204; CA 99 BUS / Golden State Avenue): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Bakersfield, CA to Wasco, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Paso Robles along the way.

Paso Robles

20.2 mi in | ~23m

About the Cities

Starting in Bakersfield, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1869

Bakersfield is a city in Kern County in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Bakersfield is famous for being the home of country music singers Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and has the nickname "the country music capital of the West Coast."

Arriving in Wasco, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1945

Wasco is a city in Kern County in California's San Joaquin Valley.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 28.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

33m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 11.7 miles on Golden State Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Wasco, CA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Chester Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (Golden State Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.4 miles (CA 204; CA 99 BUS / Golden State Avenue): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — César E. Chávez National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Wasco, CA before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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