Origin
California, GA
Morning in California on Tuesday
Local time
7:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from California, GA to North Druid Hills, GA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
53m
Distance
32.9 mi
53 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 49m
★
6 AM
0h 53m
8 AM
1h 2m
10 AM
0h 56m
12 PM
0h 55m
3 PM
0h 57m
5 PM
1h 1m
8 PM
0h 51m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
California, GA
Lesli Whitecotton
North Druid Hills, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
California, GA to North Druid Hills, GA is 32.9 miles and takes about 53 minutes via Macland Road and Windy Hill Road Southwest, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Southeast region, entirely within Georgia. It's a relatively short drive, making it convenient for a quick trip or an easy addition to a longer journey. You'll encounter a mix of road types, so expect varying speeds and traffic conditions as you make your way to your destination.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Macland Road | 8.5 mi | 13m |
| Windy Hill Road Southwest | 8 mi | 15m |
| Horace E Tate Freeway | 6.6 mi | 7m |
| Northeast Expressway | 3.9 mi | 5m |
| North Druid Hills Road Northeast | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Larry McDonald Memorial Highway | 1.5 mi | 1m |
| Hiram Acworth Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Lavista Road Northeast | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Macland Road
— 8.5 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between California, GA and North Druid Hills, GA.
1
Start on GA 92
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Hiram Acworth Highway
2
Turn left onto GA 360
8.5 mi
·
13 min
·
Macland Road
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on Windy Hill Road Southwest
8.0 mi
·
15 min
·
Windy Hill Road Southwest
Use the straight lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
54 sec
Toward I 75 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward I 75 South: Atlanta
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 75
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Larry McDonald Memorial Highway
Use the straight lane.
7
Continue on I 75
6.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Horace E Tate Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 251
Toward I 85 North, I 85 South, I 75 South: Greenville, Atlanta
Use the slight left lane.
9
Merge onto I 85
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Northeast Expressway
10
Keep slight left at fork onto I 85
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Northeast Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Exit 89
Toward GA 42: North Druid Hills Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward GA 42 South: North Druid Hills Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto GA 42
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Druid Hills Road Northeast
Use the right lane.
14
Turn sharp right onto GA 236
361 ft
·
16 sec
·
Lavista Road Northeast
15
Turn left
69 ft
·
5 sec
16
Turn right
250 ft
·
18 sec
17
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
16 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 32.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.4 miles from California, GA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 17.8 and 30.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
17.8 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 75 South: Atlanta
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 75 South: Atlanta
8
26.2 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Take the exit toward I 85 North, I 85 South, I 75 South: Greenville, Atlanta
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Exit 251
Toward I 85 North, I 85 South, I 75 South: Gree...
6
29 mi into trip
|
~46m in
|
I 85 / Northeast Expressway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 85 / Northeast Expressway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
30.7 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward GA 42: North Druid Hills Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 89
Toward GA 42: North Druid Hills Road
8
30.9 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Keep slight right at fork toward GA 42 South: North Druid Hills Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward GA 42 South: North Druid Hills Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.14 one way
$10.29 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $5.63 | $11.25 |
| premium | $4.70 | $6.09 | $12.18 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.26 | $14.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.45 | $1.58 |
| Efficient EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.2 | 0 | $4.61 | $2.11 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (67% 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.
Destination
North Druid Hills, GA
Morning in North Druid Hills on Tuesday
Local time
7:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°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
2 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
53m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This 53-minute drive involves 32% highway driving. You'll cover 8.5 miles on Macland Road, which is the longest continuous stretch without a significant change in road type. Expect to transition from highway to surface streets, so pay attention to speed limit changes and potential for more intersections as you approach North Druid Hills.
32% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.5 mi on Macland Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 17.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 32.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 53m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 17.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29 miles (I 85 / Northeast Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
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 California, GA to North Druid Hills, GA, road signs begin pointing toward Atlanta along the way.
Atlanta
26.2 mi in
|
~41m
About the Cities
Starting in California, GA
Full guide →One of the most diverse states in the Union, California has a culture ranging from the easygoing surf spots on the beaches of Southern California to the glamor of Hollywood, and the counterculture and thriving businesses of the Bay Area. The state, which is on the west coast of the U.S., also varies greatly in natural beauty, from redwood forests on the North Coast to the ski resorts of the rugged Sierra Nevada mountains and the harsh desert of Death Valley. The largest state in the U.S. by population and the third largest by area, California boasts world-famous attractions and sights: Disneyland, the Golden Gate Bridge, the Napa Valley wine country, and the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States, Mount Whitney.
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 53m. Total distance: 32.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
53m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (32%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.5 miles on Macland Road. 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 North Druid Hills, GA 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 17.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29 miles (I 85 / Northeast Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. 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 North Druid Hills, GA 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From North Druid Hills, GA
More trips to North Druid Hills, GA
Explore more options from California, GA or browse trips ending in North Druid Hills, GA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse GA road trips.