Origin
Carmichael, CA
Late night in Carmichael on Sunday
Local time
12:55 AM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carmichael, CA to Folsom, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carmichael, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Folsom, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition between Carmichael and Folsom, this 12.2-mile journey is a straightforward local commute. Expect to spend about 24 minutes behind the wheel, making it an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stops. You will navigate via Fair Oaks Boulevard, Sunrise Boulevard, and Madison Avenue, staying entirely off the highway system. With a fuel budget of just $3, this is an incredibly economical way to traverse this part of the Pacific Coast region. Because the entire route remains within California, you can easily complete it in a single afternoon without any complex logistics.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Fair Oaks Boulevard | 4.5 mi | 7m |
| Madison Avenue | 4.5 mi | 7m |
| Sunrise Boulevard | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Greenback Lane | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Sutter Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Palm Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Fair Oaks Boulevard
— 4.5 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carmichael, CA and Folsom, CA.
1
Start on Palm Drive
80 ft
·
6 sec
·
Palm Drive
2
Turn right onto Fair Oaks Boulevard
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Fair Oaks Boulevard
3
Continue on Fair Oaks Boulevard
3.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Fair Oaks Boulevard
4
Turn left onto CR E2
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Sunrise Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
4.5 mi
·
7 min
·
Madison Avenue
Use the left / uturn lanes.
6
Continue on Greenback Lane
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Greenback Lane
7
Turn left onto Sutter Street
123 ft
·
5 sec
·
Sutter Street
8
Arrive at destination
Sutter Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 12.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Fair Oaks Boulevard
Turn right onto Fair Oaks Boulevard
Navigation decision point
4
4.5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
CR E2 / Sunrise Boulevard
Turn left onto CR E2 / Sunrise Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
6.2 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
Madison Avenue
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / uturn lanes.
4
12.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
Sutter Street
Turn left onto Sutter Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.83 one way
$5.65 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.91 | $5.83 |
| premium | $6.18 | $2.99 | $5.98 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Folsom, CA
Late night in Folsom on Sunday
Local time
12:55 AM
PDT
Current temp
47°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
22 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
21m 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 12.2-mile trek is a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention behind the wheel. You won't find any monotonous interstate stretches here, as the route consists of 0% highway driving. Instead, you will be navigating a series of local roads that prioritize connectivity over speed. Since there is no single long, uninterrupted stretch, the drive feels like a continuous series of turns rather than a high-speed cruise. Be prepared for a hands-on experience that keeps you engaged with the local road network from start to finish.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.5 mi on Fair Oaks Boulevard.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Fair Oaks Boulevard.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 21m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Fair Oaks Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (CR E2 / Sunrise Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles (Madison Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Folsom, CA
Full guide →Folsom is a city of 82,000 people (2019) in Sacramento County in California. Folsom is home to Folsom Lake College, Folsom Dam, Folsom Prison and a historic district. Folsom is also home to the largest private employer in the Sacramento area, Intel.
Top landmarks
- • Folsom Depot — train station in Folsom, California
- • Murer House and Gardens — house in Folsom, California, United States
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 21m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.5 miles on Fair Oaks Boulevard. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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: near the start (Fair Oaks Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles (CR E2 / Sunrise Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles (Madison Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Folsom, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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