Origin
Emerald Lake Hills, CA
Late night in Emerald Lake Hills on Sunday
Local time
12:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Emerald Lake Hills, CA to San Jose, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
27.8 mi
45 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Emerald Lake Hills, CA
Jeffrey Eisen
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Emerald Lake Hills to San Jose is 27.8 miles and takes about 37 minutes via Junipero Serra Freeway and Sinclair Freeway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short drive that stays within the Pacific Coast region of California, making it a straightforward hop between two points in the same state. It’s primarily a highway route, so expect efficient travel. Given the short distance and duration, it's ideal for a same-day trip, allowing you to reach your destination without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Junipero Serra Freeway | 20.5 mi | 23m |
| Sinclair Freeway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| Farm Hill Boulevard | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Emerald Hill Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Lakeview Way | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Jefferson Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Vernal Way | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Junipero Serra Freeway
— 20.5 mi, about 23m
Traffic on I-280
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 10 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
5 PM
~4,865 veh/hr typical · worst 5,624
Quietest
3 AM
~58 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
83.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 13 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Emerald Lake Hills, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Midland Way
166 ft
·
10 sec
·
Midland Way
2
Turn left onto Vernal Way
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Vernal Way
3
Turn right onto Lakeview Way
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
·
Lakeview Way
4
Continue on Lakeview Way
180 ft
·
8 sec
·
Lakeview Way
5
Turn slight left onto Jefferson Avenue
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Jefferson Avenue
6
Turn right onto Emerald Hill Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Emerald Hill Road
7
At end of road, turn right onto Farm Hill Boulevard
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Farm Hill Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward I 280 South: San Jose
Use the left lane.
9
Merge onto I 280
21 mi
·
23 min
·
Junipero Serra Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on I 280
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Sinclair Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 3A
Toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward CA 87 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn right onto West Saint James Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
West Saint James Street
Use the straight lane.
16
Turn left onto North Market Street
416 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Market Street
17
Arrive at destination
North Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 2.3 and 27.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2.3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the ramp toward I 280 South: San Jose
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 280 South: San Jose
8
26.1 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 3A
Toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose Inter...
8
26.3 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airp...
7
27.1 mi into trip
|
~36m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 87 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 87 North
9
27.3 mi into trip
|
~36m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Julian Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.30 one way
$12.60 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $6.52 | $13.04 |
| premium | $6.09 | $6.67 | $13.34 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $5.91 | $11.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.92 | $1.33 |
| Efficient EV | 7 | 0 | $2.43 | $1.11 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.1 | 0 | $3.89 | $1.78 |
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.
Destination
San Jose, CA
Late night in San Jose on Sunday
Local time
12:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
64°F
Slight Chance Light Rain
W 9 mph
21% chance
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
13 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
37m 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?
This drive is mostly highway, with 84% of the 27.8 miles on freeways. You'll experience a longest stretch of 20.5 miles on the Junipero Serra Freeway before transitioning to surface roads like Farm Hill Boulevard. The high highway percentage means you'll encounter frequent exits and merges typical of a freeway commute within a metropolitan area.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 20.5 mi on Junipero Serra Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Junipero Serra Freeway and Sinclair Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 12 decision points packed into just 27.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 26.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Arriving in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Founded 1777
Often called "the capital of Silicon Valley", San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, 3rd largest in California, and the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 997,000 residents as of 2024. It was named the 6th safest big city in the U.S. in 2015. This clean, sprawling metropolis has sports, beautiful vistas, and ethnic enclaves and bleeds into the greater Bay Area for travelers who want to take their time in Northern California.
Top landmarks
- • Winchester Mystery House — Mansion in San Jose, California.
- • San Jose Diridon station — railway station complex in San Jose, California
- • Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum — building in San Jose, 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 37m. Total distance: 27.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 20.5 miles on Junipero Serra Freeway. 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 San Jose, 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 2.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 26.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. 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 San Jose, 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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