Origin
Marietta, GA
Late night in Marietta on Sunday
Local time
12:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Marietta, GA to California, GA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
12.5 mi
20 km
Drive Score
5/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
California, GA
Lesli Whitecotton
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion from Marietta to California, Georgia, you are looking at a brief 12.5-mile journey. Expect to spend about 20 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. The route primarily utilizes Dallas Highway, Whitlock Avenue, and Charles Hardy Parkway to connect these two Southeast locations. With an estimated fuel cost of just $2, this is an incredibly budget-friendly transit. Because the entire trip is quite short, you have plenty of flexibility to fit it into a busy schedule without needing to worry about extended travel logistics.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Whitlock Avenue | — | — |
| Dallas Highway | — | — |
| Charles Hardy Parkway | — | — |
| Hiram Acworth Highway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Whitlock Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Marietta, GA and California, GA.
1
Start on West Park Square
118 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Park Square
2
Turn right onto Whitlock Avenue
3.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Whitlock Avenue
3
Continue on Dallas Highway
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Dallas Highway
4
Keep slight right to continue on Dallas Highway
7.2 mi
·
11 min
·
Dallas Highway
5
Continue on Charles Hardy Parkway
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Charles Hardy Parkway
6
Turn left onto Hiram Acworth Highway
0.5 mi
·
52 sec
·
Hiram Acworth Highway
7
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.95 one way
$3.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.14 | $4.27 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.31 | $4.63 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 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 | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
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
California, GA
Late night in California on Sunday
Local time
12:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°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
20m 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 12.5-mile trek is best described as a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. You will spend 12 miles of the trip on highways, though the experience is defined by frequent navigation through local intersections. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a 7.4-mile segment on Dallas Highway, which provides the most consistent flow before returning to more technical road conditions. Expect a mix of transit styles as you transition between these main thoroughfares. You should stay alert, as the winding nature of the roads requires more active attention than a straight-shot highway drive.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: Whitlock Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
1/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Marietta, GA to California, GA is easy. At 20m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Marietta, GA to California, GA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,171 ft
975 ft
Total Climb
274 ft
Total Descent
354 ft
Highest Point
1,171 ft
~8 mi in
Elevation Range
196 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Marietta, GA
Full guide →Marietta is a city of 61,000 people (2019) in Metro Atlanta. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Dobbins Air Reserve Base on the south side of town and a Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant are among the major industries in the city.
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 20m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m 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
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Marietta, GA to California, GA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at California, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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