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Trip from Nevada City, CA to Birch Meadow Acres, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Oct 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

15m

Distance

9.6 mi

16 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 14m ★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m

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

Best Time
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town and county seat of Nevada County, California, United States

Nevada City, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Birch Meadow Acres, CA, CA

Birch Meadow Acres, CA

Erik Karits

Trip Overview

Nevada City to Birch Meadow Acres is 9.6 miles and takes about 15 minutes via Golden Center Freeway and Dog Bar Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within California's Pacific Coast region, making it a convenient local excursion. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick errand or a scenic drive without a significant time commitment. You'll find it offers a straightforward path between two points, perfect for when you need to get somewhere efficiently.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Golden Center Freeway 6 mi 7m
La Barr Meadows Road 1.4 mi 2m
Dog Bar Road 1 mi 1m
Rattlesnake Road 0.6 mi 1m
Wheeler Cross Road 0.3 mi 1m
Rambling Road 0.2 mi <1m
Casa Loma Drive <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Golden Center Freeway — 6 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Nevada City, CA and Birch Meadow Acres, CA.

1

Start on this road

0.1 mi · 12 sec · this road
2

Merge onto CA 20; CA 49

6.0 mi · 7 min · Golden Center Freeway
3

Turn left

87 ft · 6 sec
4

Turn slight left

138 ft · 10 sec
5

Turn right onto La Barr Meadows Road

1.4 mi · 2 min · La Barr Meadows Road
6

Continue on Dog Bar Road

1.0 mi · 1 min · Dog Bar Road
7

Turn left onto Wheeler Cross Road

72 ft · 3 sec · Wheeler Cross Road
8

Continue on Wheeler Cross Road

0.1 mi · 31 sec · Wheeler Cross Road
9

Keep slight left at fork onto Wheeler Cross Road

0.2 mi · 42 sec · Wheeler Cross Road
10

Turn right onto Rattlesnake Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · Rattlesnake Road
11

Turn left onto Casa Loma Drive

60 ft · 3 sec · Casa Loma Drive
12

Turn right onto Rambling Road

0.2 mi · 41 sec · Rambling Road
13

Arrive at destination

Rambling Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 8

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 9.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | CA 20; CA 49 / Golden Center Freeway

Merge onto CA 20; CA 49 / Golden Center Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining

3
6.1 mi into trip | ~7m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

3
6.1 mi into trip | ~8m in | La Barr Meadows Road

Turn right onto La Barr Meadows Road

Navigation decision point

5
8.6 mi into trip | ~12m in | Wheeler Cross Road

Keep slight left at fork onto Wheeler Cross Road

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

4
9.5 mi into trip | ~15m in | Rambling Road

Turn right onto Rambling Road

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.35 one way

$4.70 round trip

$6.22/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.40 $2.42 $4.84
premium $6.57 $2.48 $4.96
diesel $6.18 $2.34 $4.67

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-12.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.9 0 $1.01 $0.46
Efficient EV 2.4 0 $0.84 $0.38
EV Truck/SUV 3.8 0 $1.34 $0.61

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Oct 16, 2026

Origin

Nevada City, CA

Afternoon in Nevada City on Monday

Local time

3:04 PM

PDT

Current temp

63°F

Clear

E 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued October 15 at 6:05PM PDT until October 16 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued October 15 at 6:03PM PDT until October 16 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Destination

Birch Meadow Acres, CA

Afternoon in Birch Meadow Acres on Monday

Local time

3:04 PM

PDT

Current temp

62°F

Clear

ENE 8 to 12 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued October 15 at 6:05PM PDT until October 16 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued October 15 at 6:03PM PDT until October 16 at 10:00PM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

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

1 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

15m 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 62% of the route on freeways. You'll experience a continuous stretch of 6 miles on the Golden Center Freeway before transitioning to surface roads. Expect a significant portion of your travel time to be on higher-speed roads, offering a smooth and direct experience for most of the 9.6 miles. The change from freeway to local roads will be noticeable as you near your destination.

62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6 mi on Golden Center Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Golden Center Freeway and La Barr Meadows Road. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near CA 20; CA 49 / Golden Center Freeway.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 9.6 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.1 miles (CA 20; CA 49 / Golden Center Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 6.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 6.1 miles (La Barr Meadows Road): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

2,747 ft 2,272 ft

Total Climb

396 ft

Total Descent

609 ft

Highest Point

2,747 ft

~1.4 mi in

Elevation Range

476 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Nevada City, CA

Full guide →

Nevada City is a city in Nevada County in California's Gold Country. It's known for its well-preserved 19th century downtown and countercultural affiliations.

Top landmarks

  • • Nevada Theatre — movie theater and former theater in Nevada City, California, United States
  • • Nevada Brewery — commercial building in Nevada City, United States of America
  • • Nevada City Downtown Historic District — historic district in 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 15m. Total distance: 9.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

15m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (62%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 6 miles on Golden Center Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 0.1 miles (CA 20; CA 49 / Golden Center Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 6.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 6.1 miles (La Barr Meadows Road): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Birch Meadow Acres, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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