Origin
Oakland, CA
Morning in Oakland on Tuesday
Local time
6:25 AM
PDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Oakland, CA to Lafayette, CA
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
17m
Distance
13 mi
21 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 19m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Lafayette, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Oakland, CA to Lafayette, CA is 13 miles and takes about 17m via Caldecott Tunnel, Grove Shafter Freeway, and Moraga Road, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Pacific Coast region, moving from the Oakland area into the East Bay. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick commute or an easy addition to a larger California road trip. You'll likely find it straightforward, with minimal time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Caldecott Tunnel | 6.4 mi | 7m |
| Grove Shafter Freeway | 4.6 mi | 5m |
| Moraga Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| 14th Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| John B. Williams Freeway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Castro Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Oak Hill Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Mount Diablo Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Caldecott Tunnel
— 6.4 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Oakland, CA and Lafayette, CA.
1
Start on 14th Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
14th Street
2
Turn right onto Castro Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Castro Street
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward I 980 East, CA 24: Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Hayward
4
Merge onto I 980
0.4 mi
·
25 sec
·
John B. Williams Freeway
5
Continue on I 980
4.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Grove Shafter Freeway
Toward CA 24: Berkeley, Walnut Creek
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 24
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
·
Grove Shafter Freeway
7
Continue on CA 24
6.4 mi
·
7 min
·
Caldecott Tunnel
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 12
Toward Oak Hill Road, Central Lafayette
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto Oak Hill Road
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Oak Hill Road
Use the right lane.
10
Turn left onto Mount Diablo Boulevard
479 ft
·
18 sec
·
Mount Diablo Boulevard
11
Turn right onto Moraga Road
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
Moraga Road
12
Turn left onto Saint Mary's Road
41 ft
·
1 sec
·
Saint Mary's Road
13
Arrive at destination
Saint Mary's Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 12.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Castro Street
Turn right onto Castro Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 980 East, CA 24: Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Hayward
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 980 East, CA 24: Walnut Creek, San Fra...
4
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 980 / Grove Shafter Freeway
Continue onto I 980 / Grove Shafter Freeway toward CA 24: Berkeley, Walnut Creek
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 24: Berkeley, Walnut Creek
8
12.1 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward Oak Hill Road, Central Lafayette
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 12
Toward Oak Hill Road, Central Lafayette
6
12.4 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Oak Hill Road
Turn right onto Oak Hill Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.99 one way
$5.98 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.08 | $6.16 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.16 | $6.32 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.87 | $5.74 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.62 |
| Efficient EV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.14 | $0.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.82 | $0.83 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Lafayette, CA
Morning in Lafayette on Tuesday
Local time
6:25 AM
PDT
Current temp
50°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
3 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
17m 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 drive has a 38% highway share, meaning a good portion of your 13 miles will be on surface roads. You'll experience a 6.4-mile stretch through the Caldecott Tunnel, which acts as a significant segment of the drive. Expect urban merging as you transition between the freeway and local roads.
38% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.4 mi on Caldecott Tunnel.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near Castro Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 13 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.4 miles (Castro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 miles (I 980 / Grove Shafter Freeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
901 ft
29 ft
Total Climb
982 ft
Total Descent
719 ft
Highest Point
901 ft
~6.5 mi in
Elevation Range
872 ft
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 Oakland, CA to Lafayette, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Walnut Creek along the way.
Walnut Creek
1.2 mi in
|
~2m
|
via I 980
About the Cities
Starting in Oakland, CA
Full guide →Founded 1852
Oakland is a port city in the Bay Area of California in the United States. Once an industrial area overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger neighbor to the west, this city of 440,000 people (2020) has begun to step out from under San Francisco's shadow with its notable natural and architectural features and its rise as the multicultural "hipster" city of the Bay Area.
Top landmarks
- • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge — suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California, USA
- • Lake Merritt — lagoon in Oakland, California, USA
- • Oakland Museum of California — art museum in Oakland, California
Arriving in Lafayette, CA
Full guide →Founded 1848
Lafayette is a city of 25,000 (2020) in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in California. It is primarily a residential town located in the hills between Berkeley and Walnut Creek, although it does offer shopping and dining, and the Lafayette Reservoir is popular with hikers. Lafayette is home to the wealthy set. The median age is 45, and the singles scene is non-existent. Nevertheless, Lafayette attracts a variety of people for a variety of reasons. Most people come for the quiet, private atmosphere.
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 17m. Total distance: 13 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (38%). 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 6.4 miles on Caldecott Tunnel. 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 Lafayette, 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 0.4 miles (Castro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 miles (I 980 / Grove Shafter Freeway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (5 total within detour distance). 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 Lafayette, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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