Origin
Oakland, CA
Late night in Oakland on Sunday
Local time
1:00 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
2h 32m
Distance
119.5 mi
192 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$27
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Plymouth, CA
Ajdin Coric
Oakland, CA to Plymouth, CA is 119.5 miles and takes about 2h 32m via Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and CA 16, with a fuel budget near $27 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a mixed driving experience that's manageable for a single day trip. You'll encounter a blend of freeway speeds and more local road conditions, making it a practical choice for a quick excursion without needing an overnight stay. Plan for this trip to be a straightforward journey, suitable for those looking for a relatively short drive with a predictable route.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
59.7 miles from Oakland, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 12m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 50.2 mi | 58m |
| CA 16 | 22.6 mi | 33m |
| Eastshore Freeway | 14.3 mi | 16m |
| Jackson Road | 8.1 mi | 12m |
| Capital City Freeway | 5.3 mi | 5m |
| El Dorado Freeway | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| Yolo Causeway | 3.7 mi | 4m |
| Linus F. Claeys Freeway | 3.5 mi | 3m |
Step-by-step road directions between Oakland, CA and Plymouth, CA.
Start on 14th Street
Turn right onto Castro Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 980
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 580
Continue on I 80; I 580
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Continue on I 80
Continue on I 80
Continue on I 80
Continue on I 80
Continue on I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Continue on I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto US 50; I 80 Business
Keep slight left at fork onto US 50
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto CA 16
Turn left onto CA 16
Turn slight right onto CA 16
Continue on CA 16
Continue on CA 49
Enter roundabout onto CA 49
Arrive at destination
Given the 2h 32m duration, this is an ideal one-day trip, so aim to depart in the morning to maximize your time at your destination. The fuel cost is estimated at $27, so ensure your tank is full before you leave Oakland. While there's only one recommended stop, consider breaking up the longest stretch of 50.2 miles on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway with a brief rest. Pay attention to the transition from freeway driving to CA 16, as road conditions and speed limits will change. Having flexibility with this shorter drive means you can adjust your departure time or stop locations as needed.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 26 miles or 33m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 59.7 miles or 1h 12m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Plymouth, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Oakland, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Oakland, CA
This is one driving day of about 119.5 miles and 2h 32m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
60 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 26 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 59.7 miles from Oakland, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.5 and 85.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork toward I 580 West: San Francisco, MacArthur Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80 / Eastshore Freeway toward I 80 East: Vallejo, Sacramento
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto US 50; I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway toward Sacramento, South Lake Tahoe
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 16: Howe Avenue, Power Inn Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward CA 16 East: Jackson, Power Inn Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$27.47 one way
$54.93 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $28.30 | $56.61 |
| premium | $6.18 | $29.06 | $58.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $26.38 | $52.77 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$27
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$52–$77
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 41.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $13 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 35.9 | 0 | $12.55 | $5.74 |
| Efficient EV | 29.9 | 0 | $10.46 | $4.78 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 47.8 | 0 | $16.73 | $7.65 |
Gas CO2
42 kg
EV CO2
14 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Oakland on Sunday
Local time
1:00 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Destination
Late night in Plymouth on Sunday
Local time
1:00 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Historical Park
Celebrate and honor the contributions and sacrifices of American civilians on the WWII home front. Discover how diverse communities lived, worked, and interacted. Many faces, many stories, many truths...
National Historical Park
Established in 1988, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park celebrates America’s maritime heritage on the Pacific Coast. Our 50-acre park has grown around Aquatic Park Cove, a protected area...
National Memorial
On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion jolted the San Francisco East Bay area, shattering windows and lighting up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were killed instantly when two s...
National Monument
Walk among old growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog. Federally protected as a National Monument since 1908,...
National Recreation Area
Experience a park so rich it supports 19 distinct ecosystems with over 2,000 plant and animal species. Go for a hike, enjoy a vista, have a picnic or learn about the centuries of overlapping history f...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
This 119.5-mile route features a 45% highway share, meaning you'll spend a significant portion of your time on faster roads like the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and Eastshore Freeway before transitioning to CA 16. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 50.2 miles on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, offering a solid period of consistent driving. Expect the character of the drive to shift as you move from the expansive freeway environment to the more winding and potentially slower conditions of CA 16. This mixed profile provides a dynamic driving experience, moving from open highway to more localized travel.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 18 significant decision points across 119.5 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 7.1 miles (I 80 / Eastshore Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 76.3 miles (US 50; I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Oakland, CA and Plymouth, CA, road signs point toward Sacramento and Lake Tahoe.
Sacramento
Lake Tahoe
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.
Plymouth is a small town in Amador County, within the Gold Country region of California.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 32m. Total distance: 119.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (45%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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