Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 6m
Distance
53.2 mi
86 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$12
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
Rio Vista, CA
Fernando Silva
This straightforward 53.2-mile drive from Oakland to Rio Vista, California, can be completed in about 1 hour and 6 minutes, making it an ideal day trip. Primarily utilizing CA 4 and CA 160, with a stretch through the Caldecott Tunnel, the route offers a highway-focused experience. With an estimated fuel cost of $12, this journey is budget-friendly for a quick excursion. You'll be traveling within the Pacific Coast region for both your departure and arrival. Given the short duration and minimal stops suggested, this trip is easily manageable in a single day without needing an overnight stay, allowing for flexibility in your schedule.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CA 4 | 15 mi | 17m |
| CA 160 | 13.6 mi | 18m |
| Caldecott Tunnel | 9.8 mi | 11m |
| Grove Shafter Freeway | 4.6 mi | 5m |
| CA 242 | 3.9 mi | 4m |
| Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| CA 12 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Front Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Oakland, CA and Rio Vista, CA.
Start on 14th Street
Turn right onto Castro Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 980
Continue on I 980
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 24
Continue on CA 24
Merge onto I 680
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 242
Merge onto CA 4
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 160
Turn left onto CA 12
Take the exit
Turn slight right onto CA 84
Turn right onto North Front Street
Turn right
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 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 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 26.6 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 0.6 and 38.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the ramp toward I 980 East, CA 24: Walnut Creek, San Francisco, Hayward
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Merge onto I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 242 toward CA 242 North: Concord, Pittsburg
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Merge onto CA 4
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 160 toward CA 160: Rio Vista, Sacramento
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$12.23 one way
$24.46 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $12.60 | $25.20 |
| premium | $6.18 | $12.94 | $25.88 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.75 | $23.49 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$12
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16 | 0 | $5.59 | $2.55 |
| Efficient EV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.66 | $2.13 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.3 | 0 | $7.45 | $3.40 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% 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 Tuesday
Local time
4:45 AM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Partly Cloudy
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 17 at 7:10PM PDT until April 18 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA
Destination
Late night in Rio Vista on Tuesday
Local time
4:45 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
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
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.
The character of this drive is predominantly highway-focused, with 72% of the journey on faster roads. You'll experience a significant uninterrupted stretch of 15 miles on CA 4, offering a consistent pace. As you transition to CA 160, the road may present a different feel, but the overall profile leans towards efficient travel. The Caldecott Tunnel marks a notable point in the route, likely involving a brief slowdown before rejoining the open road. Expect a driving experience that prioritizes covering ground efficiently rather than extensive scenic detours.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on CA 4 and CA 160. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 53.2 miles you will encounter 13 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 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 15.6 miles (I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.4 miles (CA 242): 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 Rio Vista, CA, road signs point toward Pittsburg and Sacramento.
Pittsburg
Sacramento
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
Rio Vista is in the California Delta in Solano County in the Sacramento Valley region of California. Rio Vista sits on the northwest bank of the Sacramento River. It's a quiet town which is beginning to suffer from overdevelopment of tract houses built to house the overflowing populations of Sacramento and the Bay Area. Ships headed from the ocean to Sacramento routinely pass by the waterfront. Rio Vista briefly made international headlines during the 1980s when a wayward Humback Whale took it upon itself to swim upstream before becoming a spectacle. The Whale spent about a week near Rio Vista before being led back to the ocean 100 miles away. The area around Rio Vista in the Sacramento Delta has often been used in films as a stand-in for the Mississippi delta when it's too expensive for a Hollywood production to film in Louisiana.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 6m. Total distance: 53.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (72%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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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