Origin
Pleasant Hill, CA
Late night in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday
Local time
3:56 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pleasant Hill, CA to Fremont, 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
48m
Distance
37.4 mi
60 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 45m
★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Pleasant Hill to Fremont is 37.4 miles and takes about 48 minutes via Donald D Doyle Highway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within California, connecting two points in the Pacific Coast region. It's a local route, meaning you'll navigate surface streets for most of the journey, so expect a bit more interaction with traffic signals and intersections. Given its short duration, this trip is ideal for a single-day excursion, offering a straightforward connection between these East Bay communities without extensive highway time.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Donald D Doyle Highway | 29.6 mi | 34m |
| Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway | 3.7 mi | 4m |
| Fremont Boulevard | 1.9 mi | 4m |
| Washington Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Contra Costa Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Mowry Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Gregory Lane | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Donald D Doyle Highway
— 29.6 mi, about 34m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pleasant Hill, CA and Fremont, CA.
1
Start on Gregory Lane
92 ft
·
2 sec
·
Gregory Lane
2
Continue on Gregory Lane
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Gregory Lane
3
Turn right onto Contra Costa Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Contra Costa Boulevard
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 680 South
5
Merge onto I 680
3.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 680
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Donald D Doyle Highway
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 680
28 mi
·
32 min
·
Donald D Doyle Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Exit 15
Toward Washington Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto Washington Boulevard
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Washington Boulevard
Use the right lane.
10
Continue on Fremont Boulevard
1.9 mi
·
4 min
·
Fremont Boulevard
11
Turn left onto Mowry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Mowry Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on Mowry Avenue
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Mowry Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Arrive at destination
Mowry Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 37 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.7 miles from Pleasant Hill, 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.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 34.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Contra Costa Boulevard
Turn right onto Contra Costa Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Merge onto I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
5.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
I 680 / Donald D Doyle Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 680 / Donald D Doyle Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
34 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Take the exit toward Washington Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 15
Toward Washington Boulevard
6
34.3 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
Washington Boulevard
Turn right onto Washington Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.60 one way
$17.19 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.86 | $17.72 |
| premium | $6.18 | $9.10 | $18.19 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.26 | $16.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.2 | 0 | $3.93 | $1.80 |
| Efficient EV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.27 | $1.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15 | 0 | $5.24 | $2.39 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Fremont, CA
Late night in Fremont on Tuesday
Local time
3:56 AM
PDT
Current temp
49°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
48m 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 route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with a 0% highway share. You'll be navigating surface streets for the entire 37.4 miles. The longest stretch without a significant turn or interruption is 29.6 miles along Donald D Doyle Highway. Expect a driving experience that involves frequent adjustments to speed and direction, typical of getting around within a metropolitan area rather than covering long distances on open roads. You'll primarily be on Donald D Doyle Highway and Fremont Boulevard, keeping you engaged with the local environment.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 29.6 mi on Donald D Doyle Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. 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 Contra Costa Boulevard.
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 37.4 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 (Contra Costa Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (I 680 / Donald D Doyle Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Pleasant Hill, CA
Full guide →Founded 1961
Pleasant Hill is in Contra Costa County in the Bay Area of California.
Arriving in Fremont, CA
Full guide →Founded 1956
Fremont is a suburban city in the southern part of the East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area; it is the 4th largest city in the Bay Area by population. Fremont is in the southern part of Alameda County, California, between Union City to the north, Sunol and the hills to the east, Milpitas and Santa Clara County to the south, and the San Francisco Bay to the west. The city of Newark, near the edge of the Bay, is surrounded by the city of Fremont. Fremont industry is not particularly large relative to other parts of the Bay Area, but neither is it a bedroom community. Many people in Fremont work locally in the electronics and high-tech industry, while many others commute to Silicon Valley or San Francisco locations for work.
Top landmarks
- • Mission San José — 18th-century Spanish mission in Fremont, California
- • Ardenwood Historic Farm — human settlement in California, United States of America
- • Niles Depot Museum — railway museum in Niles, California
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 48m. Total distance: 37.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
48m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 29.6 miles on Donald D Doyle Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza 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.
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 Fremont, 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 0.1 miles (Contra Costa Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.8 miles (I 680 / Donald D Doyle Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (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 Fremont, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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