Origin
Plumas Lake, CA
Evening in Plumas Lake on Saturday
Local time
6:27 PM
PDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Plumas Lake, CA to Sacramento, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
32.3 mi
52 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Plumas Lake, CA
Skyler Sion
Sacramento, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Plumas Lake to Sacramento is 32.3 miles and takes about 39 minutes via CA 70, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Pacific Coast region, transitioning from a more rural feel near Plumas Lake to the urban environment of Sacramento. It's a straightforward trip, ideal for a quick transfer or an add-on to a larger itinerary. You'll find it a practical option if you're looking for a simple, direct route between these two California locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CA 70 | 12.2 mi | 14m |
| Golden State Highway | 7.7 mi | 8m |
| Westside Freeway | 5.5 mi | 6m |
| Bernie Richter Memorial Highway | 4.9 mi | 5m |
| Plumas Lake Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| H Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| J Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 5th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CA 70
— 12.2 mi, about 14m
Traffic on I-5
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 71 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~6,669 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~605 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 21 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Plumas Lake, CA and Sacramento, CA.
1
Start on Algodon Road
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
Algodon Road
2
Turn left onto Plumas Lake Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Plumas Lake Boulevard
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
4
Merge onto CA 70
12 mi
·
14 min
·
CA 70
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Merge onto CA 99
4.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Bernie Richter Memorial Highway
6
Continue on CA 99
7.7 mi
·
8 min
·
Golden State Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 5
5.5 mi
·
6 min
·
Westside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 519B
Toward Downtown, J Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on J Street
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
J Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Turn left onto 5th Street
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
5th Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Turn right onto H Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
H Street
12
Turn right onto 9th Street
490 ft
·
15 sec
·
9th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Arrive at destination
9th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 32.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CA 70
Merge onto CA 70
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
25.8 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
I 5 / Westside Freeway
Merge onto I 5 / Westside Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
31.3 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward Downtown, J Street
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 519B
Toward Downtown, J Street
7
31.7 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
5th Street
Turn left onto 5th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
32.2 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
9th Street
Turn right onto 9th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.32 one way
$14.64 round trip
$5.76/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.96 | $7.57 | $15.15 |
| premium | $6.09 | $7.75 | $15.49 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $6.87 | $13.74 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.7 | 0 | $3.39 | $1.55 |
| Efficient EV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.83 | $1.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.9 | 0 | $4.52 | $2.07 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Sacramento, CA
Evening in Sacramento on Saturday
Local time
6:27 PM
PDT
Current temp
78°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
26 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
39m 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 a mixed highway and surface road experience, with 55% of it on highways. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 12.2 miles on CA 70. Expect to transition from highway cruising to surface streets as you approach Sacramento. The constant presence of exits and merging traffic will be noticeable as you get closer to the city.
55% 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: 12.2 mi on CA 70.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 0.9 miles in near CA 70.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 32.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles (CA 70): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.8 miles (I 5 / Westside Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Arriving in Sacramento, CA
Full guide →Founded 1849
Sacramento is the state capital of California in the United States. It is the regional center for the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area, which dominates much of the surrounding Sacramento Valley and stretches into parts of Gold Country. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, settled between the confluences of the Sacramento and American rivers. The city has been the site of many important historic events that have shaped California and U.S. history, most notably the California Gold Rush and location of the original terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Much of this historical legacy has been preserved, especially in the historic Old Sacramento district, where buildings and railroads from that era continue to attract visitors. However, Sacramento is not a city that is stuck in the past. As the capital of the most populous U.S.
Top landmarks
- • California State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of California
- • Crocker Art Museum — art museum in Sacramento, California
- • Sacramento Valley Station — main railroad and light rail station in Sacramento, 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 39m. Total distance: 32.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (55%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.2 miles on CA 70. 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 Sacramento, 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 0.9 miles (CA 70): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.8 miles (I 5 / Westside Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Sacramento, 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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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