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Trip from Point Arena, CA to Fort Bragg, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 15m

Distance

44.7 mi

72 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$10

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 9m ★
6 AM
1h 15m
8 AM
1h 27m
10 AM
1h 20m
12 PM
1h 18m
3 PM
1h 20m
5 PM
1h 27m
8 PM
1h 12m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Point Arena, CA, CA

Point Arena, CA

Mr. Location Scout

city in Mendocino County, California, United States

Fort Bragg, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This scenic 44.7-mile drive from Point Arena to Fort Bragg in California is a perfect day trip, taking about 1 hour and 15 minutes to complete. You'll primarily navigate Shoreline Highway and South Main Street, with a brief stint on School Street. With a fuel cost estimated at just $10, this coastal journey is budget-friendly. Since there are no designated stops and the longest uninterrupted stretch is 42.1 miles, you have plenty of flexibility to explore. Both your origin and destination are within the Pacific Coast region, offering continuous coastal scenery.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Shoreline Highway 42.1 mi 1h 10m
South Main Street 1.8 mi 3m
School Street 0.5 mi <1m
Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
East Laurel Street <0.1 mi <1m
Port Road <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Shoreline Highway — 42.1 mi, about 1h 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Point Arena, CA and Fort Bragg, CA.

1

Start on Port Road

179 ft · 13 sec · Port Road
2

Turn left onto CA 1

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Main Street
3

Turn left onto CA 1

0.5 mi · 45 sec · School Street
4

Continue on CA 1

24 mi · 40 min · Shoreline Highway
5

At end of road, turn left onto CA 1

18 mi · 29 min · Shoreline Highway
6

Enter roundabout onto CA 1

125 ft · 2 sec · Shoreline Highway
7

Continue on CA 1

0.5 mi · 47 sec · Shoreline Highway
8

Continue on CA 1

1.8 mi · 3 min · South Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
9

Turn right onto East Laurel Street

201 ft · 16 sec · East Laurel Street
10

Turn left

75 ft · 5 sec
11

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 6

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 44.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CA 1 / Main Street

Turn left onto CA 1 / Main Street

Navigation decision point

3
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | CA 1 / School Street

Turn left onto CA 1 / School Street

Navigation decision point

5
24.6 mi into trip | ~41m in | CA 1 / Shoreline Highway

At end of road, turn left onto CA 1 / Shoreline Highway

Navigation decision point

4
42.3 mi into trip | ~1h 11m in | CA 1 / Shoreline Highway

Enter roundabout onto CA 1 / Shoreline Highway

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

5
44.7 mi into trip | ~1h 15m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$10.27 one way

$20.55 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 16 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $10.59 $21.17
premium $6.18 $10.87 $21.74
diesel $5.61 $9.87 $19.74

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$10

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.4 0 $4.69 $2.15
Efficient EV 11.2 0 $3.91 $1.79
EV Truck/SUV 17.9 0 $6.26 $2.86

Gas CO2

16 kg

EV CO2

5 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.

Forecast as of Mar 8, 2022

Origin

Point Arena, CA

Late night in Point Arena on Tuesday

Local time

1:50 AM

PDT

Current temp

57°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Fort Bragg, CA

Late night in Fort Bragg on Tuesday

Local time

1:50 AM

PDT

Current temp

51°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

6 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

1h 15m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 44.7-mile journey, with 0% highway share. The character of the road is consistent, featuring a longest stretch of 42.1 miles on Shoreline Highway before you transition to local streets. This route emphasizes navigating smaller roads rather than covering long distances at high speeds. You'll feel connected to the local landscape as you wind your way up the coast.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 42.1 mi on Shoreline Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

2/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CA 1 / Main Street.

Driving Effort 2/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Point Arena, CA to Fort Bragg, CA is easy. At 1h 15m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (CA 1 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (CA 1 / School Street): Navigation decision point; at 24.6 miles (CA 1 / Shoreline Highway): Navigation decision point.

About the Cities

Arriving in Fort Bragg, CA

Full guide →

For the fort in North Carolina, see Fayetteville (North Carolina). Fort Bragg is an isolated town of 7,000 people (2020) on California's North Coast. It serves as the economic hub of the area despite the demise of its historic logging and fishing industries at the end of the 20th century. Long regarded as the "Beast" to the neighboring village of Mendocino's "Belle," it has slowly been shedding its inhospitable, blue-collar reputation and begun to warm to the new reality of a tourism-based economy with art galleries, microbreweries and gastropubs of its own.

Top landmarks

  • Weller House — historic house in Fort Bragg, California, United States

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 1h 15m. Total distance: 44.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 15m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 42.1 miles on Shoreline Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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: near the start (CA 1 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (CA 1 / School Street): Navigation decision point; at 24.6 miles (CA 1 / Shoreline Highway): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Fort Bragg, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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