Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Sacramento, CA to Thornton, CA

Pin this trip

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

Drive Time

31m

Distance

26.9 mi

43 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 29m ★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
capital city of the U.S. state of California and seat of Sacramento County

Sacramento, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Thornton, CA, CA

Thornton, CA

Stephen Leonardi

Trip Overview

This 26.9-mile drive from Sacramento to Thornton, California, is a quick trip that can easily be completed in about 31 minutes. It's a straightforward, highway-focused journey, with 91% of the route on major roads. Given its short distance and duration, this drive is ideal as a single-day trip, requiring no overnight stops. Budget around $6 for fuel. Traveling within the Pacific Coast region, this route offers a practical and efficient way to get from point A to point B without significant detours.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Westside Freeway 24.4 mi 27m
9th Street 0.5 mi 1m
P Street 0.5 mi 1m
West Walnut Grove Road 0.2 mi <1m
Thornton Road 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Westside Freeway — 24.4 mi, about 27m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Sacramento, CA and Thornton, CA.

1

Start on 9th Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · 9th Street
2

Turn right onto P Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · P Street
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 17 sec
Toward US 50, I 5 South: South Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Los Angeles
4

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 37 sec
Toward I 5 South: Los Angeles Use the slight right lane.
5

Merge onto I 5

24 mi · 27 min · Westside Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward Walnut Grove Road
7

Turn left onto J11

0.2 mi · 21 sec · West Walnut Grove Road
8

Continue on J8

0.2 mi · 20 sec · Thornton Road
9

Arrive at destination

J8

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 6

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 26.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | P Street

Turn right onto P Street

Navigation decision point

4
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward US 50, I 5 South: South Lake Tahoe, San Francisco, Los Angeles

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward US 50, I 5 South: South Lake Tahoe, San...
7
1.3 mi into trip | ~2m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 5 South: Los Angeles

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 5 South: Los Angeles
5
1.8 mi into trip | ~3m 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.
4
26.2 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward Walnut Grove Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Toward Walnut Grove Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.18 one way

$12.37 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $6.37 $12.74
premium $6.18 $6.54 $13.08
diesel $5.61 $5.94 $11.88

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.1 0 $2.82 $1.29
Efficient EV 6.7 0 $2.35 $1.08
EV Truck/SUV 10.8 0 $3.77 $1.72

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Sacramento, CA

Late night in Sacramento on Tuesday

Local time

2:37 AM

PDT

Current temp

68°F

Sunny

NNW 13 to 18 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 10:43AM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Medford OR

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 10:32AM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA

Destination

Thornton, CA

Late night in Thornton on Tuesday

Local time

2:37 AM

PDT

Current temp

75°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

7 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

31m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a predominantly highway experience on this 26.9-mile journey, with 91% of the drive utilizing major roadways like the Westside Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 24.4 miles on the Westside Freeway, offering a consistent pace. This route is characterized by its highway-focused profile, meaning you'll likely experience smooth, fast travel for the majority of the trip. Transitions between roads like 9th Street and P Street are brief, keeping the momentum high.

91% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 24.4 mi on Westside Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and 9th Street. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near P Street.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 31m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (P Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting 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 31m. Total distance: 26.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

31m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (91%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 24.4 miles on Westside Freeway. 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: at 0.5 miles (P Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Thornton, 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From Thornton, CA

San Diego, CA 478.7 mi · 8h 57m San Francisco, CA 84.7 mi · 1h 49m

More from Sacramento, CA

San Diego, CA 504.8 mi · 9h 27m Thousand Palms, CA 497.3 mi · 9h 11m El Cerrito Corona, CA 433.2 mi · 8h 3m Bloomington, CA 432.3 mi · 7h 59m Irvine, CA 424.5 mi · 7h 49m Wrightwood, CA 415 mi · 7h 57m

More trips to Thornton, CA

Fresno, CA 147.6 mi San Jose, CA 93.7 mi Oakland, CA 76 mi Laguna, CA 17.1 mi
Escape planner: Sacramento, CA Scenic drives in CA

Explore more options from Sacramento, CA or browse trips ending in Thornton, CA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.