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Trip from San Francisco, CA to Byron, 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 16m

Distance

59.7 mi

96 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$14

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 11m ★
6 AM
1h 17m
8 AM
1h 29m
10 AM
1h 21m
12 PM
1h 20m
3 PM
1h 22m
5 PM
1h 28m
8 PM
1h 13m

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

consolidated city and county in California, United States

San Francisco, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Byron, CA, CA

Byron, CA

Tori Pezzulla❤️

Trip Overview

This straightforward 59.7-mile drive from San Francisco to Byron, CA, is easily managed as a day trip, taking approximately 1 hour and 16 minutes. The route primarily utilizes CA 4 and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, with a 53% highway share, making it a practical choice for a quick journey. You can expect a fuel cost of around $14 for this stretch. Both your origin and destination are within the Pacific Coast region, so no significant regional landscape changes are expected. This route is best suited for those looking for an efficient transit between these two California points.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
CA 4 23 mi 26m
Caldecott Tunnel 9.8 mi 11m
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway 5.8 mi 8m
CA 242 3.9 mi 4m
Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway 3.8 mi 4m
Grove Shafter Freeway 3.4 mi 4m
Vasco Road 3.4 mi 4m
Camino Diablo 1.6 mi 3m
Longest stretch: CA 4 — 23 mi, about 26m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between San Francisco, CA and Byron, CA.

1

Start on Market Street

312 ft · 7 sec · Market Street
2

Turn right onto 11th Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · 11th Street
3

Turn left onto Bryant Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · Bryant Street
4

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 25 sec
Toward I 80 East: Oakland Use the left / straight lanes.
5

Merge onto I 80

0.9 mi · 1 min · Route 80
6

Continue on I 80

5.8 mi · 8 min · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7

Take the exit

1.0 mi · 1 min
Exit 8B Toward I 580 East: Downtown Oakland, Hayward-Stockton Use the slight right lane.
8

Merge onto I 580

0.6 mi · 42 sec · MacArthur Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.9 mi · 1 min
Exit 19B Toward CA 24 East: Berkeley, Walnut Creek Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward CA 24 East: Walnut Creek
11

Merge onto CA 24

3.3 mi · 3 min · Grove Shafter Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 24

0.2 mi · 13 sec · Grove Shafter Freeway
13

Continue on CA 24

9.8 mi · 11 min · Caldecott Tunnel
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Merge onto I 680

3.8 mi · 4 min · Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Keep slight right at fork onto CA 242

3.9 mi · 4 min · CA 242
Exit 50 Toward CA 242 North: Concord, Pittsburg Use the slight right lane.
16

Merge onto CA 4

15 mi · 17 min · CA 4
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 4

8.0 mi · 9 min · CA 4
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Continue on Vasco Road

3.4 mi · 4 min · Vasco Road
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
19

Turn left onto Camino Diablo

1.6 mi · 3 min · Camino Diablo
20

Turn right onto J4

158 ft · 8 sec · Byron Highway
21

Turn left

17 ft · 1 sec
22

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Contra Costa County, California, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Lafayette, CA

30 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

Berkeley, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Concord, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 29.8 miles from San Francisco, 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 17

5 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 46.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
1 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 80 East: Oakland

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes. Toward I 80 East: Oakland
8
8 mi into trip | ~13m in

Take the exit toward I 580 East: Downtown Oakland, Hayward-Stockton

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 8B Toward I 580 East: Downtown Oakland, Hayward-St...
8
9.6 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward CA 24 East: Berkeley, Walnut Creek

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 19B Toward CA 24 East: Berkeley, Walnut Creek
9
27.7 mi into trip | ~37m in | CA 242

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 50 Toward CA 242 North: Concord, Pittsburg
6
46.6 mi into trip | ~59m in | CA 4

Keep slight left at fork onto CA 4

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$13.72 one way

$27.44 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 21 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $14.14 $28.28
premium $6.18 $14.52 $29.04
diesel $5.61 $13.18 $26.36

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$14

Estimated CO2 emission: 20.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 17.9 0 $6.27 $2.87
Efficient EV 14.9 0 $5.22 $2.39
EV Truck/SUV 23.9 0 $8.36 $3.82

Gas CO2

21 kg

EV CO2

7 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 19, 2026

Origin

San Francisco, CA

Late night in San Francisco on Tuesday

Local time

3:12 AM

PDT

Current temp

46°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Byron, CA

Late night in Byron on Tuesday

Local time

3:12 AM

PDT

Current temp

--

Unavailable

50°F

Lafayette, CA

30 mi in

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Road read

1h 16m 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?

The drive offers a mixed experience, with a significant portion, 53%, on highways. You'll navigate through the Caldecott Tunnel early on, transitioning onto stretches of CA 4 and the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 23 miles on CA 4, providing a good opportunity for consistent driving. This route balances faster highway segments with what is likely more local road travel closer to your destination, offering a varied driving experience without being overly demanding.

53% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23 mi on CA 4.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 1 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 59.7 miles you will encounter 17 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 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between San Francisco, CA and Byron, CA, road signs point toward Hayward-Stockton, Walnut Creek and Pittsburg.

Hayward-Stockton

8 mi in | ~13m

Walnut Creek

9.6 mi in | ~15m

Pittsburg

27.7 mi in | ~37m | via CA 242

About the Cities

Starting in San Francisco, CA

Full guide →

“Frisco” · Founded 1776

The centerpiece of the Bay Area, San Francisco is one of the most visited cities in the world, and with good reason. The cultural center of northern California, San Francisco is renowned for its mixture of scenic beauty and unique culture that makes it one of the most vibrant and desirable cities in the nation, if not the world. Sandwiched between the San Francisco Bay and the Pacific Ocean on a small square of land seven miles (11 km) on each side, San Francisco offers a wealth of treasures for the visitor, from the windswept and often foggy bay to the steep hills lined with Victorian homes that overlook the spectacular scenery of the city.

Top landmarks

  • Golden Gate Bridge — suspension bridge on the San Francisco Bay
  • Alcatraz Island — island in San Francisco, California, United States of America
  • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge — suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California, USA

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 16m. Total distance: 59.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 16m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 23 miles on CA 4. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 Byron, 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 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial and Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front 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 Byron, 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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