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Trip from San Francisco, CA to Corte Madera, CA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 11, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

29m

Distance

15.3 mi

25 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 27m ★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m

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

Best Time
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consolidated city and county in California, United States

San Francisco, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Corte Madera, CA, CA

Corte Madera, CA

Robert So

Trip Overview

San Francisco to Corte Madera is 15.3 miles and takes about 29 minutes via Redwood Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within the Pacific Coast region, connecting two points in California. Given its brief duration, it's an easy addition to a day exploring the Bay Area or a quick hop north across the Golden Gate Bridge. You won't need to plan for an overnight stay, and the minimal mileage means you can focus on your destination.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Redwood Highway 7.2 mi 9m
Presidio Parkway 1.8 mi 3m
Golden Gate Bridge 1.7 mi 2m
Webster Street 1 mi 2m
Tamalpais Drive 0.8 mi 2m
Divisadero Street 0.8 mi 1m
California Street 0.5 mi 1m
Fell Street 0.5 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Redwood Highway — 7.2 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on Market Street

41 ft · 6 sec · Market Street
2

Turn sharp right onto US 101

0.1 mi · 27 sec · South Van Ness Avenue
3

Turn right onto Otis Street

0.1 mi · 16 sec · Otis Street
4

Turn right onto Gough Street

0.1 mi · 16 sec · Gough Street
Use the right lane.
5

Turn right onto Market Street

29 ft · 1 sec · Market Street
Use the right lane.
6

Keep slight left at fork

497 ft · 10 sec
7

Continue on Franklin Street

0.1 mi · 37 sec · Franklin Street
8

Turn left onto Fell Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · Fell Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
9

Turn right onto Webster Street

1.0 mi · 2 min · Webster Street
10

Turn left onto California Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · California Street
11

Turn right onto Divisadero Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · Divisadero Street
12

Turn left onto US 101

0.1 mi · 29 sec · Lombard Street
Use the left lane.
13

Continue on US 101

0.2 mi · 40 sec · Richardson Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
14

Continue on US 101

1.8 mi · 3 min · Presidio Parkway
Use the straight lane.
15

Continue on US 101

1.7 mi · 2 min · Golden Gate Bridge
16

Continue on US 101; CA 1

7.2 mi · 9 min · Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 33 sec
Exit 449 Toward Paradise Drive, Tamalpais Drive Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Turn left onto Tamalpais Drive

0.8 mi · 2 min · Tamalpais Drive
Use the left lane.
19

Arrive at destination

Tamalpais Drive

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 14.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 101 / South Van Ness Avenue

Turn sharp right onto US 101 / South Van Ness Avenue

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

6
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | Gough Street

Turn right onto Gough Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | Market Street

Turn right onto Market Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | Fell Street

Turn left onto Fell Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.
8
14.3 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward Paradise Drive, Tamalpais Drive

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 449 Toward Paradise Drive, Tamalpais Drive

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.49 one way

$6.97 round trip

$5.79/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.96 $3.59 $7.18
premium $6.14 $3.70 $7.40
diesel $5.97 $3.59 $7.19

Estimated Tolls: $9.00

Golden Gate Bridge $9.00

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$9

Total

$12

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.6 0 $1.61 $0.73
Efficient EV 3.8 0 $1.34 $0.61
EV Truck/SUV 6.1 0 $2.14 $0.98

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 Aug 30, 2026

Origin

San Francisco, CA

Afternoon in San Francisco on Friday

Local time

3:30 PM

PDT

Current temp

67°F

Sunny

W 16 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued August 29 at 1:33PM PDT until August 31 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Medford OR

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 29 at 11:40AM PDT until August 29 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA

Destination

Corte Madera, CA

Afternoon in Corte Madera on Friday

Local time

3:30 PM

PDT

Current temp

79°F

Sunny

W 8 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued August 29 at 1:33PM PDT until August 31 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Medford OR

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 29 at 11:40AM PDT until August 29 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS San Diego CA

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

12 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

29m 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?

This drive is mostly surface roads, with about 12% spent on highways. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 7.2 miles on the Redwood Highway before transitioning to surface streets. Expect urban merging and a moderate number of exits as you navigate toward Corte Madera.

Only 12% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.2 mi on Redwood Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 101 / South Van Ness Avenue.

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 13 decision points packed into just 15.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 101 / South Van Ness Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 0.3 miles (Gough Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Market Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

578 ft -4 ft

Total Climb

897 ft

Total Descent

925 ft

Highest Point

578 ft

~8.8 mi in

Elevation Range

582 ft

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

Arriving in Corte Madera, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1916

The "twin cities" of Larkspur and Corte Madera are a pair of towns in Marin County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California. Larkspur is the main gateway to Marin by ferry, while Corte Madera is known for upscale shopping.

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 29m. Total distance: 15.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

29m 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 7.2 miles on Redwood Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $9.00 in tolls one way, starting with Golden Gate Bridge. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Corte Madera, 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: near the start (US 101 / South Van Ness Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 0.3 miles (Gough Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Market Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Muir Woods National Monument and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (6 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 Corte Madera, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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