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Trip from San Francisco, CA to Saranap, 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

35m

Distance

23.9 mi

38 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 32m ★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m

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
consolidated city and county in California, United States

San Francisco, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Saranap, CA, CA

Saranap, CA

Efrem Efre

Trip Overview

This quick 23.9-mile journey from San Francisco to Saranap, California, is designed for a single day, taking about 35 minutes to complete. You'll navigate primarily via the Caldecott Tunnel, Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, and Grove Shafter Freeway, with a modest 21% of the drive on highways. Given the short duration and estimated fuel cost of $5, this trip is ideal for a spontaneous excursion rather than an overnight stay. It's a straightforward drive within the Pacific Coast region, perfect for a quick transition between areas.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Caldecott Tunnel 7.7 mi 9m
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway 5.8 mi 8m
Grove Shafter Freeway 3.4 mi 4m
Olympic Boulevard 0.9 mi 1m
Route 80 0.9 mi 1m
Pleasant Hill Road 0.7 mi 1m
MacArthur Freeway 0.6 mi <1m
11th Street 0.6 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Caldecott Tunnel — 7.7 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

7.7 mi · 9 min · Caldecott Tunnel
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 14 sec
Exit 14 Toward Pleasant Hill Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Toward Pleasant Hill Road South, Rossmoor Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn right onto Pleasant Hill Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Pleasant Hill Road
Use the right lane.
17

Enter roundabout onto Olympic Boulevard

167 ft · 3 sec · Olympic Boulevard
18

Continue on Olympic Boulevard

0.9 mi · 1 min · Olympic Boulevard
Use the left / uturn / straight lanes.
19

Turn right onto Panoramic Way

197 ft · 14 sec · Panoramic Way
20

Turn left

120 ft · 8 sec
21

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 17

5 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 21.9 — 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
7
21.8 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward Pleasant Hill Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 14 Toward Pleasant Hill Road
9
21.9 mi into trip | ~31m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Pleasant Hill Road South, Rossmoor

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward Pleasant Hill Road South, Rossmoor

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.49 one way

$10.99 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $5.66 $11.32
premium $6.18 $5.81 $11.62
diesel $5.61 $5.28 $10.55

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.2 0 $2.51 $1.15
Efficient EV 6 0 $2.09 $0.96
EV Truck/SUV 9.6 0 $3.35 $1.53

Gas CO2

8 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (63% 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 17, 2026

Origin

San Francisco, CA

Late night in San Francisco on Tuesday

Local time

3:40 AM

PDT

Current temp

52°F

Clear

N 8 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 3:02AM MST until April 17 at 1:00PM MST by NWS Phoenix AZ

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 2:56AM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA

Destination

Saranap, CA

Late night in Saranap on Tuesday

Local time

3:40 AM

PDT

Current temp

66°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

14 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

35m 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 'turn-heavy local drive' profile for this 23.9-mile route. While 21% of the journey involves highway driving, the character is largely defined by local road navigation. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.7 miles, occurring on the Caldecott Tunnel segment, suggesting a need for attention to turns and local traffic patterns. This isn't a high-speed interstate cruise; instead, anticipate a more engaged driving experience with frequent changes in direction as you move from freeway to local streets.

Only 21% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.7 mi on Caldecott Tunnel.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 around 1 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 17 decision points packed into just 23.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.

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 Saranap, CA, road signs point toward Hayward-Stockton, Walnut Creek, Pleasant Hill Road South and Rossmoor.

Hayward-Stockton

8 mi in | ~13m

Walnut Creek

9.6 mi in | ~15m

Pleasant Hill Road South

21.9 mi in | ~31m

Rossmoor

21.9 mi in | ~31m

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 35m. Total distance: 23.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

35m 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 7.7 miles on Caldecott Tunnel. 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 Saranap, 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, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area (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 Saranap, 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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