Origin
San Jose, CA
Late night in San Jose on Tuesday
Local time
5:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Jose, CA to Scotts Valley, CA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
26.2 mi
42 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Scotts Valley, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 26.2-mile drive from San Jose to Scotts Valley, California, is easily managed in about 37 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. You'll primarily be on CA 17 and Sinclair Freeway, with Scotts Valley Drive as your final approach. With an 88% highway share, expect a focused drive that will only cost about $6 in fuel. Both your origin and destination are within the Pacific Coast region, so you won't experience drastic environmental shifts. This route is straightforward and requires no overnight stops, offering plenty of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CA 17 | 20.5 mi | 28m |
| Sinclair Freeway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Scotts Valley Drive | 1 mi | 2m |
| Guadalupe Freeway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Julian Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North San Pedro Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Devine Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CA 17
— 20.5 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Jose, CA and Scotts Valley, CA.
1
Start on North Market Street
110 ft
·
5 sec
·
North Market Street
2
Turn right onto Devine Street
275 ft
·
17 sec
·
Devine Street
3
Turn left onto North San Pedro Street
306 ft
·
17 sec
·
North San Pedro Street
4
Turn right onto West Saint James Street
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
West Saint James Street
5
Continue on West Julian Street
356 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Julian Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward CA 87 South
Use the right lane.
7
Merge onto CA 87
0.5 mi
·
33 sec
·
Guadalupe Freeway
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 5
Toward I 280 South, I 280 North: San Francisco
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Toward I 280 North: San Francisco
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto I 280
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Sinclair Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
15 sec
Exit 5B
Toward CA 17 South, I 880 North: Santa Cruz, Oakland
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward CA 17 South: Santa Cruz
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Merge onto CA 17
21 mi
·
28 min
·
CA 17
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward Granite Creek Road
15
Turn left onto CA 17 Business
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Scotts Valley Drive
16
Continue on CA 17 Business
42 ft
·
9 sec
·
Scotts Valley Drive
17
Arrive at destination
CA 17 Business
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 3.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward CA 87 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CA 87 South
8
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the exit toward I 280 South, I 280 North: San Francisco
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 5
Toward I 280 South, I 280 North: San Francisco
7
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 280 North: San Francisco
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 280 North: San Francisco
8
3.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward CA 17 South, I 880 North: Santa Cruz, Oakland
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 5B
Toward CA 17 South, I 880 North: Santa Cruz, Oa...
7
3.9 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 17 South: Santa Cruz
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 17 South: Santa Cruz
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.02 one way
$12.04 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.21 | $12.41 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.37 | $12.74 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.78 | $11.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 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 | 7.9 | 0 | $2.75 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.29 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.67 | $1.68 |
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.
Destination
Scotts Valley, CA
Late night in Scotts Valley on Tuesday
Local time
5:51 AM
PDT
Current temp
52°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
3 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
37m 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?
This trip is predominantly a highway-focused drive, with 88% of the journey utilizing faster roads. You'll spend a significant, uninterrupted stretch of 20.5 miles on CA 17, which forms the backbone of this route. While primarily highway, the experience shifts as you transition from Sinclair Freeway to Scotts Valley Drive for the final segment. The overall feel is one of efficient travel, designed for getting you to your destination with minimal fuss.
88% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 20.5 mi on CA 17.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on CA 17 and Sinclair Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 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 14 decision points packed into just 26.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from San Jose, CA to Scotts Valley, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Oakland along the way.
Oakland
3.7 mi in
|
~5m
About the Cities
Starting in San Jose, CA
Full guide →Founded 1777
Often called "the capital of Silicon Valley", San Jose is the largest city in the Bay Area, 3rd largest in California, and the 12th largest city in the United States, with a population of over 997,000 residents as of 2024. It was named the 6th safest big city in the U.S. in 2015. This clean, sprawling metropolis has sports, beautiful vistas, and ethnic enclaves and bleeds into the greater Bay Area for travelers who want to take their time in Northern California.
Top landmarks
- • Winchester Mystery House — Mansion in San Jose, California.
- • San Jose Diridon station — railway station complex in San Jose, California
- • Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum — building in San Jose, California, United States
Arriving in Scotts Valley, CA
Full guide →Founded 1966
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County in the Santa Cruz Mountains between Santa Cruz and the Silicon Valley.
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 37m. Total distance: 26.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 20.5 miles on CA 17. 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 Scotts Valley, 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 0.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 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 Scotts Valley, 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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