Origin
Sausalito, CA
Morning in Sausalito on Tuesday
Local time
9:53 AM
PDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sausalito, CA to San Francisco, 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
21m
Distance
9.9 mi
16 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sausalito, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Crossing from Sausalito to San Francisco is a compact 9.5-mile journey that typically takes about 27 minutes to complete. Because the trip is so short, it is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You will travel exclusively on local roads like Bridgeway, San Carlos Avenue, and Spencer Avenue, meaning this route involves zero highway driving. Budgeting is straightforward, as you can expect to spend roughly $1 on fuel for the entire trip. This drive connects two iconic Pacific Coast locations, offering a direct transition between the two without the need for complex route planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Golden Gate Bridge | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Redwood Highway | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Presidio Parkway | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Webster Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Divisadero Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Spencer Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| California Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| San Carlos Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Golden Gate Bridge
— 1.7 mi, about 2m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sausalito, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on Pine Street
70 ft
·
7 sec
·
Pine Street
2
Turn right onto Bridgeway
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Bridgeway
3
Turn right onto San Carlos Avenue
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
San Carlos Avenue
4
Keep slight right at fork onto Spencer Avenue
198 ft
·
5 sec
·
Spencer Avenue
5
Continue on Spencer Avenue
149 ft
·
7 sec
·
Spencer Avenue
6
Continue on Spencer Avenue
227 ft
·
8 sec
·
Spencer Avenue
7
Continue on Spencer Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Spencer Avenue
8
At end of road, turn right onto Monte Mar Drive
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Monte Mar Drive
9
Turn left
453 ft
·
11 sec
10
Turn right
396 ft
·
6 sec
Toward US 101 South, CA 1 South
11
Merge onto US 101; CA 1
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on US 101
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Golden Gate Bridge
13
Merge
34 ft
·
0 sec
14
Keep slight left at fork
130 ft
·
1 sec
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
8 sec
16
Continue on US 101; CA 1
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Presidio Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Continue on US 101
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Richardson Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Continue on US 101
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Lombard Street
19
Turn right onto Divisadero Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Divisadero Street
Use the right lane.
20
Turn left onto California Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
California Street
21
Turn right onto Webster Street
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Webster Street
Use the straight lane.
22
Turn left onto Oak Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Oak Street
Use the left lane.
23
Turn right onto Gough Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Gough Street
24
Turn slight left onto Market Street
183 ft
·
15 sec
·
Market Street
Use the slight left lane.
25
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
26
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 175 decision points cluster between mile 1.4 and 9.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Turn right toward US 101 South, CA 1 South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward US 101 South, CA 1 South
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 101; CA 1 / Redwood Highway
Merge onto US 101; CA 1 / Redwood Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
7 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
Divisadero Street
Turn right onto Divisadero Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
8.2 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Webster Street
Turn right onto Webster Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
9.2 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
Oak Street
Turn left onto Oak Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.28 one way
$4.55 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.34 | $4.69 |
| premium | $6.18 | $2.41 | $4.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.19 | $4.37 |
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
$2
Tolls
$9
Total
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3 | 0 | $1.04 | $0.48 |
| Efficient EV | 2.5 | 0 | $0.87 | $0.40 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4 | 0 | $1.39 | $0.63 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
San Francisco, CA
Morning in San Francisco on Tuesday
Local time
9:53 AM
PDT
Current temp
63°F
Sunny
W 6 to 12 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 14 at 11:57AM PDT until April 15 at 3:00AM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 14 at 9:35AM PDT until April 15 at 8:00PM PDT by NWS Medford OR
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
16 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
21m 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 rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. Since the highway share is 0%, your focus will be entirely on navigating local streets through the Pacific Coast region. The longest stretch you will encounter is 0 miles on Bridgeway, indicating a route that demands your full attention as you navigate constant turns. As you transition from Sausalito toward San Francisco, the road maintains a consistent local feel. You will find that the lack of highway segments makes for a more engaged, hands-on driving experience compared to standard freeway travel.
Only 16% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
26 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 1.7 mi on Golden Gate Bridge.
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 1.4 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 9.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.4 miles (US 101; CA 1 / Redwood Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7 miles (Divisadero Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Sausalito, CA
Full guide →Arriving 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 21m. Total distance: 9.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m 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 1.7 miles on Golden Gate Bridge. 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 San Francisco, 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 1.4 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.4 miles (US 101; CA 1 / Redwood Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7 miles (Divisadero Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Golden Gate National Recreation Area and Muir Woods National Monument (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 San Francisco, 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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