Origin
Taft Heights, CA
Morning in Taft Heights on Sunday
Local time
11:44 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Taft Heights, CA to Bakersfield, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
55m
Distance
37.2 mi
60 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 51m
★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 59m
12 PM
0h 58m
3 PM
0h 59m
5 PM
1h 4m
8 PM
0h 53m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Taft Heights, CA
Tori Pezzulla❤️
Bakersfield, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Taft Heights to Bakersfield is 37.2 miles and takes about 55 minutes via Taft Highway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within California's Pacific Coast region, offering a straightforward connection between two points. It's a short trip, easily completed in under an hour, making it ideal for a quick transfer or a brief excursion. Expect a local driving feel rather than a scenic highway experience. Consider this route if you need a direct and uncomplicated journey between these two communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Taft Highway | 14.4 mi | 20m |
| Westside Parkway | 6.7 mi | 7m |
| Enos Lane | 5.9 mi | 8m |
| Stockdale Highway | 4.2 mi | 5m |
| Truxtun Avenue | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| South 6th Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Harrison Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| A Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Taft Highway
— 14.4 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Taft Heights, CA and Bakersfield, CA.
1
Start on this road
78 ft
·
7 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto 6th Avenue
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
6th Avenue
3
At end of road, turn right onto A Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
A Street
4
At end of road, turn right onto South 10th Street
16 ft
·
5 sec
·
South 10th Street
5
Turn left onto Oak Street
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Oak Street
6
Turn left onto South 6th Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
South 6th Street
7
Continue on Harrison Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Harrison Street
8
At end of road, turn left onto CA 119
14 mi
·
20 min
·
Taft Highway
9
Enter roundabout onto CA 43
310 ft
·
4 sec
·
Enos Lane
10
Continue on CA 43
5.9 mi
·
8 min
·
Enos Lane
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
Toward CA 58
12
Merge onto CA 58
4.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Stockdale Highway
Use the straight lane.
13
Continue on Westside Parkway
6.7 mi
·
7 min
·
Westside Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
15
Turn straight onto Truxtun Avenue
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Truxtun Avenue
16
Arrive at destination
Truxtun Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 37 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.6 miles from Taft Heights, 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
6th Avenue
Turn right onto 6th Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
A Street
At end of road, turn right onto A Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
South 10th Street
At end of road, turn right onto South 10th Street
Navigation decision point
5
2.9 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
CA 119 / Taft Highway
At end of road, turn left onto CA 119 / Taft Highway
Navigation decision point
5
23.5 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
CA 58 / Stockdale Highway
Merge onto CA 58 / Stockdale Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.55 one way
$17.10 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $8.81 | $17.62 |
| premium | $6.18 | $9.05 | $18.09 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.21 | $16.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 13 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.2 | 0 | $3.91 | $1.79 |
| Efficient EV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.26 | $1.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.9 | 0 | $5.21 | $2.38 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Bakersfield, CA
Morning in Bakersfield on Sunday
Local time
11:44 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Mostly Cloudy
0 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 19 at 2:47AM PDT until April 20 at 6:00PM 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
11 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
55m 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 route is characterized by frequent turns, earning it a 'turn-heavy local drive' profile. With only an 18% highway share, you'll spend most of your time navigating local roads, including Taft Highway, Westside Parkway, and Enos Lane. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 14.4 miles on Taft Highway, so be prepared for a more varied driving experience with many adjustments. The road's personality is less about continuous speed and more about managing transitions between different road types.
Only 18% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.4 mi on Taft Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 6th Avenue.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 55m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (6th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (A Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (South 10th Street): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Bakersfield, CA
Full guide →Founded 1869
Bakersfield is a city in Kern County in the San Joaquin Valley of California. Bakersfield is famous for being the home of country music singers Buck Owens and Merle Haggard, and has the nickname "the country music capital of the West Coast."
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 55m. Total distance: 37.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
55m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (18%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 14.4 miles on Taft Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 (6th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (A Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (South 10th Street): Navigation decision point.
Yes — César E. Chávez National Monument. 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 Bakersfield, 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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