Origin
Walnut Creek, CA
Morning in Walnut Creek on Tuesday
Local time
7:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Walnut Creek, CA to Oakland, 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
22m
Distance
16.4 mi
26 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Walnut Creek, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 16.4-mile drive from Walnut Creek, CA to Oakland, CA takes about 22 minutes and is perfectly suited as a single-day trip. You'll primarily navigate the Grove Shafter Freeway, with a portion going through the Caldecott Tunnel. The estimated fuel cost for this journey is around $4, making it an economical choice. Given its brevity, this route offers flexibility for spontaneous travel within the Pacific Coast region.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Grove Shafter Freeway | 4.5 mi | 5m |
| Caldecott Tunnel | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| 14th Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| John B. Williams Freeway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Ygnacio Valley Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Brush Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Grove Shafter Freeway
— 4.5 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Walnut Creek, CA and Oakland, CA.
1
Start on North Main Street
94 ft
·
4 sec
·
North Main Street
2
Turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Ygnacio Valley Road
Use the right lane.
3
Take the exit
9.2 mi
·
11 min
Toward CA 24 West: Oakland
Use the right lane.
4
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 24
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Caldecott Tunnel
Use the slight right lane.
5
Continue on CA 24
4.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Grove Shafter Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 980
0.4 mi
·
29 sec
·
John B. Williams Freeway
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 1D
Toward 18th Street, 14th Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn straight onto Brush Street
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
Brush Street
9
Turn left onto 14th Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
14th Street
10
Arrive at destination
14th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.9 — 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
|
Ygnacio Valley Road
Turn right onto Ygnacio Valley Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the exit toward CA 24 West: Oakland
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CA 24 West: Oakland
6
9.7 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
8
15.5 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street, 14th Street
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 1D
Toward 18th Street, 14th Street
4
15.9 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
14th Street
Turn left onto 14th Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.77 one way
$7.54 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.88 | $7.77 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.99 | $7.98 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.62 | $7.24 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.43 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.30 | $1.05 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Oakland, CA
Morning in Oakland on Tuesday
Local time
7:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
51°F
Clear
N 7 mph
0% chance
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
15 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
22m 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 mixed drive on this route, with about 30% on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 4.5 miles on the Grove Shafter Freeway. As you progress, the drive transitions, including the experience of passing through the Caldecott Tunnel, before you reach 14th Street in Oakland. This blend of freeway and urban street driving offers a dynamic experience.
30% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.5 mi on Grove Shafter Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 5 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Ygnacio Valley Road.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 16.4 miles you will encounter 5 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Ygnacio Valley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.7 miles (CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Oakland, CA
Full guide →Founded 1852
Oakland is a port city in the Bay Area of California in the United States. Once an industrial area overshadowed by San Francisco, its larger neighbor to the west, this city of 440,000 people (2020) has begun to step out from under San Francisco's shadow with its notable natural and architectural features and its rise as the multicultural "hipster" city of the Bay Area.
Top landmarks
- • San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge — suspension bridge connecting San Francisco and Oakland, California, USA
- • Lake Merritt — lagoon in Oakland, California, USA
- • Oakland Museum of California — art museum in Oakland, California
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 22m. Total distance: 16.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (30%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.5 miles on Grove Shafter Freeway. 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 (Ygnacio Valley Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.7 miles (CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial (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 Oakland, 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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