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Trip from Yountville, CA to San Francisco, 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

1h 13m

Distance

56.9 mi

92 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$13

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 17 min
4 AM
1h 8m ★
6 AM
1h 14m
8 AM
1h 25m
10 AM
1h 18m
12 PM
1h 17m
3 PM
1h 18m
5 PM
1h 25m
8 PM
1h 10m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

incorporated town in Napa County, California, United States

Yountville, CA

Wikimedia Commons

consolidated city and county in California, United States

San Francisco, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Yountville to San Francisco is 56.9 miles and takes about 1 hour 13 minutes via Eastshore Freeway, with a fuel budget near $13 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within the Pacific Coast region, moving from California's wine country toward the Bay Area. You'll transition from more open highway cruising to denser urban areas as you approach San Francisco. It’s a straightforward trip, suitable for a single day with no need for overnight stays.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Eastshore Freeway 15.2 mi 17m
Saint Helena Highway 12.9 mi 15m
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway 11.2 mi 15m
Broadway Street 4 mi 4m
Linus F. Claeys Freeway 3.4 mi 3m
Sonoma Boulevard 1.8 mi 2m
CA 37 1.7 mi 1m
Route 80 1.4 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Eastshore Freeway — 15.2 mi, about 17m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on this road

63 ft · 7 sec · this road
2

Turn right

65 ft · 6 sec
3

Turn right onto Washington Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · Washington Street
4

Turn right onto California Drive

464 ft · 19 sec · California Drive
5

Turn left

0.2 mi · 41 sec
6

Merge onto CA 29

13 mi · 15 min · Saint Helena Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Continue on CA 12; CA 29

1.3 mi · 1 min · Napa–Vallejo Highway
8

Continue on CA 29

4.0 mi · 4 min · Broadway Street
9

Continue on CA 29

1.8 mi · 2 min · Sonoma Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Toward CA 37, I 80: Sacramento, San Francisco
11

Merge onto CA 37

1.7 mi · 1 min · CA 37
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 21A Toward I 80: San Francisco Use the slight right lane.
13

Merge onto I 80

5.0 mi · 5 min · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Continue on I 80

1.0 mi · 1 min · Carquinez Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Continue on I 80

0.3 mi · 24 sec · Eastshore Freeway
16

Continue on I 80

3.4 mi · 3 min · Linus F. Claeys Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Continue on I 80

14 mi · 16 min · Eastshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18

Take the exit onto Eastshore Freeway

0.8 mi · 1 min · Eastshore Freeway
Toward San Francisco Use the slight left lane.
19

Merge onto I 80

0.4 mi · 33 sec · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Turn slight left onto I 80

0.4 mi · 33 sec · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
21

Keep slight left at fork onto I 80

5.5 mi · 8 min · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the slight left lane.
22

Continue on I 80

0.3 mi · 24 sec · Route 80
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
23

Continue on I 80

0.8 mi · 1 min · Route 80
Exit 2A Use the straight / slight left lanes.
24

Continue on I 80

0.4 mi · 32 sec · Route 80
Exit 1A Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 38 sec
Exit 1B Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge Use the straight / slight right lanes.
26

Merge onto US 101

0.3 mi · 25 sec · Central Freeway
27

Continue on Octavia Boulevard

0.5 mi · 42 sec · Octavia Boulevard
Exit 434B Toward Octavia Boulevard, Fell Street Use the straight / slight right lanes.
28

Turn right onto Market Street

0.1 mi · 31 sec · Market Street
Use the right lane.
29

Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street

0.2 mi · 35 sec · Market Street
30

Arrive at destination

Market Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Hercules, CA

28 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.

Popular next leg

Hercules, CA to San Francisco, CA

25.4 mi · 35m

Pacing Suggestions

Napa, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Vallejo, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 28.4 miles from Yountville, 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 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 55.5 — 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

Turn right

Navigation decision point

7
22.6 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward I 80: San Francisco

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 21A Toward I 80: San Francisco
6
47.1 mi into trip | ~58m in | Eastshore Freeway

Take the exit onto Eastshore Freeway toward San Francisco

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

Use the slight left lane. Toward San Francisco
6
48.6 mi into trip | ~1h in | I 80 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway

Keep slight left at fork onto I 80 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane.
8
55.5 mi into trip | ~1h 10m in

Keep slight right at fork toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 1B Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$13.08 one way

$26.16 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 20 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $13.48 $26.95
premium $6.18 $13.84 $27.67
diesel $5.61 $12.56 $25.13

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$13

Estimated CO2 emission: 19.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 17.1 0 $5.97 $2.73
Efficient EV 14.2 0 $4.98 $2.28
EV Truck/SUV 22.8 0 $7.97 $3.64

Gas CO2

20 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (65% 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 20, 2026

Origin

Yountville, CA

Late night in Yountville on Tuesday

Local time

3:45 AM

PDT

Current temp

69°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

San Francisco, CA

Late night in San Francisco on Tuesday

Local time

3:45 AM

PDT

Current temp

46°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

23 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

1h 13m 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 route features a 39% highway share, meaning you'll spend over half the drive on surface streets. The longest continuous stretch on a freeway is 15.2 miles on the Eastshore Freeway. You'll notice a shift from highway driving to more urban merging and surface road navigation as you get closer to your destination. Expect frequent exits and changes in speed limits as you enter the metropolitan area.

39% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.2 mi on Eastshore Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 56.9 miles you will encounter 19 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: Navigation decision point; at 22.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 47.1 miles (Eastshore Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Yountville, CA

Full guide →

Yountville is a small town in Napa Valley, California named for its founder Georg Calvert Yount. It is now home to many world class restaurants and wineries as well as fantastic boutique shopping.

Top landmarks

  • The French Laundry — restaurant in Yountville, California
  • John Lee Webber House — house in Yountville, California

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 1h 13m. Total distance: 56.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 13m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (39%). 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 15.2 miles on Eastshore Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 22.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 47.1 miles (Eastshore Freeway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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 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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