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Trip from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

4h 40m

Distance

245.1 mi

395 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$56

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 40 min
4 AM
4h 27m ★
6 AM
4h 40m
8 AM
5h 7m
10 AM
4h 50m
12 PM
4h 47m
3 PM
4h 51m
5 PM
5h 6m
8 PM
4h 32m

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

city and county seat of Kern County, California, United States

Bakersfield, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Contra Costa County, California, United States

Brentwood, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA covers 245.1 miles and takes about 4h 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Truxtun Avenue, CA 58, Westside Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $56.33 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.

Break Rhythm

1 planned break

Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

Midpoint

122.6 miles from Bakersfield, CA

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 20m into the drive .

About the Cities

Starting 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."

Arriving in Brentwood, CA

Full guide →

Founded 1837

Brentwood is an affluent, suburban city in eastern Contra Costa County, California with a popular downtown for visitors coming from the Sacramento Valley to the county. It serves as one of the eastern gateways to the East Bay, along with Livermore. Many in the city are commuters.

Top landmarks

  • Stone House of John Marsh — historic stone house in Contra Costa County, 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 4h 40m. Total distance: 245.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

4h 40m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 4h 40m drive with frequent turns across 245.1 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Truxtun Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

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.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 4h 40m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Truxtun Avenue
CA 58
Westside Parkway
Stockdale Highway
I 5 North
Westside Freeway
William Elton Brown Freeway
Patterson Pass Road

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Truxtun Avenue — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bakersfield, CA and Brentwood, CA.

1

Start on Truxtun Avenue

0.1 mi · 24 sec · Truxtun Avenue
2

Continue on Truxtun Avenue

2.2 mi · 4 min · Truxtun Avenue
3

Take the ramp straight toward CA 58: Westside Parkway West

0.5 mi · 1 min · CA 58: Westside Parkway West
4

Continue on Westside Parkway

6.6 mi · 8 min · Westside Parkway
5

Continue on Stockdale Highway

4.3 mi · 5 min · Stockdale Highway
6

Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward Stockdale Highway

151 ft · 2 sec · Stockdale Highway
7

Exit the roundabout onto Stockdale Highway

4.5 mi · 6 min · Stockdale Highway
8

Take the exit straight toward I 5 North

0.5 mi · 1 min · I 5 North
9

Merge slight left onto Westside Freeway

193 mi · 3 hr 26 min · Westside Freeway
10

Keep slight left to continue on William Elton Brown Freeway

14 mi · 14 min · William Elton Brown Freeway
11

Take the exit slight right

0.2 mi · 22 sec
12

Keep slight right to continue on Patterson Pass Road

289 ft · 7 sec · Patterson Pass Road
13

Turn straight onto Mountain House Parkway

0.7 mi · 1 min · Mountain House Parkway
14

Turn right onto International Parkway

0.8 mi · 1 min · International Parkway
15

Continue on Mountain House Parkway

2.8 mi · 5 min · Mountain House Parkway
16

At the end of the road, turn left onto Byron Road

1.8 mi · 2 min · Byron Road
17

Continue on Byron-Bethany Road

1.5 mi · 2 min · Byron-Bethany Road
18

Continue on Byron Highway

6.7 mi · 10 min · Byron Highway
19

At the end of the road, turn left

1.4 mi · 2 min
20

Continue on Brentwood Boulevard

3.7 mi · 5 min · Brentwood Boulevard
21

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Evening Departure

A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 122.6 miles from Bakersfield, CA, or about 2h 20m into the drive.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 54 miles or 1h 1m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 122.6 miles or 2h 20m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 3h 49m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Brentwood, CA than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Bakersfield, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.

+

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

+

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Bakersfield, CA

This is one driving day of about 245.1 miles and 4h 40m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 54 miles from Bakersfield, CA.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 122.6 mi from Bakersfield, CA · 2h 20m into the drive

Downtown Winton, CA, CA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Winton, CA

123 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

Buttonwillow, CA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 54 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Winton, CA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 122.6 miles from Bakersfield, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Brentwood, CA

The final approach into Brentwood, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Brentwood, CA.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$56.33 one way

$112.67 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 86 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $58.05 $116.10
premium $6.18 $59.61 $119.21
diesel $5.61 $54.11 $108.23

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$56

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$81–$106

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 85.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $26 in charging · 0 stops · 66% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 73.5 0 $25.74 $11.76
Efficient EV 61.3 0 $21.45 $9.80
EV Truck/SUV 98 1 $34.31 $15.69

Gas CO2

86 kg

EV CO2

29 kg (66% less)

Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.

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 15, 2026

Origin

Bakersfield, CA

Late night in Bakersfield on Saturday

Local time

5:36 AM

PDT

Current temp

77°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Brentwood, CA

Late night in Brentwood on Saturday

Local time

5:36 AM

PDT

Current temp

--

Unavailable

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

Time zone

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Road read

4h 40m on the road

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA covers 245.1 miles and takes about 4h 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Truxtun Avenue, CA 58, Westside Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 122.6 miles from Bakersfield, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $56.33 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left. A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.

Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

This is a straightforward 4h 40m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Bakersfield, CA to Brentwood, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Brentwood, CA to Bakersfield, CA

Plan the drive back the other way.

245.4 mi 4h 40m

Explore more options from Bakersfield, CA or browse trips ending in Brentwood, CA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.