Origin
Bakersfield, CA
Morning in Bakersfield on Saturday
Local time
11:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bakersfield, CA to Rio Vista, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
5h 2m
Distance
268.1 mi
431 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$62
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
4h 49m
★
6 AM
5h 2m
8 AM
5h 29m
10 AM
5h 12m
12 PM
5h 9m
3 PM
5h 13m
5 PM
5h 28m
8 PM
4h 54m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bakersfield, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Rio Vista, CA
Fernando Silva
Trip Overview
The drive from Bakersfield, CA to Rio Vista, CA covers 268.1 miles and takes about 5h 2m 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 mostly surface roads. At current regular gas prices, budget about $61.62 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
134.1 miles from Bakersfield, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 31m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Truxtun Avenue | — | — |
| CA 58 | — | — |
| Westside Parkway | — | — |
| Stockdale Highway | — | — |
| I 5 North | — | — |
| Westside Freeway | — | — |
| CA 12 | — | — |
| River 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 Rio Vista, 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 right to continue on Westside Freeway
26 mi
·
27 min
·
Westside Freeway
11
Keep left to continue on Westside Freeway
14 mi
·
15 min
·
Westside Freeway
12
Take the exit slight right toward CA 12: Lodi, Fairfield
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
CA 12: Lodi, Fairfield
13
Keep slight left
226 ft
·
8 sec
14
Turn left
17 mi
·
23 min
15
Take the exit slight right
243 ft
·
7 sec
16
Turn slight right onto River Road
515 ft
·
13 sec
·
River Road
17
Turn right onto North Front Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Front Street
18
Turn right
89 ft
·
7 sec
19
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 134.1 miles from Bakersfield, CA, or about 2h 31m 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 59 miles or 1h 6m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 134.1 miles or 2h 31m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 7m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Rio Vista, 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 268.1 miles and 5h 2m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 59 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.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
134 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 59 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 134.1 miles from Bakersfield, 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.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$61.62 one way
$123.24 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
94 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $63.50 | $127.00 |
| premium | $6.18 | $65.20 | $130.40 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $59.19 | $118.39 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$62
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$87–$112
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 93.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $28 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 80.4 | 0 | $28.15 | $12.87 |
| Efficient EV | 67 | 0 | $23.46 | $10.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 107.2 | 1 | $37.53 | $17.16 |
Gas CO2
94 kg
EV CO2
31 kg (67% 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.
Destination
Rio Vista, CA
Morning in Rio Vista on Saturday
Local time
11:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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.
Temperature spread
5 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
5h 2m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
268.1 mi in 5h 2m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: Truxtun Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
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.
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 5h 2m 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 Rio Vista, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
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."
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 5h 2m. Total distance: 268.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
5h 2m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. Dedicated rest areas are limited, so plan gas or food stops as your bathroom breaks.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Bakersfield, CA to Rio Vista, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.0 hours each way, a round trip means 10.1 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Rio Vista, CA before the return drive.
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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Rio Vista, CA
More trips to Rio Vista, CA
Explore more options from Bakersfield, CA or browse trips ending in Rio Vista, CA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CA road trips.