Origin
Birchville, CA
Morning in Birchville on Saturday
Local time
6:31 AM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Birchville, CA to Grass Valley, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
17.4 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Grass Valley, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Birchville, CA to Grass Valley, CA covers 17.4 miles and takes about 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on State Highway 49, Golden Center Freeway, Pleasant Valley Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.9 miles on State Highway 49. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.00 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Arriving in Grass Valley, CA
Full guide →Grass Valley is a city in Nevada County in California's Gold Country.
Top landmarks
- • Empire Mine State Historic Park — state historic park in Grass Valley, 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 26m. Total distance: 17.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (82%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
This is a 26m highway drive covering 17.4 miles, with most of the trip on State Highway 49 and Golden Center Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 10.9 miles on State Highway 49.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Highway 49 is the longest continuous segment at about 10.9 miles.
Elevation Profile
Gently rolling terrain
2,769 ft
1,379 ft
Total Climb
1,727 ft
Total Descent
1,067 ft
Highest Point
2,769 ft
~14.9 mi in
Elevation Range
1,390 ft
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on State Highway 49 and Golden Center Freeway. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.8 miles in near CA 49 / State Highway 49.
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 26m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles (CA 49 / State Highway 49): Navigation decision point; at 12.7 miles (West Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
1.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
CA 49 / State Highway 49
At end of road, turn right onto CA 49 / State Highway 49
Navigation decision point
4
12.7 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
West Broad Street
Turn right onto West Broad Street
Navigation decision point
4
13.4 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
4
17.1 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward CA 174: Bennett Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward CA 174: Bennett Street
5
17.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Bennett Street
Turn right onto Bennett Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Highway 49 | 10.9 mi | 14m |
| Golden Center Freeway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| Pleasant Valley Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| West Broad Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| East Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bennett Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Stewart Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
State Highway 49
— 10.9 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Birchville, CA and Grass Valley, CA.
1
Start on Pleasant Valley Road
1.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Pleasant Valley Road
2
At end of road, turn right onto CA 49
11 mi
·
14 min
·
State Highway 49
3
Turn right onto West Broad Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West Broad Street
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
5
Merge onto CA 20; CA 49
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Golden Center Freeway
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward CA 174: Bennett Street
7
Turn right onto Bennett Street
230 ft
·
11 sec
·
Bennett Street
8
Turn left onto East Main Street
500 ft
·
14 sec
·
East Main Street
9
Turn left onto Stewart Street
117 ft
·
5 sec
·
Stewart Street
10
Arrive at destination
Stewart Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.00 one way
$8.00 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.12 | $8.24 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.23 | $8.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.84 | $7.68 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 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 | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.52 | $0.70 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7 | 0 | $2.44 | $1.11 |
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
Grass Valley, CA
Morning in Grass Valley on Saturday
Local time
6:31 AM
PDT
Current temp
42°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
26 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
26m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Birchville, CA to Grass Valley, CA covers 17.4 miles and takes about 26m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are State Highway 49, Golden Center Freeway, Pleasant Valley Road. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.7 miles from Birchville, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.00 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 26m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.8 miles (CA 49 / State Highway 49): Navigation decision point; at 12.7 miles (West Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 13.4 miles: Navigation decision point.
The route from Birchville, CA to Grass Valley, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Gently rolling terrain. The route ranges from 1,379 ft to 2,769 ft elevation with about 1,727 ft of total climbing.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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