Origin
Brookdale, CA
Late night in Brookdale on Friday
Local time
12:04 AM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brookdale, CA to San Jose, CA
Compiled by the Trip.ovh editorial team · Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026 · Methodology
Drive Time
52m
Distance
28.9 mi
47 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brookdale, CA
Stephen Leonardi
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Brookdale, CA to San Jose, CA covers 28.9 miles and takes about 52m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Bear Creek Road, Santa Cruz Highway, Sinclair Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13 miles on Bear Creek Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.64 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 28.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
52m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 52m drive with frequent turns across 28.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Bear Creek Road is the longest continuous segment at about 13 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 24.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 28.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 24.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 27.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
24.4 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward I 280 South: Downtown San Jose
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 27A
Toward I 280 South: Downtown San Jose
8
27.2 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
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 3A
Toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose Inter...
8
27.5 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airp...
7
28.2 mi into trip
|
~50m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CA 87 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 87 North
9
28.5 mi into trip
|
~50m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Julian Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bear Creek Road | 13 mi | 27m |
| Santa Cruz Highway | 9.2 mi | 11m |
| Sinclair Freeway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| CA 9 | 2.1 mi | 5m |
| West Saint James Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Larkspur Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Bear Creek Road
— 13 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brookdale, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Larkspur Street
61 ft
·
4 sec
·
Larkspur Street
2
Turn right onto CA 9
2.1 mi
·
5 min
·
CA 9
3
Turn right onto Bear Creek Road
13 mi
·
27 min
·
Bear Creek Road
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
5
Merge onto CA 17
9.2 mi
·
11 min
·
Santa Cruz Highway
Use the straight lane.
6
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 27A
Toward I 280 South: Downtown San Jose
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 280
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Sinclair Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 3A
Toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward CA 87 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 6B
Toward Julian Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Turn right onto West Saint James Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
West Saint James Street
Use the straight lane.
13
Turn left onto North Market Street
416 ft
·
8 sec
·
North Market Street
14
Arrive at destination
North Market Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.64 one way
$13.28 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.84 | $13.69 |
| premium | $6.18 | $7.03 | $14.06 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.38 | $12.76 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.7 | 0 | $3.03 | $1.39 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.53 | $1.16 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.05 | $1.85 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
San Jose, CA
Late night in San Jose on Friday
Local time
12:04 AM
PDT
Current temp
44°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
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
52m 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 Brookdale, CA to San Jose, CA covers 28.9 miles and takes about 52m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Bear Creek Road, Santa Cruz Highway, Sinclair Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.5 miles from Brookdale, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.64 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 short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 28.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.
The main spots that need attention: at 24.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 27.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from Brookdale, CA to San Jose, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Data sources
The figures on this page are computed from open government and mapping datasets, not crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Full methodology, refresh cadence, and limitations are documented on the methodology page.
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