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Trip from Concord, CA to Walnut Creek, CA

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

Drive Time

10m

Distance

6.5 mi

10 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 9m ★
6 AM
0h 10m
8 AM
0h 12m
10 AM
0h 11m
12 PM
0h 11m
3 PM
0h 11m
5 PM
0h 12m
8 PM
0h 10m

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

city in Contra Costa County, California, United States

Concord, CA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Contra Costa County, California, United States

Walnut Creek, CA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Concord, CA to Walnut Creek, CA covers 6.5 miles and takes about 10m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway, CA 242, North Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.4 miles on Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.49 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway 2.4 mi 2m
CA 242 1.7 mi 1m
North Main Street 0.6 mi 1m
Concord Avenue 0.5 mi 1m
Salvio Street 0.3 mi <1m
East Street <0.1 mi <1m
Willow Pass Road <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway — 2.4 mi, about 2m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Concord, CA and Walnut Creek, CA.

1

Start on Willow Pass Road

143 ft · 8 sec · Willow Pass Road
2

Turn left onto East Street

423 ft · 25 sec · East Street
3

Turn left onto Salvio Street

0.3 mi · 45 sec · Salvio Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto Concord Avenue

0.4 mi · 54 sec · Concord Avenue
5

Continue on Concord Avenue

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Concord Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward CA 242 South Use the right lane.
7

Merge onto CA 242

1.7 mi · 1 min · CA 242
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto I 680

2.4 mi · 2 min · Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Exit 47 Toward North Main Street, Walnut Creek Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 45 sec
Toward North Main Street South Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Turn straight onto North Main Street

0.4 mi · 48 sec · North Main Street
Use the left / uturn / straight / right lanes.
12

Keep slight left at fork onto North Main Street

0.2 mi · 40 sec · North Main Street
Use the straight lane.
13

Arrive at destination

North Main Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 6.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Salvio Street

Turn left onto Salvio Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
0.9 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward CA 242 South

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward CA 242 South
8
5.3 mi into trip | ~7m in

Take the exit toward North Main Street, Walnut Creek

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 47 Toward North Main Street, Walnut Creek
7
5.5 mi into trip | ~8m in

Keep slight right at fork toward North Main Street South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward North Main Street South
6
6.2 mi into trip | ~9m in | North Main Street

Keep slight left at fork onto North Main Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.49 one way

$2.99 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 2 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $6.02 $1.54 $3.08
premium $6.18 $1.58 $3.16
diesel $5.61 $1.44 $2.87

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2 0 $0.68 $0.31
Efficient EV 1.6 0 $0.57 $0.26
EV Truck/SUV 2.6 0 $0.91 $0.42

Gas CO2

2 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (50% 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 15, 2026

Origin

Concord, CA

Morning in Concord on Saturday

Local time

11:14 AM

PDT

Current temp

66°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Walnut Creek, CA

Morning in Walnut Creek on Saturday

Local time

11:14 AM

PDT

Current temp

70°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

4 degrees warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

10m 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?

6.5 mi in 10m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 27% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.4 mi on Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 0.1 miles in near Salvio Street.

Driving Effort 9/10

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 10 decision points packed into just 6.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 10m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Salvio Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Concord, CA to Walnut Creek, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Main Street South along the way.

Main Street South

5.5 mi in | ~8m

About the Cities

Starting in Concord, CA

Full guide →

Concord is a residential and business city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the state of 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 10m. Total distance: 6.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

10m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 2.4 miles on Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 Walnut Creek, 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: at 0.1 miles (Salvio Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 5.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park (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 Walnut Creek, CA before heading back.

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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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