Origin
Dorris, CA
Late night in Dorris on Friday
Local time
12:42 AM
PDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Dorris, CA to Tulelake, CA
Compiled by the Trip.ovh editorial team · Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026 · Methodology
Drive Time
43m
Distance
26.1 mi
42 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Dorris, CA
Ernesto Rosas
Tulelake, CA
Dominik Gryzbon
Trip Overview
The drive from Dorris, CA to Tulelake, CA covers 26.1 miles and takes about 43m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on State Line Road, Lava Beds Highway, United States Highway 97 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19.3 miles on State Line Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.00 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 43m. Total distance: 26.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (10%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 43m drive with frequent turns across 26.1 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Line Road is the longest continuous segment at about 19.3 miles.
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. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Main Street.
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 43m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Main Street): Navigation decision point; near the start (West 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (CA 161 / State Line Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Main Street
Turn left onto North Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West 1st Street
Turn left onto West 1st Street
Navigation decision point
3
3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
CA 161 / State Line Road
Turn right onto CA 161 / State Line Road
Navigation decision point
4
25.9 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
Main Street
Turn right onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
26.1 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
C Street
Turn right onto C Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Line Road | 19.3 mi | 33m |
| Lava Beds Highway | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| United States Highway 97 | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| C Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
State Line Road
— 19.3 mi, about 33m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Dorris, CA and Tulelake, CA.
1
Start on this road
72 ft
·
10 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto North Main Street
160 ft
·
11 sec
·
North Main Street
3
Turn left onto West 1st Street
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
West 1st Street
4
Continue on US 97
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
United States Highway 97
5
Turn right onto CA 161
19 mi
·
33 min
·
State Line Road
6
Turn right onto CA 139
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
Lava Beds Highway
7
Turn right onto Main Street
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Main Street
8
Continue on Main Street
443 ft
·
21 sec
·
Main Street
9
Turn right onto C Street
204 ft
·
9 sec
·
C Street
10
Arrive at destination
C Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.00 one way
$12.00 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.18 | $12.36 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.35 | $12.69 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.76 | $11.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.74 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.65 | $1.67 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Tulelake, CA
Late night in Tulelake on Friday
Local time
12:42 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°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
1 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
43m 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 Dorris, CA to Tulelake, CA covers 26.1 miles and takes about 43m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are State Line Road, Lava Beds Highway, United States Highway 97. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.1 miles from Dorris, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.00 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 43m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Main Street): Navigation decision point; near the start (West 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 3 miles (CA 161 / State Line Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Dorris, CA to Tulelake, 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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