Origin
Fortuna, CA
Morning in Fortuna on Saturday
Local time
11:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fortuna, CA to Elk River, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
20m
Distance
15.5 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fortuna, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Elk River, CA
Dick Hoskins
Trip Overview
The drive from Fortuna, CA to Elk River, CA covers 15.5 miles and takes about 20m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Redwood Highway, Elk River Road, Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.8 miles on Redwood Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.56 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Redwood Highway | 12.8 mi | 14m |
| Elk River Road | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Main Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| US 101 Business | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Herrick Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 9th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Redwood Highway
— 12.8 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fortuna, CA and Elk River, CA.
1
Start on this road
80 ft
·
11 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto 9th Street
148 ft
·
10 sec
·
9th Street
3
Turn right onto US 101 Business
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
4
Continue on US 101 Business
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Main Street
5
Take the ramp onto US 101 Business
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
US 101 Business
Use the straight lane.
6
Merge onto US 101
13 mi
·
14 min
·
Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward Herrick Avenue, Elk River Road
8
Turn right onto Herrick Avenue
250 ft
·
7 sec
·
Herrick Avenue
9
Turn right onto Elk River Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Elk River Road
10
Continue on Elk River Road
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Elk River Road
11
Arrive at destination
Elk River Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
9th Street
Turn left onto 9th Street
Navigation decision point
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 101 Business / Main Street
Turn right onto US 101 Business / Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 101 Business
Take the ramp onto US 101 Business
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 101 / Redwood Highway
Merge onto US 101 / Redwood Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
13.6 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward Herrick Avenue, Elk River Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Herrick Avenue, Elk River Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.56 one way
$7.13 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $3.67 | $7.34 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.77 | $7.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.42 | $6.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.36 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Elk River, CA
Morning in Elk River on Saturday
Local time
11:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
47°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
20m 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?
15.5 mi in 20m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.8 mi on Redwood Highway.
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. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 9th 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 20m drive. You will face about 7 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 (9th Street): Navigation decision point; near the start (US 101 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (US 101 Business): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Fortuna, CA
Full guide →Fortuna is a city in Humboldt County in the North Coast region of 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 20m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (1%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.8 miles on Redwood Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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: near the start (9th Street): Navigation decision point; near the start (US 101 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (US 101 Business): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Elk River, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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