The drive from Los Angeles, CA to Rio Dell, CA covers 437.7 miles and takes about 8h 19m behind the wheel.
It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Westside Freeway, I 5 Truck, Redwood Highway for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is highway-focused drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 225.6 miles on Westside Freeway.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $100.60 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
218.9 miles from Los Angeles, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 4h 4m into the drive
.
Frank Lloyd Wright is said to have quipped, "Tip the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles," a quote that has since been repeated both by those who love and hate L.A. The "City of Angels" is home to people who hail from all parts of the globe and an important center of culture, business, media, and international trade. However, it's most famous for being a major center of the world's television, motion picture, and music industry, which forms the base of the city's status and lures visitors for its show business history and celebrity culture. Visitors are also drawn to Los Angeles for its Mediterranean climate and numerous beaches, which gave birth to California's famed surf culture.
Top landmarks
•Hollywood Walk of Fame — more than 2,700 five-pointed terrazzo and brass stars embedded in the sidewalks...
•Hollywood Sign — sign reading "HOLLYWOOD" located in Los Angeles, California, United States
•Getty Center — campus of the Getty Museum and other programs of the Getty Trust in Los Angeles
This is a 8h 19m highway drive covering 437.7 miles, with most of the trip on Westside Freeway and I 5 Truck. The longest continuous stretch is about 225.6 miles on Westside Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 36 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Westside Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 225.6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and I 5 Truck. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 24.5 miles in near I 5 Truck.
Driving Effort9/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 28 significant decision points across 437.7 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 24.5 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 84.5 miles (I 5 / Westside Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 356.6 miles (I 580 / MacArthur Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 28 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
9
24.5 mi into trip|~31m in|I 5 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 161A
Toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
7
84.5 mi into trip|~1h 40m in|I 5 / Westside Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 / Westside Freeway toward I 5 North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 5 North
8
356.6 mi into trip|~6h 34m in|I 580 / MacArthur Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 / MacArthur Freeway toward I 580: Oakland, San Francisco
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 580: Oakland, San Francisco
9
376.6 mi into trip|~6h 57m in|I 580 / John T. Knox Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 / John T. Knox Freeway toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 13B
Toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
8
419.9 mi into trip|~7h 50m in|CA 116
Take the exit onto CA 116 toward CA 116 West: Sebastopol, Downtown Cotati
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 481B
Toward CA 116 West: Sebastopol, Downtown Cotati
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Los Angeles, CA and Rio Dell, CA, road signs point toward San Francisco and San Rafael.
San Francisco
310 mi in|~5h 41m|via I 580
San Rafael
376.6 mi in|~6h 57m|via I 580
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Westside Freeway
225.6 mi
4h 1m
I 5 Truck
37.7 mi
43m
Redwood Highway
29.7 mi
34m
Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
29.6 mi
34m
Golden State Freeway
29 mi
33m
William Elton Brown Freeway
17 mi
18m
MacArthur Freeway
16.7 mi
19m
Hollywood Freeway
15.5 mi
19m
Longest stretch:
Westside Freeway
— 225.6 mi, about 4h 1m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Los Angeles, CA and Rio Dell, CA.
1
Start on West 1st Street
0.1 mi·32 sec·West 1st Street
2
Turn right onto North Broadway
0.4 mi·49 sec·North Broadway
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·30 sec
Toward US 101 North, CA 110
4
Merge onto US 101
0.7 mi·55 sec·Santa Ana Freeway
5
Continue on US 101
15 mi·19 min·Hollywood Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.9 mi·59 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 5
4.5 mi·5 min·Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
2.2 mi·2 min·Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
1.5 mi·1 min·I 5 Truck
Exit 161AToward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 TruckUse the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 Truck
36 mi·41 min·I 5 Truck
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
22 mi·25 min·Golden State Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
226 mi·4 hr 1 min·Westside Freeway
Toward I 5 NorthUse the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
16 mi·17 min·William Elton Brown Freeway
Toward I 580 West: Tracy, San Francisco
14
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 Bypass
1.1 mi·1 min·William Elton Brown Freeway
15
Merge onto I 580
18 mi·20 min·Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
12 mi·13 min·Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
8.3 mi·9 min·MacArthur Freeway
Toward I 580: Oakland, San FranciscoUse the slight left / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
8.3 mi·9 min·MacArthur Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Continue on I 80; I 580
3.3 mi·4 min·Eastshore Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
13 mi·17 min·John T. Knox Freeway
Exit 13BToward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San RafaelUse the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Keep slight left at fork
0.7 mi·54 sec
Exit 1AToward US 101 North: San Rafeal
22
Merge onto US 101
30 mi·34 min·Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23
Take the exit onto CA 116
0.3 mi·44 sec·CA 116
Exit 481BToward CA 116 West: Sebastopol, Downtown CotatiUse the straight / slight right lanes.
24
Continue on CA 116
7.7 mi·11 min·Gravenstein Highway
Use the left lane.
25
Continue on CA 116
0.7 mi·1 min·Petaluma Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
26
Turn left onto CA 116
435 ft·11 sec·McKinley Avenue
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
27
Turn right onto CA 116
0.2 mi·17 sec·North Main Street
28
Turn slight left onto CA 116
0.5 mi·48 sec·Healdsburg Avenue
29
Continue on CA 116
5.7 mi·8 min·Gravenstein Highway North
30
Continue on CA 116
0.3 mi·31 sec·Front Street
31
Turn right onto Mirabel Road
1.4 mi·2 min·Mirabel Road
Use the right lane.
32
Turn left onto River Road
0.7 mi·1 min·River Road
33
Turn left onto Rio Vista Road
325 ft·17 sec·Rio Vista Road
Use the left lane.
34
At end of road, turn right onto Rio Vista Road
0.3 mi·1 min·Rio Vista Road
35
Turn right onto Westside Road
136 ft·6 sec·Westside Road
36
Arrive at destination
Westside Road
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 218.9 miles from Los Angeles, CA, or about 4h 4m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 225.6 miles.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 96 miles or 1h 52m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 218.9 miles or 4h 4m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 218.9 miles or 4h 4m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 59m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Rio Dell, CA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Los Angeles, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
+
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Los Angeles, CA
Aim for roughly 219 miles and 4.2 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Rio Dell, CA
Aim for roughly 219 miles and 4.2 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 96 miles from Los Angeles, CA.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on Westside Freeway for about 225.6 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 218.9 mi from Los Angeles, CA
· 4h 4m into the drive
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park
National Historical Park
Celebrate and honor the contributions and sacrifices of American civilians on the WWII home front. Discover how diverse communities lived, worked, and interacted. Many faces, many stories, many truths...
3 mi from route
~7 min detour
Free
near mile 377.3
Walk among old growth coast redwoods, cooling their roots in the fresh water of Redwood Creek and lifting their crowns to reach the sun and fog. Federally protected as a National Monument since 1908,...
7 mi from route
~18 min detour
$15
near mile 392.4
Established in 1988, San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park celebrates America’s maritime heritage on the Pacific Coast. Our 50-acre park has grown around Aquatic Park Cove, a protected area...
9 mi from route
~21 min detour
Free
near mile 377.3
Experience a park so rich it supports 19 distinct ecosystems with over 2,000 plant and animal species. Go for a hike, enjoy a vista, have a picnic or learn about the centuries of overlapping history f...
10 mi from route
~25 min detour
Free
near mile 392.4
From its thunderous ocean breakers crashing against rocky headlands and expansive sand beaches to its open grasslands, brushy hillsides, and forested ridges, Point Reyes offers visitors over 1500 spec...
18 mi from route
~44 min detour
Free
near mile 407.5
On July 17, 1944, a massive explosion jolted the San Francisco East Bay area, shattering windows and lighting up the night sky. At Port Chicago Naval Magazine, 320 men were killed instantly when two s...
19 mi from route
~47 min detour
Free
near mile 377.3
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $46 in charging
· 1 stop
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
131.3
1
$45.96
$21.01
Efficient EV
109.4
1
$38.30
$17.51
EV Truck/SUV
175.1
2
$61.28
$28.01
Gas CO2
153 kg
EV CO2
51 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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 18, 2026
Origin
Los Angeles, CA
Late night
in Los Angeles on Saturday
Local time
3:56 AM
PDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Rio Dell, CA
Late night
in Rio Dell on Saturday
Local time
3:56 AM
PDT
Current temp
45°F
Mostly Clear
N 1 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
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
9 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
8h 19m on the road
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Los Angeles, CA to Rio Dell, CA covers 437.7 miles and takes about 8h 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Westside Freeway, I 5 Truck, Redwood Highway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 2-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 219 miles on day one.
The midpoint is about 218.9 miles from Los Angeles, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $100.60 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
This is a demanding drive. With 28 significant decision points across 437.7 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 24.5 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 84.5 miles (I 5 / Westside Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 356.6 miles (I 580 / MacArthur Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Los Angeles, CA and Rio Dell, CA, road signs point toward San Francisco and San Rafael.
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, NREL for EV charging, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
