Origin
North Highlands, CA
Afternoon in North Highlands on Saturday
Local time
12:41 PM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from North Highlands, CA to Sacramento, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
12.5 mi
20 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
North Highlands, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Sacramento, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are traveling from North Highlands to Sacramento, you are looking at a quick 11.7-mile trip that typically takes about 20 minutes to complete. Because this is a short local transit, it is perfect for a single day and requires no overnight stay. You will spend your time navigating local streets like Don Julio Boulevard, Larchmont Drive, and Walerga Road rather than interstate highways. Budgeting about $2 for fuel should easily cover this drive, making it a very economical commute. Since both cities are located within the Pacific Coast region, you will stay within familiar territory for the duration of your journey. This route is a straightforward option for those needing to move between these two California locations without the hassle of long-distance planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital City Freeway | 4.9 mi | 5m |
| North Sacramento Freeway | 2.6 mi | 2m |
| Walerga Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Hillsdale Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| 12th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North 12th Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Larchmont Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital City Freeway
— 4.9 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between North Highlands, CA and Sacramento, CA.
1
Start on La Cienega Drive
0.2 mi
·
49 sec
·
La Cienega Drive
2
Turn left onto Don Julio Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Don Julio Boulevard
3
Turn right onto Larchmont Drive
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
Larchmont Drive
4
Turn right onto Walerga Road
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Walerga Road
5
Turn right onto Hillsdale Boulevard
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Hillsdale Boulevard
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto Madison Avenue
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Madison Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward I 80 West: Sacramento
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto I 80
0.7 mi
·
45 sec
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 80 Business
4.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Capital City Freeway
Exit 95
Toward I 80 Business West: Sacramento
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 160
2.6 mi
·
2 min
·
North Sacramento Freeway
Toward CA 160 West: Downtown Sacramento
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on CA 160; US 40 Historic
0.6 mi
·
56 sec
·
North 12th Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 160; US 40 Historic
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
12th Street
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
13
Turn right onto I Street
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
I Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Turn left onto 9th Street
71 ft
·
1 sec
·
9th Street
15
Arrive at destination
9th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 2.6 and 12.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp toward I 80 West: Sacramento
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 80 West: Sacramento
8
3.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway toward I 80 Business West: Sacramento
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 95
Toward I 80 Business West: Sacramento
7
8.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
CA 160 / North Sacramento Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 160 / North Sacramento Freeway toward CA 160 West: Downtown Sacramento
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CA 160 West: Downtown Sacramento
6
11.7 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
CA 160; US 40 Historic / 12th Street
Keep slight left at fork onto CA 160; US 40 Historic / 12th Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
6
12.3 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
I Street
Turn right onto I Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.87 one way
$5.75 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.96 | $5.92 |
| premium | $6.18 | $3.04 | $6.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.76 | $5.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Sacramento, CA
Afternoon in Sacramento on Saturday
Local time
12:41 PM
PDT
Current temp
68°F
Sunny
NNW 10 to 20 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 8:38AM PDT until April 16 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 8:38AM PDT until April 16 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA
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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
17m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged with frequent changes in direction rather than a long, monotonous interstate grind. With a 0% highway share, you will be navigating surface streets for the entire 11.7-mile distance. There is no single long stretch on this route, as the longest segment is 0 miles on Don Julio Boulevard, reflecting the highly localized nature of the transit. You should be prepared for a series of intersections and turns that require your full attention throughout the 20-minute duration. This drive is characterized by constant movement through residential and commercial corridors, providing a practical rather than scenic experience behind the wheel.
60% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.9 mi on Capital City Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in.
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 12 decision points packed into just 12.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles (I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (CA 160 / North Sacramento Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
121 ft
27 ft
Total Climb
37 ft
Total Descent
105 ft
Highest Point
121 ft
~0.9 mi in
Elevation Range
94 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Sacramento, CA
Full guide →Founded 1849
Sacramento is the state capital of California in the United States. It is the regional center for the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area, which dominates much of the surrounding Sacramento Valley and stretches into parts of Gold Country. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, settled between the confluences of the Sacramento and American rivers. The city has been the site of many important historic events that have shaped California and U.S. history, most notably the California Gold Rush and location of the original terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Much of this historical legacy has been preserved, especially in the historic Old Sacramento district, where buildings and railroads from that era continue to attract visitors. However, Sacramento is not a city that is stuck in the past. As the capital of the most populous U.S.
Top landmarks
- • California State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of California
- • Crocker Art Museum — art museum in Sacramento, California
- • Sacramento Valley Station — main railroad and light rail station in Sacramento, 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 17m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (60%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.9 miles on Capital City Freeway. 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 Sacramento, 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 2.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles (I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.4 miles (CA 160 / North Sacramento Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Sacramento, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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