Origin
Oakland, CA
Morning in Oakland on Friday
Local time
10:11 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
11h 1m
Distance
590.4 mi
950 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$136
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Calexico, CA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Oakland, CA to Calexico, CA covers 590.4 miles and takes about 11h 1m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Harrison Street, 11th Street, Madison Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $135.70 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
3 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
295.2 miles from Oakland, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 5h 30m into the drive .
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 3 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
11h 1m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Long-distance drive route profile.
At 590.4 miles and 11h 1m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are Harrison Street and 11th Street.
At 11h 1m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. Navigation is simple, but the total wheel time makes endurance and break timing the real challenge.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
Navigation is easy, but the length (11h 1m) means fatigue is the real challenge. The route is 0% highway with very few tricky spots, so this is more about pacing than navigation skill.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Oakland, CA to Calexico, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Harrison Street | — | — |
| 11th Street | — | — |
| Madison Street | — | — |
| 5th Street | — | — |
| I 880 South | — | — |
| Nimitz Freeway | — | — |
| I 238 | — | — |
| Castro Valley Freeway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Step-by-step road directions between Oakland, CA and Calexico, CA.
Start on 14th Street
Turn right onto Harrison Street
Turn left onto 11th Street
Turn right onto Madison Street
Turn left onto 5th Street
Take the ramp straight toward I 880 South: San Jose
Merge slight left onto Nimitz Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward I 238: Castro Valley, Stockton
Keep slight left to continue on I 238: Stockton Fresno
Continue on Castro Valley Freeway
Continue on Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on William Elton Brown Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on William Elton Brown Freeway
Merge slight left onto Westside Freeway
Keep slight right
Keep slight left to continue on Golden State Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward I 210 East: Pasadena
Continue on Foothill Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Foothill Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on Foothill Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward CA 57 South: Santa Ana
Continue on Orange Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward I 10 East, I 10 West: San Bernardino, Los Angeles
Keep slight left to continue on I 10 East: San Bernardino Freeway, San Bernardino
Merge slight left onto San Bernardino Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on San Bernardino Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on I-10 Metro ExpressLanes
Merge slight right onto San Bernardino Freeway
Continue on Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway
Keep slight left to continue on Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway
Keep slight right to continue on CA 86 South: CA 86 South, Brawley, El Centro
Turn left onto Brawley Bypass
Continue on Ben Hulse Highway
Turn right onto West Birch Street
Turn slight left onto Harold Avenue
Turn sharp left onto West Birch Street
Arrive at your destination
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.
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 130 miles or 2h 25m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 295.2 miles or 5h 30m 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 295.2 miles or 5h 30m
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 9h 54m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Calexico, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Oakland, 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 Oakland, CA
Aim for roughly 295 miles and 5.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Calexico, CA
Aim for roughly 295 miles and 5.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 295.2 mi from Oakland, CA · 5h 30m into the drive
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
195 mi into the route
Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch
This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.
Second major stop
Overnight candidate
390 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Ontario, CANight 1
295 mi · about 5.5h in
A practical overnight split lands near Santa Clarita, CA after about 295 miles or 5.5 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 130 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 295.2 miles from Oakland, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 295 miles or 5.5 hours on the road.
Final-third reset
Rest stopPlan one more short stretch-and-water break in the final third of the drive so the last arrival window feels easier.
The final approach into Calexico, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Calexico, CA.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Calexico, CA with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Regular Gas
$135.70 one way
$271.40 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $139.84 | $279.67 |
| premium | $6.18 | $143.58 | $287.16 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $130.35 | $260.71 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$136
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$266–$376
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 206.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $62 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 177.1 | 2 | $61.99 | $28.34 |
| Efficient EV | 147.6 | 1 | $51.66 | $23.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 236.2 | 2 | $82.66 | $37.79 |
Gas CO2
207 kg
EV CO2
69 kg (67% less)
Plan for 2 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Oakland on Friday
Local time
10:11 AM
PDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Destination
Morning in Calexico on Friday
Local time
10:11 AM
PDT
Current temp
87°F
Unavailable
52°F
Ontario, CA
390 mi in
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
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
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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