Origin
Pleasant Hill, CA
Afternoon in Pleasant Hill on Friday
Local time
3:45 PM
PDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pleasant Hill, CA to Oakland, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
18.9 mi
30 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Oakland, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Pleasant Hill to Oakland is 18.9 miles and takes about 26 minutes via CA 24, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip takes you from the Pacific Coast region of California to another part of the same region. Expect a straightforward drive that's mostly on major roadways. It's a quick commute that's perfect if you need to get between these two East Bay cities without a lot of fuss. Plan for this to be an easy, one-day excursion.
About the Cities
Starting in Pleasant Hill, CA
Full guide →Pleasant Hill is in Contra Costa County in the Bay Area 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 26m. Total distance: 18.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (76%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 76% of the journey utilizing major roads. You'll spend most of your time on CA 24, also known as the Grove Shafter Freeway, and the Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.4 miles on CA 24. The character of the drive remains consistently highway-oriented, offering a relatively fast-paced transit between the two locations.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
CA 24 is the longest continuous segment at about 9.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on CA 24 and Grove Shafter Freeway. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Contra Costa Boulevard.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 18.9 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Contra Costa Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles (CA 24): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Contra Costa Boulevard
Turn right onto Contra Costa Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Merge onto I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
2.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
CA 24
Take the exit onto CA 24 toward CA 24 West: Oakland, Lafayette, San Francisco
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 46A
Toward CA 24 West: Oakland, Lafayette, San Fran...
6
12.2 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 24 / Caldecott Tunnel
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
8
18 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward 18th Street, 14th Street
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 1D
Toward 18th Street, 14th Street
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Pleasant Hill, CA and Oakland, CA, road signs point toward Lafayette and San Francisco.
Lafayette
2.8 mi in
|
~4m
|
via CA 24
San Francisco
2.8 mi in
|
~4m
|
via CA 24
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CA 24 | 9.4 mi | 11m |
| Grove Shafter Freeway | 4.5 mi | 5m |
| Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Caldecott Tunnel | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| 14th Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Contra Costa Boulevard | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| John B. Williams Freeway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Brush Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CA 24
— 9.4 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pleasant Hill, CA and Oakland, CA.
1
Start on Gregory Lane
92 ft
·
2 sec
·
Gregory Lane
2
Continue on Gregory Lane
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Gregory Lane
3
Turn right onto Contra Costa Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Contra Costa Boulevard
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 680 South
5
Merge onto I 680
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit onto CA 24
9.4 mi
·
11 min
·
CA 24
Exit 46A
Toward CA 24 West: Oakland, Lafayette, San Francisco
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto CA 24
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Caldecott Tunnel
Use the slight right lane.
8
Continue on CA 24
4.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Grove Shafter Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 980
0.4 mi
·
29 sec
·
John B. Williams Freeway
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 1D
Toward 18th Street, 14th Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn straight onto Brush Street
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
Brush Street
12
Turn left onto 14th Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
14th Street
13
Arrive at destination
14th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.34 one way
$8.69 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $4.48 | $8.95 |
| premium | $6.18 | $4.60 | $9.19 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.17 | $8.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.98 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.65 | $1.21 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Oakland, CA
Afternoon in Oakland on Friday
Local time
3:45 PM
PDT
Current temp
67°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
17 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
26m 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 Pleasant Hill, CA to Oakland, CA covers 18.9 miles and takes about 26m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are CA 24, Grove Shafter Freeway, Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.5 miles from Pleasant Hill, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.34 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 18.9 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Contra Costa Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (I 680 / Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles (CA 24): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Pleasant Hill, CA and Oakland, CA, road signs point toward Lafayette and San Francisco.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park, Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial and San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park. There are 5 parks within detour distance of this route.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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