Origin
Pleasant Hill, CA
Afternoon in Pleasant Hill on Friday
Local time
3:49 PM
PDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pleasant Hill, CA to San Francisco, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
27.7 mi
45 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Hill, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Pleasant Hill to San Francisco is 27.7 miles and takes about 39 minutes via CA 24, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip takes you from the Pacific Coast region to another part of the Pacific Coast, staying within California. It's a straightforward drive, perfect for a day trip or a commute. Expect a mixed driving experience as you navigate freeways and potentially some local connections. The short distance means you won't need to worry about extensive planning for this particular journey.
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 39m. Total distance: 27.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This route offers a mixed drive experience, with 54% of it being highway. You'll spend a good portion of the 39 minutes on major roads like CA 24, the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, and the Grove Shafter Freeway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.4 miles on CA 24, allowing for a consistent pace. As you approach your destination, the drive will naturally transition from faster freeway speeds to more urban road conditions. This blend means you'll experience both efficient travel and the feel of city navigation.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 25 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 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 2.8 miles in near CA 24.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 19 decision points packed into just 27.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: 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; at 16.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 19 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
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...
7
16.5 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward I 580 West, I 580 East: San Francisco, Hayward
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.
Toward I 580 West, I 580 East: San Francisco, H...
7
16.9 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 580 West: San Francisco
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 580 West: San Francisco
8
17.2 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 580: San Francisco, Sacramento
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 580: San Francisco, Sacramento
8
26.3 mi into trip
|
~36m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
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 San Francisco, CA, road signs point toward Lafayette, Hayward and Sacramento.
Lafayette
2.8 mi in
|
~4m
|
via CA 24
Hayward
16.5 mi in
|
~21m
Sacramento
17.2 mi in
|
~23m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CA 24 | 9.4 mi | 11m |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 6 mi | 9m |
| Grove Shafter Freeway | 3.4 mi | 4m |
| Senator Daniel E Boatwright Highway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Route 80 | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Caldecott Tunnel | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Octavia Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| MacArthur Freeway | 0.5 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 San Francisco, 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
3.4 mi
·
4 min
·
Grove Shafter Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Toward I 580 West, I 580 East: San Francisco, Hayward
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 580 West: San Francisco
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 580: San Francisco, Sacramento
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Merge onto I 580
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
·
MacArthur Freeway
13
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 19A
Toward I 80 West: San Francisco
14
Merge onto I 80
0.2 mi
·
17 sec
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Toward I 80 West: San Francisco
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn slight left onto I 80
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
16
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the slight left lane.
17
Continue on I 80
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
Route 80
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
18
Continue on I 80
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Route 80
Exit 2A
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
19
Continue on I 80
0.4 mi
·
32 sec
·
Route 80
Exit 1A
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Merge onto US 101
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Central Freeway
22
Continue on Octavia Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
Octavia Boulevard
Exit 434B
Toward Octavia Boulevard, Fell Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
23
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Market Street
Use the right lane.
24
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
25
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.37 one way
$12.73 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.56 | $13.12 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.74 | $13.47 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.12 | $12.23 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.91 | $1.33 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.11 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.1 | 0 | $3.88 | $1.77 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
San Francisco, CA
Afternoon in San Francisco on Friday
Local time
3:49 PM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Sunny
NW 2 to 8 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:19PM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard CA
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 12:19PM PDT until April 17 at 2:00PM PDT by NWS Los Angeles/Oxnard 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
21 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
39m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Pleasant Hill, CA to San Francisco, CA covers 27.7 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are CA 24, Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Grove Shafter Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.8 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 $6.37 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 is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 27.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.
The main spots that need attention: 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; at 16.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Between Pleasant Hill, CA and San Francisco, CA, road signs point toward Lafayette, Hayward and Sacramento.
Yes. Nearby national parks include San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Port Chicago Naval Magazine National Memorial. 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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