The drive from Point Arena, CA to Willits, CA covers 72.7 miles and takes about 1h 53m behind the wheel.
This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Mountain View Road, Redwood Highway, Boonville Road for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 24.2 miles on Mountain View Road.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $16.71 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
36.4 miles from Point Arena, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 53m. Total distance: 72.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 1h 53m drive with frequent turns across 72.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Mountain View Road is the longest continuous segment at about 24.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CA 1 / Main Street.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 53m drive. You will face about 14 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (CA 1 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 26.6 miles (510 / Mountain View Road): Navigation decision point; at 47.1 miles (US 101 / Redwood Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 14 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip|~0m in|CA 1 / Main Street
Turn left onto CA 1 / Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
26.6 mi into trip|~45m in|510 / Mountain View Road
At end of road, turn left onto 510 / Mountain View Road
Navigation decision point
5
47.1 mi into trip|~1h 19m in|US 101 / Redwood Highway
Merge onto US 101 / Redwood Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
69.1 mi into trip|~1h 45m in|CA 20
Take the exit onto CA 20
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
72.7 mi into trip|~1h 52m in|Coast Street
At end of road, turn right onto Coast Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Mountain View Road
24.2 mi
42m
Redwood Highway
23.6 mi
28m
Boonville Road
9.8 mi
17m
Boonville Ukiah Road
7 mi
9m
Shoreline Highway
3.5 mi
5m
South Main Street
1.5 mi
3m
CA 128
1.2 mi
1m
School Street
0.5 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Mountain View Road
— 24.2 mi, about 42m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Point Arena, CA and Willits, CA.
1
Start on Port Road
179 ft·13 sec·Port Road
2
Turn left onto CA 1
0.2 mi·17 sec·Main Street
3
Turn left onto CA 1
0.5 mi·45 sec·School Street
4
Continue on CA 1
3.5 mi·5 min·Shoreline Highway
5
Turn right onto 510
16 mi·27 min·Mountain View Road
6
Continue on 510
6.5 mi·11 min·Mountain View Road
7
At end of road, turn left onto 510
1.8 mi·3 min·Mountain View Road
8
At end of road, turn right onto CA 128
1.2 mi·1 min·CA 128
9
Turn left onto CA 253
7.0 mi·9 min·Boonville Ukiah Road
10
Continue on CA 253
9.8 mi·17 min·Boonville Road
11
At end of road, turn left onto CA 253; US 101 Business
0.2 mi·29 sec·South State Street
12
Take the ramp
0.5 mi·57 sec
13
Merge onto US 101
22 mi·26 min·Redwood Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit onto CA 20
0.3 mi·51 sec·CA 20
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Turn left onto CA 20
1.6 mi·2 min·Redwood Highway
16
Continue on CA 20
1.5 mi·3 min·South Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
17
Turn left onto West Valley Street
430 ft·21 sec·West Valley Street
18
At end of road, turn right onto Coast Street
165 ft·12 sec·Coast Street
19
Turn left onto Pine Street
148 ft·6 sec·Pine Street
20
Arrive at destination
Pine Street
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 36.4 miles from Point Arena, CA, or about 1h into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 24.2 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 16 miles or 27m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 36.4 miles or 1h in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 36m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Willits, CA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Point Arena, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Point Arena, CA
This is one driving day of about 72.7 miles and 1h 53m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 16 miles from Point Arena, CA.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on Mountain View Road for about 24.2 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 36.4 mi from Point Arena, CA
· 1h into the drive
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $8 in charging
· 0 stops
· 64% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
21.8
0
$7.63
$3.49
Efficient EV
18.2
0
$6.36
$2.91
EV Truck/SUV
29.1
0
$10.18
$4.65
Gas CO2
25 kg
EV CO2
9 kg (64% 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.
Forecast as of Mar 8, 2022
Origin
Point Arena, CA
Morning
in Point Arena on Saturday
Local time
7:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Willits, CA
Morning
in Willits on Saturday
Local time
7:59 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
44°F
Boonville, CA
36 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.
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
1h 53m 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 Point Arena, CA to Willits, CA covers 72.7 miles and takes about 1h 53m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Mountain View Road, Redwood Highway, Boonville Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 36.4 miles from Point Arena, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $16.71 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 straightforward 1h 53m drive. You will face about 14 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (CA 1 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 26.6 miles (510 / Mountain View Road): Navigation decision point; at 47.1 miles (US 101 / Redwood Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Point Arena, CA to Willits, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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.
