Trip from Ricardo, CA to California City, CA

Compiled by the Trip.ovh editorial team · Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026 · Methodology

Drive Time

30m

Distance

17.8 mi

29 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min

4 AM

0h 28m ★

6 AM

0h 31m

8 AM

0h 36m

10 AM

0h 33m

12 PM

0h 32m

3 PM

0h 33m

5 PM

0h 36m

8 PM

0h 29m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly

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Trip Overview

The drive from Ricardo, CA to California City, CA covers 17.8 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Neuralia Road, Midland Trail, Abbott Drive for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.9 miles on Neuralia Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.09 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 17.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

30m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 30m drive with frequent turns across 17.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.

There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.

Neuralia Road is the longest continuous segment at about 12.9 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 around 0.8 miles in near CA 14; US 6 Hist / Midland Trail.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 30m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (CA 14; US 6 Hist / Midland Trail): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (Neuralia Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.7 miles: Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

4 of 4 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

3

0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | CA 14; US 6 Hist / Midland Trail

Turn right onto CA 14; US 6 Hist / Midland Trail

Navigation decision point

5

4.8 mi into trip | ~7m in | Neuralia Road

Turn sharp right onto Neuralia Road

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

4

17.7 mi into trip | ~30m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

7

17.7 mi into trip | ~30m in | California City Boulevard

Turn uturn onto California City Boulevard

Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Neuralia Road	12.9 mi	22m
Midland Trail	4 mi	4m
Abbott Drive	0.8 mi	2m
Redrock Randsburg Road	<0.1 mi	<1m
California City Boulevard	<0.1 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: Neuralia Road — 12.9 mi, about 22m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Ricardo, CA and California City, CA.

1

Start on Abbott Drive

0.8 mi · 2 min · Abbott Drive

2

Turn right onto CA 14; US 6 Hist

4.0 mi · 4 min · Midland Trail

3

Continue on 797

348 ft · 11 sec · Redrock Randsburg Road

4

Turn sharp right onto Neuralia Road

13 mi · 22 min · Neuralia Road

5

Turn right

66 ft · 6 sec

6

Turn uturn onto California City Boulevard

94 ft · 7 sec · California City Boulevard

7

Arrive at destination

California City Boulevard

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.09 one way

$8.18 round trip

$5.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$6.02	$4.22	$8.43
premium	$6.18	$4.33	$8.66
diesel	$5.61	$3.93	$7.86

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	5.3	$1.87	$0.85
Efficient EV	4.5	$1.56	$0.71
EV Truck/SUV	7.1	$2.49	$1.14

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (67% 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 Apr 13, 2026

Origin

Ricardo, CA

Night in Ricardo on Thursday

Local time

10:41 PM

PDT

Current temp

79°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

California City, CA

Night in California City on Thursday

Local time

10:41 PM

PDT

Current temp

72°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

7 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

30m 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 Ricardo, CA to California City, CA covers 17.8 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Neuralia Road, Midland Trail, Abbott Drive. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 8.9 miles from Ricardo, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.09 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 30m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (CA 14; US 6 Hist / Midland Trail): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (Neuralia Road): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.7 miles: Navigation decision point.

The route from Ricardo, CA to California City, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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