Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sacramento, CA
Wikimedia Commons
North Highlands, CA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Sacramento, CA to North Highlands, CA covers 12.3 miles and takes about 19m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Capital City Freeway, Watt Avenue, North Sacramento Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.9 miles on Capital City Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.83 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital City Freeway | 3.9 mi | 4m |
| Watt Avenue | 2.7 mi | 5m |
| North Sacramento Freeway | 2.6 mi | 2m |
| 16th Street | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Don Julio Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| J Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| La Cienega Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 9th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Sacramento, CA and North Highlands, CA.
Start on 9th Street
Turn left onto J Street
Turn left onto US 40 Historic
Keep slight left at fork onto US 40 Historic
Continue on North Sacramento Freeway
Merge onto I 80 Business
Take the exit
Turn straight onto Watt Avenue
Turn right onto Don Julio Boulevard
Turn left onto La Cienega Drive
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 8.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto J Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto US 40 Historic / 16th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto US 40 Historic / 16th Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto I 80 Business / Capital City Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Watt Avenue North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.83 one way
$5.65 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $2.91 | $5.83 |
| premium | $6.18 | $2.99 | $5.98 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Afternoon in Sacramento on Saturday
Local time
1:03 PM
PDT
Current temp
46°F
Mostly Clear
Destination
Afternoon in North Highlands on Saturday
Local time
1:03 PM
PDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
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
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.
12.3 mi in 19m — 53% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Capital City Freeway.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. 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 J Street.
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 12.3 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 (J Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (US 40 Historic / 16th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.2 miles (US 40 Historic / 16th Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Sacramento, CA to North Highlands, CA, road signs begin pointing toward Watt Avenue North along the way.
Watt Avenue North
Founded 1849
Sacramento is the state capital of California in the United States. It is the regional center for the Greater Sacramento metropolitan area, which dominates much of the surrounding Sacramento Valley and stretches into parts of Gold Country. Sacramento is the oldest incorporated city in California, settled between the confluences of the Sacramento and American rivers. The city has been the site of many important historic events that have shaped California and U.S. history, most notably the California Gold Rush and location of the original terminus of the First Transcontinental Railroad. Much of this historical legacy has been preserved, especially in the historic Old Sacramento district, where buildings and railroads from that era continue to attract visitors. However, Sacramento is not a city that is stuck in the past. As the capital of the most populous U.S.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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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