Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
10h 40m
Distance
557.9 mi
898 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$128
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Diego, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Rio Dell, CA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from San Diego, CA to Rio Dell, CA covers 557.9 miles and takes about 10h 40m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Westside Freeway, San Diego Freeway, Golden State Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-haul drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 225.6 miles on Westside Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $128.23 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
3 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
279 miles from San Diego, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 5h 20m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Westside Freeway | 225.6 mi | 4h 1m |
| San Diego Freeway | 75.2 mi | 1h 27m |
| Golden State Freeway | 50 mi | 57m |
| I 5 Truck | 45.3 mi | 52m |
| Santa Ana Freeway | 30.4 mi | 35m |
| Redwood Highway | 29.7 mi | 34m |
| Arthur H. Breed Junior Freeway | 29.6 mi | 34m |
| William Elton Brown Freeway | 17 mi | 18m |
Step-by-step road directions between San Diego, CA and Rio Dell, CA.
Start on Front Street
Turn left onto West Broadway
Turn left onto 1st Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Take the exit
Continue on this road
Turn right onto Jamboree Road
Turn left onto El Camino Real
Turn left onto Newport Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 Truck
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 Bypass
Merge onto I 580
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
Keep slight left at fork onto I 580
Continue on I 80; I 580
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto US 101
Take the exit onto CA 116
Continue on CA 116
Continue on CA 116
Turn left onto CA 116
Turn right onto CA 116
Turn slight left onto CA 116
Continue on CA 116
Continue on CA 116
Turn right onto Mirabel Road
Turn left onto River Road
Turn left onto Rio Vista Road
At end of road, turn right onto Rio Vista Road
Turn right onto Westside Road
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 123 miles or 2h 26m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 279 miles or 5h 20m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 279 miles or 5h 20m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 9h 19m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Rio Dell, CA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving San Diego, CA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from San Diego, CA
Aim for roughly 279 miles and 5.3 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Rio Dell, CA
Aim for roughly 279 miles and 5.3 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
184 mi into the route
Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch
This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.
Second major stop
Overnight candidate
368 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Castro Valley, CANight 1
279 mi · about 5.3h in
A practical overnight split lands near Turlock, CA after about 279 miles or 5.3 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 123 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 279 miles from San Diego, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Westside Freeway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 225.6 miles.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 279 miles or 5.3 hours on the road.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 76.1 and 540.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward Bake Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 Truck toward I 5 Truck North, CA 14 Truck
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 / MacArthur Freeway toward I 580: Oakland, San Francisco
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto I 580 / John T. Knox Freeway toward I 580 West: Point Richmond, San Rafael
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit onto CA 116 toward CA 116 West: Sebastopol, Downtown Cotati
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$128.23 one way
$256.46 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $132.14 | $264.28 |
| premium | $6.18 | $135.68 | $271.35 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $123.18 | $246.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$128
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$258–$368
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 195.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $59 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 167.4 | 2 | $58.58 | $26.78 |
| Efficient EV | 139.5 | 1 | $48.82 | $22.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 223.2 | 2 | $78.11 | $35.71 |
Gas CO2
195 kg
EV CO2
65 kg (67% less)
Plan for 2 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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
Morning in San Diego on Saturday
Local time
10:58 AM
PDT
Current temp
56°F
Partly Cloudy
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 17 at 7:10PM PDT until April 18 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Eureka CA
Destination
Morning in Rio Dell on Saturday
Local time
10:58 AM
PDT
Current temp
--
Unavailable
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.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
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557.9 mi / 10h 40m — a long-haul route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. Biggest road: Westside Freeway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Westside Freeway and San Diego Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 76.1 miles in near I 5 Truck.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 42 significant decision points across 557.9 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 76.1 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 144.7 miles (I 5 Truck): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 476.8 miles (I 580 / MacArthur Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between San Diego, CA and Rio Dell, CA, road signs point toward San Francisco and San Rafael.
San Francisco
San Rafael
Founded 1769
From balmy beaches with a laid-back attitude to a gleaming modern image, San Diego offers much for the tourist to enjoy. Situated on the Southern California seacoast, San Diego is the second largest city in the state, with 1.4 million residents (2020), and has long attracted travelers for its ideal climate, miles of beaches, and location on the Mexican border right across from Tijuana. But there's much more here than surfer culture and a quick hop across the border. A rich maritime and military heritage lives on in San Diego, which is home to the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy. The city has also become known for its part in the wildlife conservation movement, owing to the presence of the world-renowned San Diego Zoo and Safari Park and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Natural scenery abounds from rocky tidepools and seaside cliffs to desert hills and canyons inland.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
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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