The drive from San Jose, CA to Fairmead, CA covers 119.5 miles and takes about 2h 29m behind the wheel.
This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Pacheco Pass Highway, US 101, CA 85 for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 82.6 miles on Pacheco Pass Highway.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $27.47 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
59.7 miles from San Jose, CA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 13m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 29m. Total distance: 119.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 2h 29m drive with frequent turns across 119.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 29 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Pacheco Pass Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 82.6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near North San Pedro Street.
Driving Effort7/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 18 significant decision points across 119.5 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 0.1 miles (North San Pedro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Saint James Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|North San Pedro Street
Turn left onto North San Pedro Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|West Saint James Street
Turn right onto West Saint James Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.3 mi into trip|~1m in
Take the ramp toward CA 87 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CA 87 South
7
6.1 mi into trip|~8m in
Take the exit toward Santa Teresa Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1C
Toward Santa Teresa Boulevard
The midpoint is around 59.7 miles from San Jose, CA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel check
Top up before Pacheco Pass Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 82.6 miles.
Arriving in Fairmead, CA
The final approach into Fairmead, CA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Fairmead, CA.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$27.47 one way
$54.93 round trip
$5.84/gal25.4 MPG avg42 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$6.02
$28.30
$56.61
premium
$6.18
$29.06
$58.12
diesel
$5.61
$26.38
$52.77
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$27
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$52–$77
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 41.8 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $13 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
35.9
0
$12.55
$5.74
Efficient EV
29.9
0
$10.46
$4.78
EV Truck/SUV
47.8
0
$16.73
$7.65
Gas CO2
42 kg
EV CO2
14 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 16, 2026
Origin
San Jose, CA
Late night
in San Jose on Friday
Local time
2:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
71°F
Sunny
NNW 5 to 14 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 10:43AM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Medford OR
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 16 at 10:32AM PDT until April 17 at 11:00AM PDT by NWS Hanford CA
Destination
Fairmead, CA
Late night
in Fairmead on Friday
Local time
2:24 AM
PDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
11 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
2h 29m 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 San Jose, CA to Fairmead, CA covers 119.5 miles and takes about 2h 29m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Pacheco Pass Highway, US 101, CA 85. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 59.7 miles from San Jose, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $27.47 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 demanding drive. With 18 significant decision points across 119.5 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North San Pedro Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (West Saint James Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from San Jose, CA to Fairmead, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from
OSRM
over
OpenStreetMap.
Fuel cost uses
EIA
weekly regional averages.
Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our
methodology page
documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
