Origin
San Lorenzo, CA
Afternoon in San Lorenzo on Friday
Local time
1:02 PM
PDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from San Lorenzo, CA to San Francisco, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
24.2 mi
39 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 31m
★
6 AM
0h 34m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 36m
12 PM
0h 35m
3 PM
0h 36m
5 PM
0h 39m
8 PM
0h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Lorenzo, CA
Tori Pezzulla❤️
San Francisco, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from San Lorenzo, CA to San Francisco, CA covers 24.2 miles and takes about 33m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Nimitz Freeway, Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Route 80 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.5 miles on Nimitz Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.56 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 24.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (63%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 33m highway drive covering 24.2 miles, with most of the trip on Nimitz Freeway and Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. The longest continuous stretch is about 13.5 miles on Nimitz Freeway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Nimitz Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 13.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Nimitz Freeway and Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1 miles in near I 880 / Nimitz Freeway.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 24.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.2 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 15 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Merge onto I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
12.2 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 880 / Nimitz Freeway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
14.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward I 80 Toll West: San Francisco, Bay Bridge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 46A
Toward I 80 Toll West: San Francisco, Bay Bridg...
5
15.5 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
8
22.8 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Nimitz Freeway | 13.5 mi | 16m |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| Route 80 | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Hesperian Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Octavia Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Market Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Central Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Paseo Grande | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Nimitz Freeway
— 13.5 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between San Lorenzo, CA and San Francisco, CA.
1
Start on Paseo Grande
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Paseo Grande
2
Turn right onto Hesperian Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
53 sec
·
Hesperian Boulevard
3
Turn left onto Lewelling Boulevard
384 ft
·
12 sec
·
Lewelling Boulevard
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
Toward I 880 North: Oakland
5
Merge onto I 880
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Nimitz Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto I 880
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Nimitz Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Exit 46A
Toward I 80 Toll West: San Francisco, Bay Bridge
8
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
37 sec
Use the slight left lane.
9
Keep slight right at fork
220 ft
·
3 sec
Toward I 80
10
Merge onto I 80
5.4 mi
·
8 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 80
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
Route 80
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
12
Continue on I 80
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Route 80
Exit 2A
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
13
Continue on I 80
0.4 mi
·
32 sec
·
Route 80
Exit 1A
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 1B
Toward US 101 North: Golden Gate Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Merge onto US 101
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Central Freeway
16
Continue on Octavia Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
Octavia Boulevard
Exit 434B
Toward Octavia Boulevard, Fell Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Market Street
Use the right lane.
18
Keep slight right at fork onto Market Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Market Street
19
Arrive at destination
Market Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.56 one way
$11.12 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $5.73 | $11.46 |
| premium | $6.18 | $5.89 | $11.77 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.34 | $10.69 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.54 | $1.16 |
| Efficient EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.12 | $0.97 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.7 | 0 | $3.39 | $1.55 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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.
Destination
San Francisco, CA
Afternoon in San Francisco on Friday
Local time
1:02 PM
PDT
Current temp
52°F
Clear
N 8 mph
0% chance
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
3 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
33m 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 Lorenzo, CA to San Francisco, CA covers 24.2 miles and takes about 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Nimitz Freeway, Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Route 80. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.1 miles from San Lorenzo, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.56 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 short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 24.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.2 miles (I 880 / Nimitz Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
The route from San Lorenzo, CA to San Francisco, CA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park, Rosie the Riveter WWII Home Front National Historical Park and Golden Gate National Recreation Area. There are 5 parks within detour distance of this route.
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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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