Origin
Scotts Valley, CA
Late night in Scotts Valley on Friday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
26.3 mi
42 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Scotts Valley, CA
Wikimedia Commons
San Jose, CA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA covers 26.3 miles and takes about 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Granite Creek Road, Santa Cruz Highway, I 280 South for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.04 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 26.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m 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 31m drive with frequent turns across 26.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Granite Creek Road is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA is easy. At 31m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Granite Creek Road | — | — |
| Santa Cruz Highway | — | — |
| I 280 South | — | — |
| Sinclair Freeway | — | — |
| CA 87 North | — | — |
| Julian Street | — | — |
| West Saint James Street | — | — |
| North Market Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Granite Creek Road
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Scotts Valley, CA and San Jose, CA.
1
Start on Scotts Valley Drive
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Scotts Valley Drive
2
Turn right onto Granite Creek Road
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Granite Creek Road
3
Take the ramp left
0.2 mi
·
11 sec
4
Merge slight left onto Santa Cruz Highway
20 mi
·
27 min
·
Santa Cruz Highway
5
Take the exit slight right toward I 280 South: Downtown San Jose
0.6 mi
·
51 sec
·
I 280 South: Downtown San Jose
6
Merge slight left onto Sinclair Freeway
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Sinclair Freeway
7
Take the exit slight right toward CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
CA 87 North, CA 87 South: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
8
Keep slight left to continue on CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
CA 87 North: San Jose International Airport, Guadalupe Parkway
9
Keep slight left to continue on CA 87 North
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
CA 87 North
10
Keep slight right to continue on Julian Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Julian Street
11
Turn right onto West Saint James Street
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
West Saint James Street
12
Turn left onto North Market Street
417 ft
·
9 sec
·
North Market Street
13
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.04 one way
$12.09 round trip
$5.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $6.02 | $6.23 | $12.46 |
| premium | $6.18 | $6.40 | $12.79 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.81 | $11.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.30 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.68 | $1.68 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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.
Destination
San Jose, CA
Late night in San Jose on Friday
Local time
3:38 AM
PDT
Current temp
44°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
18 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
31m 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 Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA covers 26.3 miles and takes about 31m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Granite Creek Road, Santa Cruz Highway, I 280 South. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.2 miles from Scotts Valley, CA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.04 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.
The drive from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA is easy. At 31m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, CA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Scotts Valley, CA to San Jose, 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.
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