Origin
Amherst, NH
Morning in Amherst on Tuesday
Local time
6:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Amherst, NH to Salem, NH
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
33.8 mi
54 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Amherst, NH
Mohan Nannapaneni
Salem, NH
Banx Photography
Trip Overview
Amherst to Salem is 33.8 miles and takes about 50 minutes via NH 101, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, same-day trip primarily within New Hampshire's Northeast region. The drive offers a mixed experience, with a significant portion on highways. It's a quick journey, suitable for when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently without a major time commitment. Consider this route for its directness rather than extensive scenic detours.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NH 101 | 13.8 mi | 20m |
| Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway | 10.8 mi | 12m |
| Alan B Shepard Highway | 3.2 mi | 3m |
| Main Street | 2.1 mi | 5m |
| Alan B Shepard Jr Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| I 293 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Amherst Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Pelham Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
NH 101
— 13.8 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Amherst, NH and Salem, NH.
1
Start on NH 122
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Amherst Street
2
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
3
Merge onto NH 101
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
NH 101
4
Continue on NH 101
6.3 mi
·
10 min
·
NH 101
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Take the exit onto NH 101
4.7 mi
·
6 min
·
NH 101
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston
7
Continue on I 293
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
I 293
8
Merge onto I 93
3.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Alan B Shepard Highway
9
Continue on I 93
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Alan B Shepard Jr Highway
10
Continue on I 93
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway
Use the straight lane.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Exit 2
Toward Pelham, Salem
12
Keep slight left at fork
321 ft
·
9 sec
13
Turn left onto Pelham Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Pelham Road
Use the straight lane.
14
Continue on Main Street
2.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Main Street
15
Turn right
113 ft
·
8 sec
16
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 33.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.9 miles from Amherst, NH, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 14.9 and 33.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
14.9 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston
6
30.8 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Take the exit toward Pelham, Salem
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 2
Toward Pelham, Salem
4
31.2 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
4
31.2 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
Pelham Road
Turn left onto Pelham Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
33.7 mi into trip
|
~49m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.44 one way
$10.88 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $5.99 | $11.97 |
| premium | $4.86 | $6.47 | $12.95 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.46 | $14.93 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.55 | $1.62 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.96 | $1.35 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.5 | 0 | $4.73 | $2.16 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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
Salem, NH
Morning in Salem on Tuesday
Local time
6:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°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
1 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
50m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is characterized by a mixed drive, with 43% of it utilizing highways like NH 101, also known as the Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway. You'll experience stretches of faster-paced driving, interspersed with other road types. The longest uninterrupted segment on NH 101 measures 13.8 miles, offering a chance to settle into a steady pace. As you travel, the character of the road will shift, providing a varied driving experience that isn't solely highway-focused.
43% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.8 mi on NH 101.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 14.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 33.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 50m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 14.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Amherst, NH and Salem, NH, road signs point toward Boston and Pelham.
Boston
14.9 mi in
|
~23m
Pelham
30.8 mi in
|
~42m
About the Cities
Arriving in Salem, NH
Full guide →Salem is a city in New Hampshire.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 50m. Total distance: 33.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (43%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.8 miles on NH 101. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Salem, NH before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NH can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 14.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 30.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Salem, NH before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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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