Origin
Auburn, ME
Late night in Auburn on Tuesday
Local time
5:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Auburn, ME to Bowdoinham, ME
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
36m
Distance
24.9 mi
40 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Auburn, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Bowdoinham, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion through the Northeast, this 24.9-mile connection between Auburn and Bowdoinham is a straightforward option. You can comfortably complete the journey in about 36 minutes, making it a perfect one-day trip that requires no overnight stay. Budgeting roughly $4 for fuel will cover your transit across these Maine communities. You will primarily navigate via Lisbon Street, I-295, and Lewiston Road to bridge the gap between these two locations. Because the trip is short and efficient, it offers plenty of flexibility for your schedule, whether you are heading out for a morning errand or an afternoon change of scenery.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lisbon Street | 10.9 mi | 14m |
| I 295 | 5.5 mi | 6m |
| Lewiston Road | 5.2 mi | 8m |
| Main Street | 1.2 mi | 3m |
| Canal Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Court Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| State Route 138 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Center Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Lisbon Street
— 10.9 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Auburn, ME and Bowdoinham, ME.
1
Start on US 202; ME 4; ME 11; ME 100
40 ft
·
4 sec
·
Minot Avenue
2
Turn right onto US 202; ME 11; ME 100
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
Court Street
3
Continue on US 202; ME 11; ME 100
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
Main Street
4
Turn sharp right onto ME 196
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Canal Street
5
Merge onto ME 196
11 mi
·
14 min
·
Lisbon Street
6
Continue on ME 196
5.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Lewiston Road
Use the straight lane.
7
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
Toward I 295 North: Augusta
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto I 295
5.5 mi
·
6 min
·
I 295
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
Exit 37
Toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
10
Turn right onto State Route 138
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
State Route 138
11
Continue on ME 125
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
12
Turn left onto Center Street
76 ft
·
2 sec
·
Center Street
13
Arrive at destination
Center Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 202; ME 11; ME 100 / Court Street
Turn right onto US 202; ME 11; ME 100 / Court Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
ME 196 / Canal Street
Turn sharp right onto ME 196 / Canal Street
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
5
17.5 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Turn left toward I 295 North: Augusta
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 295 North: Augusta
6
23.4 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Take the exit toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 37
Toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
4
23.7 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
State Route 138
Turn right onto State Route 138
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.01 one way
$8.02 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $4.41 | $8.82 |
| premium | $4.86 | $4.77 | $9.54 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.50 | $11.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 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 | 7.5 | 0 | $2.61 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.18 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.49 | $1.59 |
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
Bowdoinham, ME
Late night in Bowdoinham on Tuesday
Local time
5:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°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
16 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
36m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that transitions from urban streets to a more open highway environment. Roughly 23 miles of your trip, or 92% of the distance, is spent on highways, providing a significant contrast to the initial local navigation. Your longest uninterrupted stretch occurs during the 10.9 miles you will spend on Lisbon Street. As you move away from the city center and merge onto I-295, the character of the road shifts from stop-and-go local traffic to a more consistent pace. This mix of technical local roads and faster highway segments keeps the drive engaging without becoming overly monotonous.
Only 23% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.9 mi on Lisbon Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 202; ME 11; ME 100 / Court Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 24.9 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 202; ME 11; ME 100 / Court Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (ME 196 / Canal Street): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
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.
On the drive from Auburn, ME to Bowdoinham, ME, road signs begin pointing toward Bowdoin along the way.
Bowdoin
23.4 mi in
|
~32m
About the Cities
Starting in Auburn, ME
Full guide →Lewiston-Auburn is a city in Androscoggin County, in the central Maine region of Maine. The Androscoggin River divides the city into two separate municipalities: the east bank is Lewiston, with a population of about 39,000 (2016), and the west bank is Auburn, with about 23,000 people (2016). They are known locally as the "Twin Cities" or "L–A".
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 36m. Total distance: 24.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (23%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.9 miles on Lisbon Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 ME 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: near the start (US 202; ME 11; ME 100 / Court Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (ME 196 / Canal Street): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Frances Perkins National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Bowdoinham, ME 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Bowdoinham, ME
More trips to Bowdoinham, ME
Explore more options from Auburn, ME or browse trips ending in Bowdoinham, ME.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse ME road trips.