Origin
Bardstown, KY
Late night in Bardstown on Sunday
Local time
3:51 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bardstown, KY to Elizabethtown, KY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
25.5 mi
41 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 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bardstown, KY
Brady Wilson
Elizabethtown, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition between Bardstown and Elizabethtown, this 27-mile trek covers the distance in about 27 minutes. The journey keeps you entirely off the interstate, focusing instead on local roads like West Stephen Foster Avenue, Cathedral Manor, and New Haven Road. Because the total trip is so brief, it works perfectly as a straightforward day trip, requiring no overnight stays. You can expect to spend roughly $4 on fuel for the entire drive. Since both towns reside within the Southeast region of Kentucky, you will experience a consistent local atmosphere from start to finish.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bluegrass Parkway | 19.9 mi | 21m |
| North Mulberry Street | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| New Haven Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Cathedral Manor | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| West Stephen Foster Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| I 65 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| US 31E | <0.1 mi | — |
| Court Square | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Bluegrass Parkway
— 19.9 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bardstown, KY and Elizabethtown, KY.
1
Start on US 31E; US 62; US 150
22 ft
·
0 sec
·
Court Square
2
Continue on US 31E; US 62
38 ft
·
0 sec
·
US 31E; US 62
3
Turn slight right onto US 31E; US 62
0.3 mi
·
30 sec
·
West Stephen Foster Avenue
4
Keep slight left at fork onto West Stephen Foster Avenue
130 ft
·
4 sec
·
West Stephen Foster Avenue
5
Turn straight onto Cathedral Manor
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Cathedral Manor
6
Continue on US 31E
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
New Haven Road
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
8
Merge onto Bluegrass Parkway
20 mi
·
21 min
·
Bluegrass Parkway
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
10
Merge onto I 65
0.2 mi
·
14 sec
·
I 65
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 94
Toward US 62, KY 61: Elizabethtown
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
212 ft
·
7 sec
Toward US 62: Historic Downtown Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown
Use the left / right lanes.
13
Turn left onto US 62; KY 61
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
North Mulberry Street
14
Arrive at destination
US 62; KY 61
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 23.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Stephen Foster Avenue
Keep slight left at fork onto West Stephen Foster Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
3
2.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Bluegrass Parkway
Merge onto Bluegrass Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining
4
22.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
9
22.9 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward US 62, KY 61: Elizabethtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 94
Toward US 62, KY 61: Elizabethtown
9
23.2 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 62: Historic Downtown Elizabethtown, Elizabethtown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward US 62: Historic Downtown Elizabethtown,...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.99 one way
$7.97 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.38 | $8.75 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.91 | $9.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.63 | $11.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 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 | 7.6 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| Efficient EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.57 | $1.63 |
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
Elizabethtown, KY
Late night in Elizabethtown on Sunday
Local time
3:51 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
25 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
30m 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 rather than a monotonous highway cruise, as this route features zero percent highway travel. You will spend your time navigating local surface streets, which demands more focus than a typical interstate slog. Because the route relies on local connectors, there are no long, uninterrupted stretches of road to zone out on. The personality of this drive is defined by its winding, hands-on nature, making it feel less like a transit corridor and more like a deliberate connection between two Kentucky communities.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.9 mi on Bluegrass Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Bluegrass Parkway and North Mulberry Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near West Stephen Foster Avenue.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 6 decision points packed into just 25.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (West Stephen Foster Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 2.4 miles (Bluegrass Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 22.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Arriving in Elizabethtown, KY
Full guide →Elizabethtown is a small town in the Kentucky Derby Region. Abraham Lincoln's parents Thomas and Nancy had their daughter Sarah here in 1807 and then Abraham nearby at Sinking Spring Farm in 1809.
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 30m. Total distance: 25.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19.9 miles on Bluegrass Parkway. 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 Elizabethtown, KY 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (West Stephen Foster Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 2.4 miles (Bluegrass Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 22.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes — Abraham Lincoln Birthplace National Historical Park. 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 Elizabethtown, KY 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.
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