Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
56m
Distance
33.6 mi
54 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bedford, NH
Wikimedia Commons
Barnstead, NH
Wikimedia Commons
Bedford, NH to Barnstead, NH is 33.6 miles and takes about 56 minutes via Suncook Valley Highway and Everett Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays entirely within New Hampshire, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a relatively short drive that is mostly on surface roads, making it a straightforward option for a quick local excursion. You'll spend a good portion of your time navigating local routes, so expect a relaxed pace rather than high-speed travel.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Suncook Valley Highway | 7.2 mi | 11m |
| Everett Turnpike | 6.9 mi | 8m |
| Suncook Valley Road | 6.1 mi | 9m |
| Pinewood Road | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| Hooksett Road | 2.2 mi | 4m |
| Boynton Street | 1.6 mi | 4m |
| Route 28 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| NH 101 | 1.1 mi | 2m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 7 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,592 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~166 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
27.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 75 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Bedford, NH and Barnstead, NH.
Start on Bedford Center Road
Turn left onto Meetinghouse Road
Turn left onto NH 101
Continue on Boynton Street
Turn slight right onto South Main Street
Continue on Granite Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 293; NH 3A
Keep slight right at fork onto I 93
Take the exit
Turn left onto Hackett Hill Road
Turn left onto NH 3A
Turn right onto Riverside Street
Turn left onto Main Street
Turn straight onto College Park Drive
Turn left onto US 3; NH 28
Continue on US 3; NH 28
Turn right onto NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Enter roundabout onto NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Continue on NH 28
Turn right onto Parade Road
Arrive at destination
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.
A short stop after about 33.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 16.8 miles from Bedford, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Meetinghouse Road
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto NH 101
Lane positioning matters here
Take the ramp
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Main Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto US 3; NH 28 / Hooksett Road
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$5.60 one way
$11.19 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.70 | $6.21 | $12.42 |
| premium | $5.07 | $6.70 | $13.40 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $7.41 | $14.81 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.46
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Tolls
$0
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.53 | $1.61 |
| Efficient EV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.94 | $1.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.4 | 0 | $4.70 | $2.15 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Bedford on Friday
Local time
7:30 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Partly Sunny
Destination
Morning in Barnstead on Friday
Local time
7:30 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°F
Partly Sunny
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
This drive is primarily on surface roads, with only 28% of the route on highways like the Everett Turnpike. The longest stretch on a single highway is 7.2 miles on the Suncook Valley Highway. You'll transition from the Turnpike onto Suncook Valley Road, so anticipate a shift from faster travel to more local cruising. Expect frequent intersections and changes in speed limits as you enter more developed areas.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Meetinghouse Road.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 33.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Meetinghouse Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (NH 101): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
517 ft
Total Descent
308 ft
Highest Point
539 ft
~31.2 mi in
Elevation Range
386 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Bedford, NH to Barnstead, NH, road signs begin pointing toward Hooksett along the way.
Hooksett
Founded 1750
Bedford is a city of 23,000 people (2020) in New Hampshire. It is a suburb of Manchester, New Hampshire's largest city.
Barnstead is in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 56m. Total distance: 33.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
56m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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