Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
7h 5m
Distance
368.4 mi
593 km
Drive Score
10/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$57
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Blue Springs, MO
卓浩 虞
Poplar Bluff, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Blue Springs, MO to Poplar Bluff, MO is 368.4 miles and takes about 7h 5m via Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and US 67, with a fuel budget near $58 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Missouri, moving from the Midwest region towards the southern part of the state. Expect a mix of highway driving and surface roads as you make your way south. With a recommended one-day drive, this route is manageable for a single push, but you'll want to factor in your two planned stops for breaks. It's a straightforward drive across the state for those looking to reach their destination efficiently.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
184.2 miles from Blue Springs, MO
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 28m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 131.6 mi | 2h 29m |
| US 67 | 113 mi | 2h 10m |
| U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway | 54.4 mi | 58m |
| Avenue of the Saints | 25.1 mi | 30m |
| Police Officer Steven Jarvis Memorial Highway | 18.3 mi | 19m |
| I 270 | 11.5 mi | 14m |
| North Westwood Boulevard | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| Sheriff Roger I. Wilson Memorial Highway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 20 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~2,319 veh/hr typical · worst 2,912
Quietest
1 AM
~234 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Blue Springs, MO and Poplar Bluff, MO.
Start on Southwest 15th Street
Turn right onto Northwest R D Mize Road
Turn left onto MO 7
Turn slight right onto MO 7
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 70
Continue on I 70; US 40
Keep slight left at fork onto I 70
Continue on I 70; US 40
Continue on I 70; US 40
Continue on I 70; US 40
Continue on I 70; US 40
Take the exit onto US 40
Merge onto I 64; US 40; US 61
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 270
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 55
Continue on I 55
Continue on I 55
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Enter roundabout onto US 67
Continue on US 67
Turn straight onto US 60 Business; US 67 Business
Continue on US 60 Business; US 67 Business
Continue on US 60 Business; US 67 Business
Turn left onto US 60 Business
Arrive at destination
Starting your drive from Blue Springs early in the morning will give you ample daylight to complete the 7-hour trip to Poplar Bluff. Plan for your two stops strategically, perhaps one mid-morning and another for lunch, to break up the 368.4 miles. The longest stretch without a stop is 131.6 miles, so ensure you're fueled up before embarking on that segment. Keep an eye on your fuel costs, estimated around $58, and be aware of the transition from highway to surface roads, which might require more attention. Since this is a one-day trip, you have flexibility in timing your departure and breaks.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 81 miles or 1h 29m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 184.2 miles or 3h 28m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 5h 54m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Poplar Bluff, MO than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Blue Springs, MO so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Blue Springs, MO
This is one driving day of about 368.4 miles and 7h 5m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
184 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 81 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 184.2 miles from Blue Springs, MO, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 131.6 miles.
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 1.4 and 228.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight right at fork toward I 70 East: Columbia
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Take the exit onto US 40 toward I 64 East, US 40 East, US 61 South: Chesterfield
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward I 270: Chicago, Memphis
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward I 270 South: Memphis
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 55, US 61, US 67: Saint Louis, Memphis, Lemay Ferry Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$57.12 one way
$114.23 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $62.63 | $125.26 |
| premium | $4.93 | $71.48 | $142.95 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $81.21 | $162.42 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$57
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$82–$107
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 128.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $39 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 110.5 | 1 | $38.68 | $17.68 |
| Efficient EV | 92.1 | 1 | $32.24 | $14.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 147.4 | 1 | $51.58 | $23.58 |
Gas CO2
129 kg
EV CO2
43 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Night in Blue Springs on Tuesday
Local time
11:33 PM
CDT
Current temp
67°F
Partly Cloudy
Destination
Night in Poplar Bluff on Tuesday
Local time
11:33 PM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Partly Cloudy
92°F
Chesterfield, MO
184 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Park
Gateway Arch National Park commemorates President Jefferson’s vision of a continental nation, the individuals and cultural groups who helped shape its history, St. Louis’ role in westward expansion, a...
National Historical Park
Established by 1750, Ste. Geneviève was the first permanent European settlement in Missouri. Early French Canadian settlers were drawn here by the rich agricultural land known as Le Grand Champ (the B...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
This drive has a 34% highway share, meaning a significant portion will be on surface roads. You'll cover 131.6 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway before transitioning. Be prepared for mixed driving conditions, shifting from higher-speed highway cruising to navigating local traffic on US 67 and U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway. The shift from highway to surface roads will be noticeable, requiring adjustments to your speed and awareness of more frequent intersections.
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 1.4 miles in.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 16 significant decision points across 368.4 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 191.1 miles (US 40): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 216.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
587 ft
Total Descent
1,198 ft
Highest Point
974 ft
Elevation Range
611 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Blue Springs, MO to Poplar Bluff, MO, road signs begin pointing toward Memphis along the way.
Memphis
Founded 1880
Poplar Bluff is a city in Southeast Missouri, just east of the Ozarks.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 7h 5m. Total distance: 368.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
7h 5m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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