Origin
Boston, MA
Late night in Boston on Tuesday
Local time
4:07 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Boston, MA to Carlisle, MA
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
42m
Distance
22.9 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Boston, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Carlisle, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 22.9-mile drive from Boston to Carlisle, Massachusetts, is a quick 42-minute journey perfect for a single day trip. Primarily utilizing the Yankee Division Highway and I-93, with a portion on Bedford Road, you'll find it's a local drive with plenty of turns. With a modest estimated fuel cost of $4, this route is designed for convenience. Since it's a short distance with no recommended stops, you can easily fit it into your schedule without needing an overnight stay, making it an ideal option for a straightforward excursion within the Northeast region.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Yankee Division Highway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| I 93 | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| Bedford Road | 2.3 mi | 5m |
| Cambridge Road | 2 mi | 2m |
| Cambridge Street | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| The Great Road | 1.8 mi | 4m |
| Carlisle Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Winthrop Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Yankee Division Highway
— 2.9 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Boston, MA and Carlisle, MA.
1
Start on Tremont Street
230 ft
·
11 sec
·
Tremont Street
2
Turn right onto Beacon Street
302 ft
·
11 sec
·
Beacon Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn right onto Somerset Street
340 ft
·
13 sec
·
Somerset Street
4
Turn left onto Ashburton Place
210 ft
·
7 sec
·
Ashburton Place
5
Keep slight right at fork onto Ashburton Place
253 ft
·
8 sec
·
Ashburton Place
6
Turn straight onto Bowdoin Street
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Bowdoin Street
7
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
439 ft
·
21 sec
·
Cambridge Street
Use the right lane.
8
Turn left onto Sudbury Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Sudbury Street
Use the left lane.
9
Take the ramp
1.1 mi
·
2 min
Toward I 93 North: Concord NH
10
Merge onto I 93
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
I 93
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 22
Toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington
Use the slight right lane.
12
Continue on MA 16
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Mystic Valley Parkway
13
Turn right onto MA 38
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Winthrop Street
Use the right lane.
14
Enter roundabout onto Winthrop Street
117 ft
·
2 sec
·
Winthrop Street
15
Continue on Winthrop Street
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Winthrop Street
16
Continue on MA 38
0.5 mi
·
46 sec
·
Main Street
17
Enter roundabout onto Bacon Street
94 ft
·
1 sec
·
Bacon Street
18
Continue on Bacon Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Bacon Street
19
Turn left onto Church Street
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
Church Street
20
Turn right onto US 3
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Cambridge Street
21
Continue on US 3
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Cambridge Road
22
Continue on US 3
0.6 mi
·
47 sec
·
Cambridge Street
23
Take the exit onto US 3
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
US 3
Toward I 95 South, US 3 North: Waltham, Lowell
24
Merge onto I 95; US 3; MA 128
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Yankee Division Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
25
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 49B
Toward MA 4 North, MA 225 West: Bedford
Use the slight right lane.
26
Turn straight onto MA 4; MA 225
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Bedford Street
27
Continue on MA 4; MA 225
1.8 mi
·
4 min
·
The Great Road
Use the right lane.
28
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 4; MA 225
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
North Road
29
Turn left onto MA 225
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Carlisle Road
30
Continue on MA 225
2.3 mi
·
5 min
·
Bedford Road
31
Enter roundabout onto MA 225
76 ft
·
3 sec
·
Westford Road
32
Continue on MA 225
71 ft
·
2 sec
·
Westford Road
33
Arrive at destination
MA 225
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 205 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Beacon Street
Turn right onto Beacon Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Cambridge Street
Turn right onto Cambridge Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Sudbury Street
Turn left onto Sudbury Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
8
4.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlington
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 22
Toward MA 16 West: Mystic Valley Parkway, Arlin...
8
15.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward MA 4 North, MA 225 West: Bedford
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 49B
Toward MA 4 North, MA 225 West: Bedford
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.66 one way
$7.33 round trip
$4.07/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $4.00 | $7.99 |
| premium | $4.82 | $4.35 | $8.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.06 | $10.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| Efficient EV | 5.7 | 0 | $2.00 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Carlisle, MA
Late night in Carlisle on Tuesday
Local time
4:07 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°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
19 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
42m 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" for this route, with only 18% of the journey on highways. While the longest uninterrupted stretch is 2.9 miles on the Yankee Division Highway, the overall character involves navigating various local roads. The route isn't a monotonous interstate cruise; instead, it offers a more engaged driving experience with frequent changes in direction as you transition between main roads like I-93 and Bedford Road. This profile means you'll likely be adjusting your speed and steering more often than on a typical highway-only trip.
Only 18% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
33 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.9 mi on Yankee Division Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
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 Beacon Street.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 20 decision points packed into just 22.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Beacon Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Cambridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Sudbury Street): 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.
Between Boston, MA and Carlisle, MA, road signs point toward Arlington and Lowell.
Arlington
4.6 mi in
|
~8m
Lowell
12.7 mi in
|
~21m
|
via US 3
About the Cities
Starting in Boston, MA
Full guide →A city of history and tradition, Boston offers a proud legacy of culture, education, and numerous sporting championships. The "shining city on a hill"s independent spirit has been displayed to the world ever since colonists were angry over a British tax on their beloved tea and dumped shiploads of it into the harbor in protest. In the early 1600s, the peninsula in Massachusetts that would become known as Boston was controlled by Native Americans until John Smith (English soldier, explorer, colonial governor, Admiral of New England, and author) named the area New England to attract European settlers. Boston was founded in 1630 by John Winthrop, making it one of the oldest cities in the U.S. No other American city has made more of an effort to preserve its history, and you'll find buildings that pre-date the republic dotted throughout the region.
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 42m. Total distance: 22.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2.9 miles on Yankee Division Highway. 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 Carlisle, MA 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: near the start (Beacon Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Cambridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.4 miles (Sudbury Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Minute Man National Historical Park and Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (6 total within detour distance). 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 Carlisle, MA 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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