Origin
Bowling Green, KY
Late night in Bowling Green on Sunday
Local time
2:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bowling Green, KY to Franklin, KY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
23.7 mi
38 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bowling Green, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Franklin, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick excursion in the Southeast, the 23.7-mile journey from Bowling Green to Franklin, Kentucky, is a straightforward local trip. You can expect to spend about 31 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal candidate for a half-day outing rather than a multi-day commitment. Since this route does not require any stops, you can easily complete the drive in a single day. Budgeting around $4 for fuel will cover your transit costs between these two Kentucky hubs. Because the entire path is confined to local roads, it offers a distinct change of pace from standard interstate travel.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 65 | 15.8 mi | 16m |
| Scottsville Road | 4.8 mi | 8m |
| East Cedar Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Broadway Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East 12th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Chestnut Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Rapids Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Water Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 65
— 15.8 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bowling Green, KY and Franklin, KY.
1
Start on this road
321 ft
·
25 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Chestnut Street
310 ft
·
15 sec
·
Chestnut Street
3
Turn left onto East 12th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
East 12th Avenue
4
Continue on Broadway Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Broadway Avenue
5
Continue on US 231 Business
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Scottsville Road
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
54 sec
7
Merge onto I 65
16 mi
·
16 min
·
I 65
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward KY 100: Scottsville, Franklin
9
Turn right onto KY 100
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Scottsville Road
10
Turn right onto KY 73
255 ft
·
9 sec
·
Rapids Road
11
Turn left onto KY 73
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Scottsville Road
12
Continue on KY 73
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East Cedar Street
13
Turn right onto North Water Street
99 ft
·
4 sec
·
North Water Street
14
Arrive at destination
North Water Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 23.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Chestnut Street
Turn right onto Chestnut Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East 12th Avenue
Turn left onto East 12th Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
20.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward KY 100: Scottsville, Franklin
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward KY 100: Scottsville, Franklin
4
21.6 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
KY 73 / Rapids Road
Turn right onto KY 73 / Rapids Road
Navigation decision point
4
23.6 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
North Water Street
Turn right onto North Water Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.71 one way
$7.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.07 | $8.14 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.56 | $9.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.23 | $10.47 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 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 | 7.1 | 0 | $2.49 | $1.14 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
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
Franklin, KY
Late night in Franklin on Sunday
Local time
2:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
73°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
1 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
31m 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 as you navigate away from Bowling Green. This route relies entirely on surface streets like Chestnut Street, East 12th Avenue, and Broadway Avenue, meaning you will not experience any highway driving. With a zero percent highway share, the trip demands your full attention as you transition through various local intersections. There is no single long, uninterrupted stretch to settle into, as the path remains technical and consistent throughout the 31-minute duration. You will find that the road’s personality is defined by its local, urban-to-rural connectivity rather than high-speed cruising.
67% 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: 15.8 mi on I 65.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 65 and Scottsville Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Chestnut Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 31m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Chestnut Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East 12th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 20.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
706 ft
528 ft
Total Climb
319 ft
Total Descent
141 ft
Highest Point
706 ft
~23.7 mi in
Elevation Range
178 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Bowling Green, KY
Full guide →Bowling Green is the third-largest city in Kentucky, with nearly 60,000 residents. Bowling Green is the hub of activity in the Caves and Lakes region.
Arriving in Franklin, KY
Full guide →Franklin is a city in Kentucky's Caves and Lakes region. In the mid-2000s, the community of Franklin was honored as one of the "50 Best Small Southern Towns."
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 31m. Total distance: 23.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (67%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 15.8 miles on I 65. 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Chestnut Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East 12th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 20.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Mammoth Cave National 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 Franklin, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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