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Trip from Carmel, IN to Pittsboro, IN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

45m

Distance

31.7 mi

51 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 42m ★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 43m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States

Carmel, IN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Pittsboro, IN, IN

Pittsboro, IN

Jay Brand

Trip Overview

The drive from Carmel, IN to Pittsboro, IN covers 31.7 miles and takes about 45m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 465, East Main Street, Keystone Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.3 miles on I 465. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.91 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 465 15.3 mi 18m
East Main Street 6.3 mi 9m
Keystone Parkway 3.3 mi 5m
Crawfordsville Road 3.3 mi 4m
Dandy Trail 1.1 mi 2m
West 38th Street 1 mi 2m
North Maple Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 465 — 15.3 mi, about 18m

Traffic on I-465

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 108 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

5 PM

~5,086 veh/hr typical · worst 6,110

Quietest

2 AM

~448 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

11.4×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 91 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Carmel, IN and Pittsboro, IN.

1

Start on East Main Street

0.3 mi · 38 sec · East Main Street
2

Enter roundabout

37 ft · 2 sec
3

Continue

0.2 mi · 18 sec
4

Merge onto Keystone Parkway

3.3 mi · 5 min · Keystone Parkway
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Enter roundabout

137 ft · 7 sec
Toward I 465: South Keystone Avenue
6

Continue

0.3 mi · 32 sec
Toward I 465: South Keystone Avenue
7

Keep slight right at fork

380 ft · 9 sec
Toward I 465 West Use the slight right lane.
8

Continue on this road

0.4 mi · 55 sec · this road
9

Merge onto I 465

7.4 mi · 8 min · I 465
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight right at fork onto I 465

7.9 mi · 9 min · I 465
Toward I 465 South
11

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 48 sec
Exit 17 Toward 38th Street Use the slight right lane.
12

Keep slight right at fork

280 ft · 8 sec
Use the right lane.
13

Turn straight onto West 38th Street

1.0 mi · 2 min · West 38th Street
Use the left lane.
14

Continue on Dandy Trail

1.1 mi · 2 min · Dandy Trail
15

Turn right onto US 136

3.3 mi · 4 min · Crawfordsville Road
16

Continue on US 136

6.0 mi · 9 min · East Main Street
17

Turn right onto North Maple Street

44 ft · 1 sec · North Maple Street
18

Arrive at destination

North Maple Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

town in Hendricks County, Indiana, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Brownsburg, IN

16 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.

Pacing Suggestions

Brownsburg, IN

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 31.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Zionsville, IN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 15.8 miles from Carmel, IN, 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.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 20.2 — 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

Enter roundabout

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

5
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | Keystone Parkway

Merge onto Keystone Parkway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
8
4.1 mi into trip | ~6m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 465 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 465 West
7
19.8 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward 38th Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 17 Toward 38th Street
6
20.2 mi into trip | ~27m in

Keep slight right at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.91 one way

$9.83 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $5.39 $10.78
premium $4.93 $6.15 $12.30
diesel $5.60 $6.99 $13.98

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.5 0 $3.33 $1.52
Efficient EV 7.9 0 $2.77 $1.27
EV Truck/SUV 12.7 0 $4.44 $2.03

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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.

Forecast as of Aug 29, 2026

Origin

Carmel, IN

Afternoon in Carmel on Friday

Local time

1:18 PM

EDT

Current temp

59°F

Mostly Clear

ENE 2 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 11:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Destination

Pittsboro, IN

Afternoon in Pittsboro on Friday

Local time

1:18 PM

EDT

Current temp

59°F

Mostly Clear

ENE 3 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued August 28 at 8:36PM CDT until August 30 at 11:00AM CDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

45m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

31.7 mi in 45m — 59% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: I 465.

59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 15.3 mi on I 465.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 0.3 miles in.

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 12 decision points packed into just 31.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.5 miles (Keystone Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

940 ft 782 ft

Total Climb

277 ft

Total Descent

189 ft

Highest Point

940 ft

~31.7 mi in

Elevation Range

158 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Carmel, IN

Full guide →

Founded 1874

Carmel is a city of just over 100,000 people (2021) in the Nine-County Region of Indiana north of Indianapolis.

Arriving in Pittsboro, IN

Full guide →

Founded 1834

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 45m. Total distance: 31.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

45m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (59%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 15.3 miles on I 465. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Pittsboro, IN 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: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.5 miles (Keystone Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Pittsboro, IN 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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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