Origin
Carmel, IN
Late night in Carmel on Tuesday
Local time
5:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carmel, IN to Riverwood, IN
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
28m
Distance
16.3 mi
26 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carmel, IN
Wikimedia Commons
Riverwood, IN
Siarhei Nester
Trip Overview
Carmel to Riverwood is 16.3 miles and takes about 28 minutes via IN-37, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within Indiana, a familiar Midwest setting. The drive offers a mixed terrain, suggesting you'll encounter both faster road sections and potentially some local street navigation. Given its short distance and duration, this route is ideal for a same-day excursion, allowing for plenty of flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| IN-37 | 6.4 mi | 8m |
| East 146th Street | 6.2 mi | 10m |
| Keystone Parkway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Riverwood Avenue | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| East 206th Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| East Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Lowes Way | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Miami Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
IN-37
— 6.4 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carmel, IN and Riverwood, IN.
1
Start on East Main Street
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
·
East Main Street
2
Enter roundabout
448 ft
·
25 sec
3
Continue
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
4
Merge onto Keystone Parkway
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Keystone Parkway
5
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
Toward East 146th Street
Use the slight right lane.
6
Turn straight onto Lowes Way
365 ft
·
10 sec
·
Lowes Way
7
Enter roundabout onto Lowes Way
81 ft
·
2 sec
·
Lowes Way
8
Continue on Lowes Way
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
Lowes Way
9
Turn right onto East 146th Street
6.2 mi
·
10 min
·
East 146th Street
Use the right lane.
10
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Use the left lane.
11
Merge onto SR 37
6.4 mi
·
8 min
·
IN-37
12
Turn left onto East 206th Street
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
East 206th Street
13
Turn sharp right onto Riverwood Avenue
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Riverwood Avenue
14
Turn right onto Riverwood Drive
284 ft
·
14 sec
·
Riverwood Drive
15
Turn left onto Miami Street
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Miami Street
16
Turn right onto Nappanee Drive
156 ft
·
6 sec
·
Nappanee Drive
17
Arrive at destination
Nappanee Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 15.3 — 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
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the exit toward East 146th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward East 146th Street
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Lowes Way
Enter roundabout onto Lowes Way
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
East 146th Street
Turn right onto East 146th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
15.3 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
Riverwood Avenue
Turn sharp right onto Riverwood Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.55 one way
$5.10 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.80 | $5.60 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.14 | $6.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.71 | $0.78 |
| Efficient EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.43 | $0.65 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Riverwood, IN
Late night in Riverwood on Tuesday
Local time
5:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
74°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
6 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
28m 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?
This route features a mixed drive profile, with 44% of it on highways. You'll experience a blend of road types, moving from more direct highway travel to potentially navigating local streets. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 6.4 miles on IN-37, offering a period of consistent forward momentum. Expect the character of the drive to shift as you transition between these different road types, requiring you to adjust your driving style accordingly.
44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.4 mi on IN-37.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 16.3 miles you will encounter 12 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (Lowes Way): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
About the Cities
Starting in Carmel, IN
Full guide →Carmel is a city of just over 100,000 people (2021) in the Nine-County Region of Indiana north of Indianapolis.
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 28m. Total distance: 16.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.4 miles on IN-37. 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 Riverwood, 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 1.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (Lowes Way): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Riverwood, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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