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Trip from Carmel, IN to Riverwood, IN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

28m

Distance

16.3 mi

26 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
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.

Best Time
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city in Hamilton County, Indiana, United States

Carmel, IN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Riverwood, IN, IN

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 12

5 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

$2.41 one way

$4.81 round trip

$3.75/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.14 $2.66 $5.31
premium $4.72 $3.03 $6.05
diesel $4.80 $3.08 $6.16

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

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.

Forecast as of Jul 15, 2026

Origin

Carmel, IN

Morning in Carmel on Sunday

Local time

11:30 AM

EDT

Current temp

94°F

Sunny

WNW 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 15 at 9:25AM EDT until July 15 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 15 at 4:43AM EDT until July 15 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH

Destination

Riverwood, IN

Morning in Riverwood on Sunday

Local time

11:30 AM

EDT

Current temp

93°F

Sunny

W 3 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 15 at 9:25AM EDT until July 15 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 15 at 4:43AM EDT until July 15 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH

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

28m 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?

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.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

852 ft 757 ft

Total Climb

98 ft

Total Descent

176 ft

Highest Point

852 ft

Elevation Range

96 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 Riverwood, IN

Full guide →

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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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