Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Carmel, IN to Smithfield, IN

Pin this trip

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

Drive Time

1h 18m

Distance

54.9 mi

88 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 19 min
4 AM
1h 12m ★
6 AM
1h 19m
8 AM
1h 31m
10 AM
1h 23m
12 PM
1h 22m
3 PM
1h 23m
5 PM
1h 30m
8 PM
1h 15m

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 Smithfield, IN, IN

Smithfield, IN

Candy Nogales

Trip Overview

The drive from Carmel, IN to Smithfield, IN covers 54.9 miles and takes about 1h 18m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 69, West 500 S, East 146th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 22.6 miles on I 69. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.51 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 69 22.6 mi 24m
West 500 S 9.4 mi 12m
East 146th Street 9.1 mi 15m
West 550 S 2.9 mi 3m
East Smithfield Pike 2.1 mi 4m
Campus Parkway 1.5 mi 2m
East Memorial Drive 1.2 mi 2m
West Commerce Road 1.1 mi 1m
Longest stretch: I 69 — 22.6 mi, about 24m

Traffic on I-69

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 20 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

4 PM

~2,253 veh/hr typical · worst 2,668

Quietest

2 AM

~228 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

9.9×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 104 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 Smithfield, 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

9.1 mi · 15 min · East 146th Street
Use the right lane.
10

Continue on Campus Parkway

1.5 mi · 2 min · Campus Parkway
11

Continue on Southeastern Parkway

278 ft · 7 sec · Southeastern Parkway
Use the straight lane.
12

Continue on Southeastern Parkway

0.1 mi · 12 sec · Southeastern Parkway
13

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 49 sec
Toward I 69 North: Fort Wayne Use the slight left lane.
14

Merge onto I 69

23 mi · 24 min · I 69
15

Take the exit onto SR 67

0.4 mi · 42 sec · SR 67
Exit 234 Toward SR 67 North: Anderson, Muncie
16

Turn right onto SR 67

1.1 mi · 1 min · West Commerce Road
17

Continue on SR 67

0.5 mi · 39 sec · West County Road 550 S
18

Continue on SR 67

2.9 mi · 3 min · West 550 S
19

Continue on SR 67

0.6 mi · 49 sec · South Bell Creek Road
20

Continue on SR 67

9.4 mi · 12 min · West 500 S
21

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Toward Memorial Drive
22

Turn left onto East Memorial Drive

1.2 mi · 2 min · East Memorial Drive
23

At end of road, turn right onto South 400 East

0.3 mi · 1 min · South 400 East
24

Turn left onto East Smithfield Pike

2.1 mi · 4 min · East Smithfield Pike
25

Continue on East 138 South

0.2 mi · 38 sec · East 138 South
26

Turn right onto South 625 East

0.2 mi · 33 sec · South 625 East
27

Turn right onto East Market Street

79 ft · 3 sec · East Market Street
28

Arrive at destination

East Market Street

Where to Stop

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

Downtown Fortville, IN, IN

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Fortville, IN

27 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

McCordsville, IN

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Anderson, IN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 27.4 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 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 35.8 — 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.
6
35.8 mi into trip | ~47m in | SR 67

Take the exit onto SR 67 toward SR 67 North: Anderson, Muncie

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 234 Toward SR 67 North: Anderson, Muncie

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.51 one way

$17.02 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 19 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $9.33 $18.67
premium $4.93 $10.65 $21.30
diesel $5.60 $12.10 $24.20

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 19.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 16.5 0 $5.76 $2.64
Efficient EV 13.7 0 $4.80 $2.20
EV Truck/SUV 22 0 $7.69 $3.51

Gas CO2

19 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (68% 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 Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Carmel, IN

Late night in Carmel on Friday

Local time

2:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

74°F

Clear

SW 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:38PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:26PM EDT until September 2 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Northern Indiana

Destination

Smithfield, IN

Late night in Smithfield on Friday

Local time

2:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°F

Clear

SW 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:38PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Indianapolis IN

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:26PM EDT until September 2 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Northern Indiana

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

1h 18m 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?

54.9 mi in 1h 18m — 46% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: I 69.

46% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.6 mi on I 69.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

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 7/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 54.9 miles you will encounter 14 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

982 ft 805 ft

Total Climb

191 ft

Total Descent

18 ft

Highest Point

982 ft

~54.9 mi in

Elevation Range

177 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Carmel, IN to Smithfield, IN, road signs begin pointing toward Muncie along the way.

Muncie

35.8 mi in | ~47m | via SR 67

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 Smithfield, 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 1h 18m. Total distance: 54.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 18m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 22.6 miles on I 69. 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 Smithfield, 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 Smithfield, 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From Smithfield, IN

Evansville, IN 234.6 mi · 4h 32m Hammond, IN 209.5 mi · 4h 6m

More from Carmel, IN

Bronx County, NY 746.9 mi · 14h 6m French Lick, IN 130.1 mi · 2h 39m Charlestown, IN 119.2 mi · 2h 22m Linton, IN 115.4 mi · 2h 26m New Haven, IN 113.4 mi · 2h 18m Rising Sun, IN 113.1 mi · 2h 28m

More trips to Smithfield, IN

Portage, IN 208.2 mi Gary, IN 202.8 mi Fishers, IN 48 mi
Escape planner: Carmel, IN Scenic drives in IN

Explore more options from Carmel, IN or browse trips ending in Smithfield, IN.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse IN road trips.