Rest Area
0 mi from route
Trip from Ceredo, WV to Fairmont, WV
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 6, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
3h 39m
Distance
196 mi
315 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$30
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
3h 27m
★
6 AM
3h 39m
8 AM
4h 4m
10 AM
3h 48m
12 PM
3h 46m
3 PM
3h 49m
5 PM
4h 3m
8 PM
3h 32m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ceredo, WV
Arturo Añez.
Fairmont, WV
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Ceredo, WV to Fairmont, WV is 196 miles and takes about 3h 39m via Senator Jennings Randolph Highway and I-64, with a fuel budget near $30 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within West Virginia, connecting the Southeast region from start to finish. Expect a drive that mostly utilizes surface roads, offering a more grounded experience of the state. With just one recommended stop and a straightforward path, it's a manageable drive for a single day.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
98 miles from Ceredo, WV
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 51m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Senator Jennings Randolph Highway | 135.1 mi | 2h 25m |
| I 64 | 51.6 mi | 57m |
| Waverly Road | 2.7 mi | 4m |
| I 77 | 1.5 mi | 1m |
| Fairmont Gateway Connector | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Adams Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| C Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Irl Duling Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Senator Jennings Randolph Highway
— 135.1 mi, about 2h 25m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ceredo, WV and Fairmont, WV.
1
Start on Main Street
17 ft
·
4 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn right onto US 60
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
C Street
3
Continue on US 60
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Waverly Road
4
Continue on US 60
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Auburn Road
5
Continue on US 60
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Adams Avenue
6
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
7
Merge onto US 52
0.5 mi
·
39 sec
·
Irl Duling Boulevard
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
9
Merge onto I 64
52 mi
·
57 min
·
I 64
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
30 sec
Toward I 77 North, I 79: Parkersburg
11
Merge onto I 77
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
I 77
12
Keep slight right at fork onto I 79
135 mi
·
2 hr 25 min
·
Senator Jennings Randolph Highway
Toward I 79 North: Clarksburg
13
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
54 sec
Toward WV 273 North: Downtown, Fairmont
14
Turn left onto WV 273
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Fairmont Gateway Connector
15
Enter roundabout onto WV 273
122 ft
·
2 sec
·
Fairmont Gateway Connector
16
Continue on WV 273
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Fairmont Gateway Connector
17
Enter roundabout onto WV 273
128 ft
·
3 sec
·
Fairmont Gateway Connector
18
Continue on WV 273
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Fairmont Gateway Connector
19
Continue on Jefferson Street
0.3 mi
·
57 sec
·
Jefferson Street
20
Arrive at destination
Jefferson Street
Trip Plan
Aim to depart Ceredo in the morning to make the most of the 3h 39m estimated drive time. Since this is a single-day trip covering 196 miles, you have flexibility with your schedule. The single recommended stop along the way is well-placed to break up the drive, but you can also decide to push through if you prefer. Keep an eye on your fuel levels, especially when transitioning from highway segments to the longer surface road portions, as gas stations might be less frequent. The estimated fuel cost is around $30, so plan accordingly.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 98 miles from Ceredo, WV, or about 1h 51m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 135.1 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 43 miles or 51m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 98 miles or 1h 51m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h 58m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Fairmont, WV than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Ceredo, WV so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Ceredo, WV
This is one driving day of about 196 miles and 3h 39m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 43 miles from Ceredo, WV.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on Senator Jennings Randolph Highway for about 135.1 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
98 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 43 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 98 miles from Ceredo, WV, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Senator Jennings Randolph Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 135.1 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Stops Along Your Drive
Picked by where they fit in your drive — first break, midpoint reset, final stretch.
Rest Area
0 mi from route
Rest Area
0 mi from route
Frametown Rest Area
0 mi from route
Frametown Rest Area
0 mi from route
Rest Area
0.1 mi from route
Rest Area
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
TA
0.1 mi from route
Rest Area
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.2 mi from route
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 195.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 60 / C Street
Turn right onto US 60 / C Street
Navigation decision point
5
57 mi into trip
|
~1h 7m in
Take the exit toward I 77 North, I 79: Parkersburg
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 77 North, I 79: Parkersburg
5
58.9 mi into trip
|
~1h 9m in
|
I 79 / Senator Jennings Randolph Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 79 / Senator Jennings Randolph Highway toward I 79 North: Clarksburg
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 79 North: Clarksburg
5
194 mi into trip
|
~3h 34m in
Take the exit toward WV 273 North: Downtown, Fairmont
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward WV 273 North: Downtown, Fairmont
5
195.5 mi into trip
|
~3h 37m in
|
WV 273 / Fairmont Gateway Connector
Enter roundabout onto WV 273 / Fairmont Gateway Connector
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$30.03 one way
$60.07 round trip
$3.89/gal
25.4 MPG avg
69 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.27 | $32.96 | $65.91 |
| premium | $4.64 | $35.78 | $71.56 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $43.20 | $86.41 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$30
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$55–$80
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 68.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $21 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 58.8 | 0 | $20.58 | $9.41 |
| Efficient EV | 49 | 0 | $17.15 | $7.84 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 78.4 | 0 | $27.44 | $12.54 |
Gas CO2
69 kg
EV CO2
23 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.
Origin
Ceredo, WV
Night in Ceredo on Saturday
Local time
9:44 PM
EDT
Current temp
70°F
Clear
W 1 mph
1% chance
Live forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:25AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:25AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV
Destination
Fairmont, WV
Night in Fairmont on Saturday
Local time
9:44 PM
EDT
Current temp
71°F
Partly Cloudy
SW 2 mph
14% chance
Live forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:25AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:25AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston WV
64°F
Spencer, WV
98 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
3h 39m 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.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Gauley River National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
The 25 miles of free-flowing Gauley River and the six miles of the Meadow River pass through scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide variety of natural and cultural features. The Gauley River cont...
27 mi from route
~67 min detour
Free
near mile 94.6
View on nps.gov
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is primarily surface roads, with only 27% of the drive on highways. You'll experience a significant stretch of 135.1 miles on Senator Jennings Randolph Highway before transitioning to other roads. Be prepared for more frequent turns and varying speed limits as you move between local routes. The majority of this drive will feel like cruising through communities rather than high-speed travel.
Only 27% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 135.1 mi on Senator Jennings Randolph Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 60 / C Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 196 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (US 60 / C Street): Navigation decision point; at 57 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 58.9 miles (I 79 / Senator Jennings Randolph Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,172 ft
550 ft
Total Climb
770 ft
Total Descent
330 ft
Highest Point
1,172 ft
~126.1 mi in
Elevation Range
622 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Ceredo, WV
Full guide →Founded 1857
Arriving in Fairmont, WV
Full guide →Fairmont, nicknamed the "Friendly City", is a city of 18,313 people (as of 2020) in West Virginia, and the county seat of Marion County (pop. 56,000). It was established in 1820 as Middletown, and changed in 1843 to Fairmont, short for "Fair Mountain". The city is located on the Monongahela River at its origin at the confluence of the Tygart Valley River flowing northwest from Grafton, and the West Fork River flowing north from Clarksburg. Fairmont claims to be the origin of the Pepperoni Roll, West Virginia's official state food. Mary Lou Retton — a gold-medalist gymnast in the 1984 Olympics, who was highly popular around the country and particularly in West Virginia — came from Fairmont.
Top landmarks
- • Fairmont Senior High School — high school in West Virginia, United States
- • Robert H. Mollohan-Jefferson Street Bridge — bridge in Fairmont, West Virginia, United States
- • Masonic Temple — commercial building in Fairmont, United States of America
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 3h 39m. Total distance: 196 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
3h 39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (27%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 135.1 miles on Senator Jennings Randolph Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 11 rest areas or service plazas 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.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through WV can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 60 / C Street): Navigation decision point; at 57 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 58.9 miles (I 79 / Senator Jennings Randolph Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes — Gauley River National Recreation Area. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Possible but tiring. At 3.7 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 7.3 hours — manageable with a long break at Fairmont, WV, but most travelers stay overnight.
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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