Trip from Chattanooga, TN to Cookeville, TN

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

Drive Time

2h 4m

Distance

98 mi

158 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$15

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 27 min

4 AM

1h 56m ★

6 AM

2h 5m

8 AM

2h 23m

10 AM

2h 11m

12 PM

2h 9m

3 PM

2h 12m

5 PM

2h 22m

8 PM

1h 59m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly

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city in and county seat of Hamilton County, Tennessee, United States

Chattanooga, TN

Wikimedia Commons

Cookeville, TN

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

This 98-mile drive from Chattanooga, TN to Cookeville, TN is a straightforward, one-day trip, taking approximately 2 hours and 4 minutes to complete. With a fuel cost estimated at $15, it’s an economical option for exploring the Southeast region. The route primarily utilizes local roads, including Artillery Road, East Spring Street, and South Dixie Avenue, indicating a more hands-on driving experience rather than highway cruising. Given its short duration and lack of designated stops, this journey is perfectly suited for a single day, allowing for flexibility in your schedule. You'll be staying within Tennessee for the entire trip.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Midpoint

49 miles from Chattanooga, TN

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h into the drive .

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Artillery Road	44.4 mi	57m
US 27	20.6 mi	24m
TN 8	12.6 mi	17m
SR 111	11.5 mi	13m
TN 111	5.9 mi	6m
East Spring Street	1.8 mi	2m
West Martin Luther King Boulevard	0.2 mi	<1m
South Dixie Avenue	<0.1 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: Artillery Road — 44.4 mi, about 57m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Chattanooga, TN and Cookeville, TN.

Start on TN 8

0.2 mi · 31 sec · West Martin Luther King Boulevard

Use the straight / right lanes.

Take the ramp

0.7 mi · 1 min

Merge onto US 27

21 mi · 24 min · US 27

Keep slight left at fork onto TN 111

5.9 mi · 6 min · TN 111

Continue on SR 111

11 mi · 13 min · SR 111

Continue on TN 8; TN 111

13 mi · 17 min · TN 8; TN 111

Continue on SR 111

44 mi · 57 min · Artillery Road

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec

Keep slight left at fork

275 ft · 15 sec

Turn left onto US 70N

1.3 mi · 1 min · East Spring Street

Continue on US 70N

0.5 mi · 57 sec · East Spring Street

Turn right onto South Dixie Avenue

270 ft · 11 sec · South Dixie Avenue

Arrive at destination

South Dixie Avenue

Trip Plan

With a duration of just over two hours and a modest $15 fuel cost, this route offers great flexibility. You can leave Chattanooga at your leisure, perhaps after a relaxed breakfast. Since there are no long stretches and no specific stops recommended, you can easily adjust your pace. Keep an eye on Artillery Road, East Spring Street, and South Dixie Avenue for any local road construction or traffic patterns, as these are your main thoroughfares for the entire 98 miles. This short, direct drive means you arrive in Cookeville without feeling rushed, leaving plenty of your day for exploration.

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.

You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.

The halfway point lands around 49 miles from Chattanooga, TN, or about 1h into the drive.

The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 44.4 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 22 miles or 26m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 49 miles or 1h in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 1h 41m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Cookeville, TN than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

Open the route before leaving Chattanooga, TN 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 Chattanooga, TN

This is one driving day of about 98 miles and 2h 4m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 22 miles from Chattanooga, TN.

This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.

The longest stretch is on Artillery Road for about 44.4 miles.

Where to Stop

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

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Dunlap, TN

49 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

Soddy-Daisy, TN

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 22 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Dunlap, TN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 49 miles from Chattanooga, TN, 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.

Nearby Places

Restaurants, cafes, gas stations and more along your route.

Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery

4.9 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the start, right off the route

0.6 mi from route ~1 min detour

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Hours: 11 am–8 pm

+14237604333

Visit website

Renaissance Park

4.7 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the start, short detour

1.1 mi from route ~3 min detour

Chattanooga, Tennessee

Hours: 6 am–11 pm

+14236436096

Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 98 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

0 mi into trip | ~0m in | TN 8 / West Martin Luther King Boulevard

Depart onto TN 8 / West Martin Luther King Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

21.5 mi into trip | ~26m in | TN 111

Keep slight left at fork onto TN 111

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

96.1 mi into trip | ~2h 1m in

Keep slight left at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

96.2 mi into trip | ~2h 1m in | US 70N / East Spring Street

Turn left onto US 70N / East Spring Street

Navigation decision point

98 mi into trip | ~2h 4m in | South Dixie Avenue

Turn right onto South Dixie Avenue

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$15.32 one way

$30.64 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 34 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$4.36	$16.82	$33.64
premium	$4.89	$18.86	$37.72
diesel	$5.61	$21.64	$43.27

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$15

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$40–$65

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 34.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $10 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	29.4	$10.29	$4.70
Efficient EV	24.5	$8.58	$3.92
EV Truck/SUV	39.2	$13.72	$6.27

Gas CO2

34 kg

EV CO2

11 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 Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Chattanooga, TN

Evening in Chattanooga on Sunday

Local time

5:54 PM

EDT

Current temp

84°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Cookeville, TN

Afternoon in Cookeville on Sunday

Local time

4:54 PM

CDT

Current temp

50°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

75°F

Dunlap, TN

49 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

1 hour earlier

The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.

Temperature spread

34 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

2h 4m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 98-mile journey, as indicated by the 0% highway share. The route unfolds via Artillery Road, East Spring Street, and South Dixie Avenue, suggesting a consistent engagement with local traffic and intersections. Without long stretches of uninterrupted highway, the drive will likely feel more like navigating through communities rather than covering long distances rapidly. This character means you’ll need to stay attentive to road changes and local conditions throughout the 2-hour travel time.

52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.

13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.

Longest single stretch: 44.4 mi on Artillery Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near TN 8 / West Martin Luther King Boulevard.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 2h 4m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (TN 8 / West Martin Luther King Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 21.5 miles (TN 111): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 96.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

About the Cities

Starting in Chattanooga, TN

Full guide →

Chattanooga is the 4th largest city in Tennessee. It is the seat of Hamilton County. It is in Southeast Tennessee on the Tennessee River and near the border of Georgia. It was immortalized in the popular 1941 song "Chattanooga Choo Choo", made famous by Glenn Miller.

Arriving in Cookeville, TN

Full guide →

Cookeville is a small city in north central Tennessee and home of Tennessee Tech University. Cookeville is the largest city in the Upper Cumberland region of Tennessee.

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 2h 4m. Total distance: 98 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

2h 4m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (52%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 44.4 miles on Artillery Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Cookeville, TN 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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Explore More

Explore more options from Chattanooga, TN or browse trips ending in Cookeville, TN.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse TN road trips.

Trip from Chattanooga, TN to Cookeville, TN

Best Time to Leave

Trip Overview

Main Roads

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Trip Plan

Before You Leave

Where to Stop

Pacing Suggestions

Nearby Places

Chattanooga Whiskey Experimental Distillery

Renaissance Park

Heads-up: tricky spots

Fuel & Cost

Travel Intel

Chattanooga, TN

Cookeville, TN

1 hour earlier

34 degrees cooler at arrival

2h 4m on the road

What kind of drive is this?

How Hard Is This Drive?

About the Cities

Starting in Chattanooga, TN

Arriving in Cookeville, TN

Who Is This Route For?

Frequently Asked Questions

Which road carries most of the drive?

Is this a good trip with kids?

Where does this route get tricky?

Can I do this as a round trip in one go?

How this page is built

Explore More

Continue From Cookeville, TN

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