Origin
Circleville, OH
Late night in Circleville on Tuesday
Local time
4:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Circleville, OH to Columbus, OH
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
41m
Distance
26 mi
42 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Circleville, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Columbus, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick commute or a straightforward excursion, the 26-mile trip from Circleville to Columbus is an ideal day trip. Expect to spend about 41 minutes behind the wheel as you transition from the smaller-town atmosphere of Circleville into the heart of Ohio’s capital. Budgeting roughly $4 for fuel makes this an incredibly economical drive for a single-day outing. Because the journey is short and direct, there is no need to plan for overnight stays or complex logistics. You will remain within the Midwest region for the entire duration, keeping the experience consistent and familiar. It is a practical, no-fuss route that gets you from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 23 | 16.2 mi | 21m |
| South High Street | 9 mi | 17m |
| West Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East State Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Court Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
US 23
— 16.2 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Circleville, OH and Columbus, OH.
1
Start on C-512
522 ft
·
27 sec
·
South Court Street
2
Turn left onto US 22; SR 56
0.2 mi
·
46 sec
·
West Main Street
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
Toward US23: Columbus
4
Merge onto US 23
16 mi
·
21 min
·
US 23
Use the straight lane.
5
Continue on US 23
9.0 mi
·
17 min
·
South High Street
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn right onto East State Street
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
East State Street
7
Continue on East State Street
106 ft
·
3 sec
·
East State Street
8
Turn right
88 ft
·
6 sec
9
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 25.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 22; SR 56 / West Main Street
Turn left onto US 22; SR 56 / West Main Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward US23: Columbus
Navigation decision point
Toward US23: Columbus
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 23
Merge onto US 23
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
25.8 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
East State Street
Turn right onto East State Street
Navigation decision point
3
25.9 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
East State Street
Continue onto East State Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.04 one way
$8.07 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.38 | $4.48 | $8.96 |
| premium | $4.91 | $5.02 | $10.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.74 | $11.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.8 | 0 | $2.73 | $1.25 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.64 | $1.66 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Columbus, OH
Late night in Columbus on Tuesday
Local time
4:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
41m 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 26-mile journey is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 62% of your time spent on major roads like US 23. You will face a longest uninterrupted stretch of 16.2 miles along US 23, which provides a steady pace before you transition into local traffic. As you approach the city, the route shifts from the open highway to South High Street and West Main Street. The transition from the faster-paced highway sections to the local streets of Columbus defines the character of this drive. Expect a utilitarian experience that emphasizes speed and directness over winding, scenic bypasses.
62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.2 mi on US 23.
How Hard Is This Drive?
2/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 23 and South High Street. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near US 22; SR 56 / West Main Street.
Driving Effort
2/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Circleville, OH to Columbus, OH is easy. At 41m with 62% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (US 22; SR 56 / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (US 23): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Circleville, OH
Full guide →Circleville is the county seat of Pickaway County and a city in the Miami - Scioto basins in south-central Ohio. It is located along the banks of the Scioto River. As of the 2020 Census, Circleville's population was 13,922 and is slowly increasing. It is located approximately halfway between Washington Court House (Court House, as the locals refer to it: designated as Washington CH on highway signs) and Lancaster on US 22, and about halfway between Columbus and Chillicothe on US 23.
Arriving in Columbus, OH
Full guide →Founded 1812
Columbus is the capital of the American state of Ohio and is located centrally within the state as the core of the Greater Columbus area. Sited in an area where the Rust Belt, Bible Belt, Appalachia, and the Farm Belt meet, Columbus is a fusion of many different parts of America. It is the home of the Ohio State University. The combination of Ohio Government and the Ohio State University has fueled amazing growth both financially and physically in Columbus. It has created a business and research environment that has provided substantial employment opportunities to the diverse ethnic and local graduates of the Ohio State University, and other academic institutions in Columbus. The Ohio Supercomputer Center (OSC), is projected to be one of the top 50 supercomputers in the world and among the top 10 supercomputing academic centers.
Top landmarks
- • Ohio Stadium — stadium in Columbus, Ohio, USA
- • Columbus Museum of Art — Museum in Columbus, Ohio, United States
- • Wexner Center for the Arts — center at Ohio State University
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 41m. Total distance: 26 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (62%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.2 miles on US 23. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.1 miles (US 22; SR 56 / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.7 miles (US 23): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Columbus, OH 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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