Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 9, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 54m
Distance
86.8 mi
140 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$15
one way
EV Charging
Excellent
9 DC fast
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
City of Lowell, MA
Phil Evenden
Belchertown, MA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from City of Lowell, MA to Belchertown, MA covers 86.8 miles and takes about 1h 54m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Massachusetts Turnpike, I 495, I 290 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 27.4 miles on Massachusetts Turnpike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $14.81 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
43.4 miles from City of Lowell, MA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 54m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Turnpike | 27.4 mi | 31m |
| I 495 | 23.4 mi | 27m |
| I 290 | 19.6 mi | 24m |
| South Liberty Street | 4.1 mi | 7m |
| North Washington Street | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| North Main Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Palmer Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Thorndike Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 164 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,556 veh/hr typical · worst 4,165
Quietest
2 AM
~239 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
14.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between City of Lowell, MA and Belchertown, MA.
Start on this road
Turn right onto Arch Street
Turn sharp left onto Middlesex Street
Turn right onto Grand Street
Turn right onto MA 110
Turn left onto Plain Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto Lowell Connector
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 495
Take the exit
Merge onto I 290
Take the exit
Turn left onto Oxford Street
At end of road, turn right onto MA 12
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 90
Keep slight left at fork onto I 90
Take the exit
Turn right onto MA 32
At end of road, turn right onto US 20
Continue on MA 181
Continue on MA 181
Turn left onto Palmer Street
Continue on Palmer Road
Turn right onto Bridge Street
Continue on Belchertown Street
Continue on South Liberty Street
Continue on North Washington Street
Turn straight onto MA 181
Arrive at destination
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.
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 19 miles or 24m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 43.4 miles or 54m 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 31m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Belchertown, MA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving City of Lowell, MA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Day 1
Settle into the route from City of Lowell, MA
This is one driving day of about 86.8 miles and 1h 54m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
43 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.
A short stop after about 19 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 43.4 miles from City of Lowell, MA, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 75.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn sharp left onto Middlesex Street
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Take the exit toward I 495 South, US 3 North: Worcester, Nashua New Hampshire
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 South: Worcester
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 90 / Massachusetts Turnpike
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MA 32: Palmer, Ware
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$14.81 one way
$29.62 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.77 | $16.29 | $32.57 |
| premium | $5.18 | $17.69 | $35.38 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $20.39 | $40.78 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.64
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$15
Tolls
$2
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$41–$66
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 30.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
EV Charging Along Route
9 DC fast chargers · Coverage: excellent
Lowell, MA - Tesla Supercharger
Lowell, MA
12 DCFC
Fairfield Inn - Tewksbury
Tewksbury, MA
10 DCFC
Farley White
Lowell, MA
6 DCFC
Walmart 2222 (Tewksbury, MA)
Tewksbury, MA
4 DCFC
Autel - Eco Auto
Tewksbury, MA
4 DCFC
Lowell Quick Mart
Lowell, MA
4 DCFC
Chelmsford Mobil Mart
Chelmsford, MA
2 DCFC
CHELMSFORD FORUM 2
Billerica, MA
1 DCFC
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $9 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 26 | 0 | $9.11 | $4.17 |
| Efficient EV | 21.7 | 0 | $7.60 | $3.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 34.7 | 0 | $12.15 | $5.56 |
Gas CO2
30 kg
EV CO2
10 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Night in City of Lowell on Wednesday
Local time
10:18 PM
EDT
Current temp
78°F
Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Night in Belchertown on Wednesday
Local time
10:18 PM
EDT
Current temp
78°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers
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
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
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.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Historical Park
Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation – including immigrant families and early female factory workers – into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes t...
National Scenic Trail
From the Sound to the summits: the New England Trail covers 235 miles from Long Island Sound across long ridges to scenic mountain summits in Connecticut and Massachusetts. The trail offers panoramic...
National Historical Park
At Minute Man National Historical Park the opening battle of the Revolution is brought to life as visitors explore the battlefields and structures associated with April 19, 1775, and witness the Ameri...
National Historical Park
Discover how one city could be the Cradle of Liberty, site of the first major battle of American Revolution, and home to many who espoused that freedom can be extended to all.
National Historical Park
Originally established in 1938 as the first National Historic Site in the United States, Salem Maritime National Historical Park consists of nine acres of land and twelve historic structures along the...
National Historical Park
From the sweet little farm at the foot of Penn’s Hill to the gentleman’s country estate at Peace field, Adams National Historical Park is the story of “heroes, statesmen, philosophers…and learned wome...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
86.8 mi in 1h 54m, mostly highway — 27.4 mi of that is on Massachusetts Turnpike.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Massachusetts Turnpike and I 495. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Middlesex Street.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 86.8 miles you will encounter 25 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 0.1 miles (Middlesex Street): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 2.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
954 ft
Total Descent
441 ft
Highest Point
792 ft
~68.2 mi in
Elevation Range
696 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from City of Lowell, MA to Belchertown, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Ware along the way.
Ware
Founded 1731
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 54m. Total distance: 86.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 54m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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, NREL for EV charging, NPS for national parks, 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
Recent Tips
·
Explore more options from City of Lowell, MA or browse trips ending in Belchertown, MA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MA road trips.
