Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 6, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
23 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
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
Townsend, MA
Phil Evenden
The drive from City of Lowell, MA to Townsend, MA covers 23 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Groton Road, Main Street, Lowell Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.2 miles on Groton Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.84 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Groton Road | 5.2 mi | 10m |
| Main Street | 4.6 mi | 9m |
| Lowell Road | 4.1 mi | 8m |
| South Road | 3.6 mi | 6m |
| Westford Street | 2 mi | 3m |
| US 3 | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Drum Hill Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Branch Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between City of Lowell, MA and Townsend, MA.
Start on this road
Turn right onto Middlesex Street
Continue on Branch Street
Turn left onto School Street
Turn right onto MA 3A
At end of road, turn left onto Westford Street
Continue on Drum Hill Road
Enter roundabout onto Drum Hill Rotary
Continue on Drum Hill Rotary
Take the ramp
Merge onto US 3
Take the exit
Turn right onto MA 40
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 40
Continue on MA 40
Turn right onto MA 119; MA 225
Keep slight right at fork onto MA 119
Continue on MA 111; MA 119
Continue on MA 111; MA 119
Continue on MA 119
Continue on MA 119
Continue on MA 119
Turn right onto Brookline Street
Continue on Brookline Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto Middlesex Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto School Street
Navigation decision point
At end of road, turn left onto Westford Street
Navigation decision point
Take the ramp toward US 3 North: Nashua New Hampshire
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MA 40: Westford, North Chelmsford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$3.84 one way
$7.67 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $4.22 | $8.45 |
| premium | $5.06 | $4.58 | $9.16 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $5.07 | $10.14 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.10 |
| Efficient EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.01 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.22 | $1.47 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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 Saturday
Local time
11:41 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Cloudy then Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Night in Townsend on Saturday
Local time
11:41 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Cloudy then Showers And Thunderstorms
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.
23 mi in 44m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Middlesex Street.
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 23 miles you will encounter 13 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): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (School Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (Westford Street): Navigation decision point.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
422 ft
Total Descent
207 ft
Highest Point
340 ft
~19.7 mi in
Elevation Range
244 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 Townsend, MA, road signs begin pointing toward Chelmsford along the way.
Chelmsford
Founded 1676
Townsend is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 9,000 (2020). Ashby is a town in Massachusetts with a population of 3,000 (2020).
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 23 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
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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