Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
22.3 mi
36 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Clarksburg, WV
Wikimedia Commons
Fairmont, WV
Wikimedia Commons
Connecting Clarksburg and Fairmont is a quick, straightforward journey covering 22.3 miles of West Virginia. Expect to spend about 28 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via the Senator Jennings Randolph Highway, Corridor D, and the Fairmont Gateway Connector. With a fuel budget of just $4, it is an incredibly economical route to manage. Since both cities are located within the Southeast region, you will remain in familiar territory throughout the entire drive. It is a practical commute that offers the flexibility to head out whenever your schedule permits.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Senator Jennings Randolph Highway | 16.1 mi | 17m |
| Corridor D | 3 mi | 4m |
| Fairmont Gateway Connector | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Jefferson Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Third Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Clarksburg, WV and Fairmont, WV.
Start on WV 20
Turn left onto South Third Street
Take the ramp
Merge onto US 50
Take the exit
Merge onto I 79
Take the exit
Turn left onto WV 273
Enter roundabout onto WV 273
Continue on WV 273
Enter roundabout onto WV 273
Continue on WV 273
Continue on Jefferson Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 21.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto South Third Street
Navigation decision point
Take the exit toward I 79 North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Take the exit toward WV 273 North: Downtown, Fairmont
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Enter roundabout onto WV 273 / Fairmont Gateway Connector
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Enter roundabout onto WV 273 / Fairmont Gateway Connector
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Regular Gas
$3.49 one way
$6.97 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $3.81 | $7.63 |
| premium | $4.70 | $4.13 | $8.25 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.92 | $9.85 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.34 | $1.07 |
| Efficient EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.95 | $0.89 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.12 | $1.43 |
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
Morning in Clarksburg on Sunday
Local time
7:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°F
Partly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Fairmont on Sunday
Local time
7:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°F
Partly Cloudy
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
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.
Prepare for a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous highway cruise. While you will spend 16.1 miles of the trip on the Senator Jennings Randolph Highway, the route maintains a 0% highway share, meaning you are navigating surface roads rather than controlled-access interstates. The personality of this drive is technical and winding, requiring you to navigate frequent turns as you transition between the two cities. You will not find long, uninterrupted stretches here, so keep your hands on the wheel and be ready for constant adjustments. It is a functional path that favors local connectivity over high-speed transit.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near South Third 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 22.3 miles you will encounter 8 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 0.3 miles (South Third Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 20.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
786 ft
Total Descent
788 ft
Highest Point
1,308 ft
~2.8 mi in
Elevation Range
382 ft
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.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 22.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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