Origin
Clarkston, GA
Morning in Clarkston on Tuesday
Local time
6:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Clarkston, GA to Atlanta, GA
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
20m
Distance
12 mi
19 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 19m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Clarkston, GA
Vitaliy Mitrofanenko
Atlanta, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Clarkston, GA to Atlanta, GA is 12 miles and takes about 20m via Memorial Drive/Atlanta Bypass/East Ponce de Leon Avenue, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Southeast region and Georgia state, making it a convenient local journey. Expect a drive that focuses on navigating city streets and bypasses rather than open highway. Given its brief duration, this trip is ideal for a quick commute or an easy transition between two points without needing an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Memorial Drive | 9.3 mi | 15m |
| Atlanta Bypass / The Perimeter | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| East Ponce de Leon Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Church Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Capitol Avenue Southeast | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Mell Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Market Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Memorial Drive
— 9.3 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Clarkston, GA and Atlanta, GA.
1
Start on Market Street
54 ft
·
9 sec
·
Market Street
2
Turn left onto East Ponce de Leon Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ponce de Leon Avenue
3
Turn left onto Mell Avenue
143 ft
·
7 sec
·
Mell Avenue
4
Turn right onto Church Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Church Street
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward I 285 South
6
Merge onto I 285
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Atlanta Bypass / The Perimeter
7
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 41
Toward GA 10: Memorial Drive, Avondale Estates
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn right onto GA 10
9.3 mi
·
15 min
·
Memorial Drive
Use the straight lane.
9
Turn right onto Capitol Avenue Southeast
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Capitol Avenue Southeast
10
Arrive at destination
Capitol Avenue Southeast
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 11.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Church Street
Turn right onto Church Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward I 285 South
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Toward I 285 South
8
2.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the exit toward GA 10: Memorial Drive, Avondale Estates
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 41
Toward GA 10: Memorial Drive, Avondale Estates
4
2.6 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
GA 10 / Memorial Drive
Turn right onto GA 10 / Memorial Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
11.9 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
Capitol Avenue Southeast
Turn right onto Capitol Avenue Southeast
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.88 one way
$3.75 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.05 | $4.10 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.22 | $4.44 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.65 | $5.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.05 | $0.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Atlanta, GA
Morning in Atlanta on Tuesday
Local time
6:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°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
20m 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 drive is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with a 0% highway share. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.3 miles on Memorial Drive. This means you'll be frequently navigating traffic lights and intersections as you make your way through urban and suburban areas. The route involves a mix of surface streets and bypass roads, so be prepared for varying speed limits and potential slowdowns.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.3 mi on Memorial Drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near Church Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 20m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (Church Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Clarkston, GA to Atlanta, GA, road signs begin pointing toward Avondale Estates along the way.
Avondale Estates
2.1 mi in
|
~3m
About the Cities
Arriving in Atlanta, GA
Full guide →“The Big Peach” · Founded 1845
Atlanta is the vanguard of the New South, with the charm and elegance of the Old. It's a city that balances southern traditions with sleek modernism, and southern hospitality with three skylines and the world’s busiest airport. It's a city that has been burnt to the ground and built back up; seen the horrors of war; felt the pain of droughts and floods; and given birth to Martin Luther King, Jr., the greatest figure of the civil rights movement. Atlanta is the capital of the state of Georgia.
Top landmarks
- • Georgia State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of Georgia
- • Virginia-Highland — human settlement in Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
- • Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park — heritage site in Atlanta, Georgia, USA
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 20m. Total distance: 12 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.3 miles on Memorial Drive. 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 0.6 miles (Church Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park and Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Atlanta, GA 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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