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Trip from Columbus, OH to Frankfort, OH

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 16m

Distance

51.7 mi

83 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$8

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 11m ★
6 AM
1h 17m
8 AM
1h 29m
10 AM
1h 21m
12 PM
1h 20m
3 PM
1h 21m
5 PM
1h 28m
8 PM
1h 13m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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capital city of Ohio, United States of America

Columbus, OH

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Frankfort, OH, OH

Frankfort, OH

Valentin Angel Fernandez

Trip Overview

This 51.7-mile drive from Columbus to Frankfort, Ohio, is an easy one-day trip, taking about 1 hour and 16 minutes. Primarily utilizing local roads like Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road and Harrisburg Pike, with a portion on I-71, it offers a straightforward journey within the Midwest region. With a projected fuel cost of $8, this route is an economical option for a quick excursion. The drive is characterized by frequent turns, suggesting a more local and perhaps less direct path than a pure interstate cruise. It's perfectly suited for a spontaneous outing or a planned short getaway.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road 16.9 mi 25m
I 71 12.3 mi 14m
Harrisburg Pike 10 mi 14m
High Street 5.3 mi 9m
US 35 2.6 mi 2m
North 2nd Street 1.8 mi 4m
East Columbus Street 0.7 mi 1m
Yankeetown Street 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road — 16.9 mi, about 25m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Columbus, OH and Frankfort, OH.

1

Start on this road

77 ft · 5 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto East State Street

0.1 mi · 26 sec · East State Street
3

Turn left onto South High Street

494 ft · 20 sec · South High Street
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto West Town Street

0.2 mi · 32 sec · West Town Street
5

At end of road, turn left onto Civic Center Drive

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Civic Center Drive
Use the straight lane.
6

Continue on South 2nd Street

0.1 mi · 29 sec · South 2nd Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Take the ramp

0.1 mi · 14 sec
8

Merge onto I 71

12 mi · 14 min · I 71
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 94 Toward US 62, SR 3: Harrisburg
10

Turn left onto US 62; SR 3

10.0 mi · 14 min · Harrisburg Pike
Use the straight lane.
11

Keep slight left at fork onto US 62; SR 3

0.7 mi · 1 min · East Columbus Street
12

Turn slight left onto SR 207

0.3 mi · 25 sec · Yankeetown Street
13

Continue on SR 207

17 mi · 25 min · Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road
14

Turn right onto SR 138

5.3 mi · 9 min · High Street
15

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 33 sec
16

Merge onto US 35

2.6 mi · 2 min · US 35
17

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 28 sec
18

Turn right onto Frankfort Clarksburg Pike

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Frankfort Clarksburg Pike
19

Continue on North 2nd Street

1.8 mi · 4 min · North 2nd Street
20

Turn left onto Springfield Street

281 ft · 7 sec · Springfield Street
21

Arrive at destination

Springfield Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Mount Sterling, OH, OH

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Mount Sterling, OH

26 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.

Pacing Suggestions

Grove City, OH

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Mount Sterling, OH

Meal break

The midpoint is around 25.8 miles from Columbus, OH, 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.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 13.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | South High Street

Turn left onto South High Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | West Town Street

Turn right onto West Town Street

Navigation decision point

7
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | Civic Center Drive

At end of road, turn left onto Civic Center Drive

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
5
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 71

Merge onto I 71

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
13.1 mi into trip | ~16m in

Take the exit toward US 62, SR 3: Harrisburg

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 94 Toward US 62, SR 3: Harrisburg

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.02 one way

$16.05 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 18 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.38 $8.91 $17.81
premium $4.91 $9.99 $19.98
diesel $5.61 $11.41 $22.83

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 18.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 15.5 0 $5.43 $2.48
Efficient EV 12.9 0 $4.52 $2.07
EV Truck/SUV 20.7 0 $7.24 $3.31

Gas CO2

18 kg

EV CO2

6 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Columbus, OH

Late night in Columbus on Sunday

Local time

4:01 AM

EDT

Current temp

67°F

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SW 12 mph 34% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 14 at 7:46PM EDT until April 14 at 8:30PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 14 at 7:45PM EDT until April 14 at 8:45PM EDT by NWS Wilmington OH

Destination

Frankfort, OH

Late night in Frankfort on Sunday

Local time

4:01 AM

EDT

Current temp

57°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

36°F

Mount Sterling, OH

26 mi in

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

10 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

1h 16m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a 'turn-heavy local drive' for this 51.7-mile journey, with only 29% of the route being highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 16.9 miles on Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road. This suggests a drive that winds through smaller communities and rural landscapes rather than a steady, high-speed interstate cruise. You'll likely experience varied road conditions and speeds as you transition between local routes and the brief section of I-71, making for an engaging driving experience.

Only 29% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.9 mi on Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. 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 South High Street.

Driving Effort 7/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 51.7 miles you will encounter 16 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 (South High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (West Town Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Civic Center Drive): Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Columbus, OH

Full guide →

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.

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 1h 16m. Total distance: 51.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 16m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 16.9 miles on Mount Sterling-Waterloo Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Frankfort, OH before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

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 (South High Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (West Town Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Civic Center Drive): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Frankfort, 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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