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Trip from Elsmere, DE to Smyrna, DE

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

47m

Distance

36.2 mi

58 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m

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

Best Time
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town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States

Elsmere, DE

Wikimedia Commons

town in Delaware, United States

Smyrna, DE

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Elsmere, DE to Smyrna, DE is 36.2 miles and takes about 47m via Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Delaware Turnpike, and South Dupont Parkway, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Delaware, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a relatively short trip, mostly on surface roads, making it a straightforward option for a quick local excursion or a segment of a larger trip. You'll find it's a practical route for getting between these two points with minimal fuss.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway 26.2 mi 30m
Delaware Turnpike 2 mi 2m
South Dupont Parkway 1.3 mi 2m
South Dupont Road 0.8 mi 1m
East Newport Pike 0.8 mi 1m
North Maryland Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
North Dupont Boulevard 0.6 mi 1m
Robert Kirkwood Highway 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway — 26.2 mi, about 30m

Traffic on I-95

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 124 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

3 PM

~5,360 veh/hr typical · worst 6,659

Quietest

1 AM

~551 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

9.7×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 95 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elsmere, DE and Smyrna, DE.

1

Start on DE 2

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Robert Kirkwood Highway
2

Turn right onto DE 100

0.8 mi · 1 min · South Dupont Road
3

Turn right onto DE 4

0.7 mi · 1 min · North Maryland Avenue
4

Continue on DE 4

0.8 mi · 1 min · East Newport Pike
5

Continue on DE 4

0.3 mi · 40 sec · East Justis Street
Use the straight lane.
6

Turn left onto North James Street

338 ft · 13 sec · North James Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
7

Turn left onto DE 4

94 ft · 1 sec · East Market Street
8

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Toward DE 141 South: New Castle Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto DE 141

0.3 mi · 28 sec · DE 141
10

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 3B Toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore Use the slight right lane.
11

Merge onto I 95

2.0 mi · 2 min · Delaware Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
12

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 40 sec
Exit 4A Toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover, Beaches Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 58 sec
Toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches
14

Merge onto DE 1

10 mi · 12 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
15

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

0.3 mi · 19 sec · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

16 mi · 18 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
17

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Toward US 13: Rest Area
18

Turn left onto US 13

1.3 mi · 2 min · South Dupont Parkway
19

Continue on US 13

0.6 mi · 1 min · North Dupont Boulevard
20

Turn right onto East South Street

0.1 mi · 22 sec · East South Street
21

Arrive at destination

East South Street

Where to Stop

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

census-designated place in Delaware, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Bear, DE

18 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

Cheswold, DE

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Bear, DE

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.1 miles from Elsmere, DE, 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 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.9 and 6.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
2.9 mi into trip | ~5m in | North James Street

Turn left onto North James Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
6
3 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the ramp toward DE 141 South: New Castle

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward DE 141 South: New Castle
8
3.5 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 3B Toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore
8
6.3 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover, Beaches

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 4A Toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover...
6
6.8 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.05 one way

$12.10 round trip

$4.24/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.67 $6.66 $13.31
premium $5.01 $7.14 $14.29
diesel $5.60 $7.98 $15.96

Estimated Tolls: $0.14

Delaware Turnpike (2 mi) $0.14

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$0

Total

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.9 0 $3.80 $1.74
Efficient EV 9.1 0 $3.17 $1.45
EV Truck/SUV 14.5 0 $5.07 $2.32

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (69% 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 Sep 1, 2026

Origin

Elsmere, DE

Afternoon in Elsmere on Thursday

Local time

4:40 PM

EDT

Current temp

91°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

W 5 mph 25% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:15PM EDT until September 1 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Smyrna, DE

Afternoon in Smyrna on Thursday

Local time

4:40 PM

EDT

Current temp

92°F

Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SW 5 mph 20% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 1 at 3:15PM EDT until September 1 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

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

1 degrees warmer at arrival

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

Road read

47m 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?

This route features a 10% highway share, meaning most of your driving will be on surface roads. The longest continuous stretch on a main highway is 26.2 miles on the Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, which is part of the Delaware Turnpike. Expect to transition from highway driving to more local streets as you get closer to Smyrna. The prevalence of surface roads suggests you'll encounter more intersections and varying speed limits.

Only 10% 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: 26.2 mi on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 2.9 miles in near North James Street.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 36.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 47m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.9 miles (North James Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

100 ft 13 ft

Total Climb

133 ft

Total Descent

200 ft

Highest Point

100 ft

~10.5 mi in

Elevation Range

87 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Elsmere, DE and Smyrna, DE, road signs point toward Baltimore, Dover and Beaches.

Baltimore

3.5 mi in | ~6m

Dover

6.3 mi in | ~10m

Beaches

6.3 mi in | ~10m

About the Cities

Starting in Elsmere, DE

Full guide →

Founded 1909

Arriving in Smyrna, DE

Full guide →

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 47m. Total distance: 36.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

47m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 26.2 miles on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.14 in tolls one way, starting with Delaware Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 Smyrna, DE 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 2.9 miles (North James Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — First State National Historical Park. 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 Smyrna, DE 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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