Origin
Florence, KY
Late night in Florence on Sunday
Local time
3:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Florence, KY to Frankfort, KY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 20m
Distance
67.4 mi
108 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$11
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 14m
★
6 AM
1h 20m
8 AM
1h 33m
10 AM
1h 24m
12 PM
1h 23m
3 PM
1h 25m
5 PM
1h 32m
8 PM
1h 16m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Florence, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Frankfort, KY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Florence, KY to Frankfort, KY is 67.4 miles and takes about 1 hour 20 minutes via Frankfort Highway, I-71, and US 127, with a fuel budget near $11 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive primarily stays within Kentucky, moving from the Southeast region to another part of the Southeast. It's a manageable distance, making it a straightforward trip for a single day. You'll experience a mixed drive, offering a blend of highway speeds and local road navigation. Consider this route if you're looking for an efficient journey between these two points without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Frankfort Highway | 24.3 mi | 27m |
| I 71 | 21.7 mi | 23m |
| US 127 | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Warsaw Road | 7.7 mi | 9m |
| KY 2261 | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| US 42 | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| North Main Street | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Roland Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Frankfort Highway
— 24.3 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Florence, KY and Frankfort, KY.
1
Start on Main Street
28 ft
·
3 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn right onto US 42; US 127
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
US 42; US 127
Use the right lane.
3
Continue on US 42; US 127
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
US 42; US 127
4
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Toward I 71 South, I 75 South: Lexington, Louisville
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto I 71; I 75
6.9 mi
·
7 min
·
I 71; I 75
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit onto I 71
15 mi
·
16 min
·
I 71
Exit 173
Toward I 71 South: Louisville
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Exit 62
Toward US 127: Owenton, Glencoe
8
Turn left onto US 127
8.2 mi
·
9 min
·
US 127
9
At end of road, turn left onto US 127
7.7 mi
·
9 min
·
Warsaw Road
10
Continue on US 127; KY 227
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
Roland Avenue
11
Turn slight left onto US 127; KY 227
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
North Main Street
12
Turn right onto US 127
24 mi
·
27 min
·
Frankfort Highway
13
Continue on KY 2261
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
KY 2261
14
Continue on KY 420
435 ft
·
17 sec
·
Mero Street
15
Turn left onto Ann Street
468 ft
·
14 sec
·
Ann Street
16
Turn left onto West Clinton Street
243 ft
·
10 sec
·
West Clinton Street
17
Turn left onto Elk Alley
443 ft
·
19 sec
·
Elk Alley
18
Arrive at destination
Elk Alley
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
34 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 15 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 33.7 miles from Florence, KY, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 42; US 127
Turn right onto US 42; US 127
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn left toward I 71 South, I 75 South: Lexington, Louisville
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 71 South, I 75 South: Lexington, Louis...
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 71; I 75
Merge onto I 71; I 75
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
8.6 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 71
Take the exit onto I 71 toward I 71 South: Louisville
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 173
Toward I 71 South: Louisville
6
23.5 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward US 127: Owenton, Glencoe
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 62
Toward US 127: Owenton, Glencoe
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$10.54 one way
$21.07 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
24 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $11.57 | $23.14 |
| premium | $4.89 | $12.97 | $25.94 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $14.88 | $29.76 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 23.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 20.2 | 0 | $7.08 | $3.24 |
| Efficient EV | 16.9 | 0 | $5.90 | $2.70 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 27 | 0 | $9.44 | $4.31 |
Gas CO2
24 kg
EV CO2
8 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.
Destination
Frankfort, KY
Late night in Frankfort on Sunday
Local time
3:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
21 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 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 route offers a mixed drive, with 49% of it on highways. You'll encounter stretches that allow for steady progress, with the longest uninterrupted segment covering 24.3 miles on Frankfort Highway. The road character likely shifts as you transition between the interstate and US 127. Expect periods of higher speed driving on I-71, balanced by more local traffic and potentially slower speeds as you approach and enter Frankfort. This blend means you won't be stuck in monotonous highway driving for the entire trip.
49% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 24.3 mi on Frankfort Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 42; US 127.
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 1h 20m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 42; US 127): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.7 miles (I 71; I 75): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Florence, KY to Frankfort, KY, road signs begin pointing toward Glencoe along the way.
Glencoe
23.5 mi in
|
~26m
About the Cities
Starting in Florence, KY
Full guide →Florence is a city of 33,000 people (2019) in Kentucky's Northern Ohio River Region, near Cincinnati. Florence is well known in surrounding cities for a water tower visible from I-71/I-75 that reads "Florence Y'all".
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 20m. Total distance: 67.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (49%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 24.3 miles on Frankfort Highway. 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: near the start (US 42; US 127): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.7 miles (I 71; I 75): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Frankfort, KY 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Frankfort, KY
More trips to Frankfort, KY
Explore more options from Florence, KY or browse trips ending in Frankfort, KY.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse KY road trips.