Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
7h 19m
Distance
370.9 mi
597 km
Drive Score
10/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$54
one way
EV Charging
Excellent
23 DC fast
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Grants, NM
Samir Smier
Lovington, NM
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Grants, NM to Lovington, NM covers 370.9 miles and takes about 7h 19m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 40 Business, 8th Street, East 2nd Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 132.9 miles on I 40 Business. At current regular gas prices, budget about $54.34 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
185.4 miles from Grants, NM
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 21m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 40 Business | 132.9 mi | 2h 18m |
| 8th Street | 91.9 mi | 1h 41m |
| East 2nd Street | 71.3 mi | 1h 44m |
| US Highway 285 | 27.4 mi | 31m |
| South Main Street | 19 mi | 21m |
| Oak Street | 14.5 mi | 17m |
| North Main Street | 4.9 mi | 8m |
| East Santa Fe Avenue | 2.5 mi | 3m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 86 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~2,312 veh/hr typical · worst 2,761
Quietest
2 AM
~281 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
8.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 102 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Grants, NM and Lovington, NM.
Start on San Jose Drive
Continue on San Jose Drive
Turn right onto 5th Street
Turn right onto I 40 Business; NM 122
Continue on I 40 Business; NM 122
Take the ramp onto I 40 Business
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn right onto US 285
Continue on US 60; US 285
Continue on US 54; US 60; US 285
Continue on US 285
Turn left onto East Country Club Road
Turn right onto CR 93
Turn left onto US 380
Turn right onto NM 206
Keep slight right at fork
Continue on US 82
Continue on US 82
Continue on US 82
Continue on US 82
Turn left onto NM 83
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 82 miles or 1h 27m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 185.4 miles or 3h 21m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 5h 58m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Lovington, NM than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Grants, NM so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Grants, NM
This is one driving day of about 370.9 miles and 7h 19m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
185 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.
A short stop after about 82 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 185.4 miles from Grants, NM, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before I 40 Business if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 132.9 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 136.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto 5th Street
Navigation decision point
Turn right onto I 40 Business; NM 122 / Historic Route 66
Navigation decision point
Take the ramp onto I 40 Business
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward US 285: Vaughn, Santa Fe
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Regular Gas
$54.34 one way
$108.67 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.13 | $60.32 | $120.64 |
| premium | $4.49 | $65.51 | $131.01 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $81.76 | $163.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$54
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$79–$104
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 129.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
EV Charging Along Route
23 DC fast chargers · Coverage: excellent
Avanya Plaza - Tesla Supercharger
Albuquerque, NM
24 DCFC
Milan, NM - Tesla Supercharger
Milan, NM
15 DCFC
Walmart 850 (Albuquerque, NM)
Albuquerque, NM
10 DCFC
Albuquerque, NM - Lang Avenue Northeast - Tesla Supercharger
Albuquerque, NM
8 DCFC
Kroger Smiths 443 (Albuquerque, NM)
Albuquerque, NM
6 DCFC
Albuquerque, NM - Tesla Supercharger
Albuquerque, NM
6 DCFC
Walmart 2652 (Grants, NM)
Grants, NM
4 DCFC
Flying J 689
Albuquerque, NM
4 DCFC
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $39 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 111.3 | 1 | $38.94 | $17.80 |
| Efficient EV | 92.7 | 1 | $32.45 | $14.84 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 148.4 | 1 | $51.93 | $23.74 |
Gas CO2
130 kg
EV CO2
43 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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 Grants on Friday
Local time
6:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
56°F
Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Lovington on Friday
Local time
6:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
72°F
Partly Cloudy
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Monument
Petroglyph National Monument protects one of the largest petroglyph sites in North America, featuring designs and symbols carved onto volcanic rocks by Native Americans and Spanish settlers 400 to 700...
National Monument
The richly diverse volcanic landscape of El Malpais (el-mal-pie-EES) offers solitude, recreation, and adventure. Explore incredible geologic features such as young lava flows, cinder cones, lava tubes...
National Monument
Imagine the refreshment of finding water after days of dusty travel. A reliable waterhole hidden at the base of a sandstone bluff made El Morro (the headland) a popular campsite for hundreds of years....
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
370.9 mi in 7h 19m — 43% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: I 40 Business.
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 around 0.2 miles in near 5th Street.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The route itself is not hard, but at 7h 19m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 12 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (I 40 Business; NM 122 / Historic Route 66): Navigation decision point; at 3.2 miles (I 40 Business): Lane positioning matters here.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
Total Climb
2,215 ft
Total Descent
4,758 ft
Highest Point
6,853 ft
~132.5 mi in
Elevation Range
3,174 ft
Notable High Points
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Grants, NM to Lovington, NM, road signs begin pointing toward Santa Fe along the way.
Santa Fe
Grants is a small town in western New Mexico, United States. It is one of the stops along the historic Route 66 highway west of Albuquerque, New Mexico's largest city.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 7h 19m. Total distance: 370.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
7h 19m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (43%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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, NREL for EV charging, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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