Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
2h 2m
Distance
98.3 mi
158 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$16
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Harrisburg, PA
Wikimedia Commons
Mountain Top, PA
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Harrisburg, PA to Mountain Top, PA covers 98.3 miles and takes about 2h 2m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on American Legion Memorial Highway, South Mountain Boulevard, Keystone Shortway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 83 miles on American Legion Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $16.42 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
49.1 miles from Harrisburg, PA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| American Legion Memorial Highway | 83 mi | 1h 36m |
| South Mountain Boulevard | 9.3 mi | 14m |
| Keystone Shortway | 2.4 mi | 2m |
| North Cameron Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North 7th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Maclay Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| North Hunter Highway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Chestnut Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 36 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~2,253 veh/hr typical · worst 2,677
Quietest
2 AM
~338 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
6.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 101 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Harrisburg, PA and Mountain Top, PA.
Start on North 7th Street
Enter roundabout onto North 7th Street
Continue on North 7th Street
Turn right onto Maclay Street
Turn left onto US 22
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 81; US 322
Keep slight left at fork onto I 81
Take the exit
Merge onto I 80
Take the exit
Turn left onto PA 309
Continue on PA 309
Turn right
Turn left onto North Main Street
Turn right onto Chestnut Street
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
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 22 miles or 28m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 49.1 miles or 1h in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 36m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Mountain Top, PA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Harrisburg, PA 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.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Harrisburg, PA
This is one driving day of about 98.3 miles and 2h 2m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
49 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 22 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 49.1 miles from Harrisburg, PA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before American Legion Memorial Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 83 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 and 85.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Enter roundabout onto North 7th Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Take the exit toward I 81 South, I 81 North, US 322 East: Carlisle, Hazleton, Allentown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward I 81 North, US 322 East: Hazleton, Allentown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto I 81 / American Legion Memorial Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I-80 East: Stroudsburg
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Regular Gas
$16.42 one way
$32.85 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $18.08 | $36.15 |
| premium | $5.01 | $19.40 | $38.79 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $21.67 | $43.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$16
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$41–$66
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 34.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $10 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 29.5 | 0 | $10.32 | $4.72 |
| Efficient EV | 24.6 | 0 | $8.60 | $3.93 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 39.3 | 0 | $13.76 | $6.29 |
Gas CO2
34 kg
EV CO2
12 kg (65% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Harrisburg on Friday
Local time
5:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°F
Sunny
Destination
Late night in Mountain Top on Friday
Local time
5:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
76°F
Sunny
78°F
East Franklin, PA
49 mi in
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
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.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by p...
National Monument
More than 7,800 children from 140 Tribes went to the Carlisle School from 1879 to 1918. The National Park Service will collaborate with families, affiliated Tribal Nations, the US Army, historians, an...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
98.3 mi in 2h 2m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
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 early in the drive near North 7th Street.
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 14 significant decision points across 98.3 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North 7th Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 1.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
2,093 ft
Total Descent
854 ft
Highest Point
1,733 ft
~77.2 mi in
Elevation Range
1,400 ft
Founded 1719
Harrisburg is the capital and 4th-largest metropolitan area of Pennsylvania, with a metro population of 592,000 people in 2020. Harrisburg is known as the host city of the Pennsylvania Farm Show, the largest free indoor agriculture exposition in the United States, the largest annual outdoor sports show in North America, an auto show, which features a large static display of new and classic cars, and Motorama, a two-day event consisting of a car show, motocross racing, and remote control car racing.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 2m. Total distance: 98.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 2m drive, comfortable solo distance.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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