Origin
Hartford, VT
Late night in Hartford on Tuesday
Local time
4:06 AM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Hartford, VT to Chester, VT
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 1m
Distance
47 mi
76 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 56m
★
6 AM
1h 1m
8 AM
1h 11m
10 AM
1h 5m
12 PM
1h 4m
3 PM
1h 5m
5 PM
1h 11m
8 PM
0h 58m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Hartford, VT
Wikimedia Commons
Chester, VT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion through the Northeast, the 47-mile trek from Hartford to Chester, Vermont, is an efficient choice. You can comfortably complete this trip in about one hour and one minute, making it a perfect one-day journey that doesn't require an overnight stay. With a modest fuel budget of approximately $8, it is a cost-effective way to navigate between these two Vermont towns. The majority of your travel will be spent on major thoroughfares, keeping the navigation straightforward. Whether you are commuting or just looking for a change of scenery, this route offers a practical connection between these two locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 91 | 35.1 mi | 40m |
| Rockingham Road | 6.5 mi | 9m |
| Vermont Route 103 South | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Woodstock Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Main Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| V.A. Cutoff Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| TH 132 | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 91
— 35.1 mi, about 40m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Hartford, VT and Chester, VT.
1
Start on Christian Street
42 ft
·
3 sec
·
Christian Street
2
Continue on V.A. Cutoff Road
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
V.A. Cutoff Road
3
Turn right onto TH 132
144 ft
·
8 sec
·
TH 132
4
Turn right onto US 4
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Woodstock Road
5
Turn right onto US 5
0.5 mi
·
42 sec
·
North Main Street
6
Enter roundabout onto US 5
68 ft
·
1 sec
·
North Main Street
7
Continue on US 5
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
North Main Street
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
9
Merge onto I 91
35 mi
·
40 min
·
I 91
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 6
Toward US 5, VT 103: Rockingham, Bellows Falls
11
At end of road, turn left onto VT 103
6.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Rockingham Road
12
Continue on VT 103
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Vermont Route 103 South
13
Continue on VT 11; VT 103
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Main Street
14
Turn left onto VT 35
72 ft
·
2 sec
·
Grafton Street
15
Arrive at destination
VT 35
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
24 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 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 23.5 miles from Hartford, VT, 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 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 37.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 4 / Woodstock Road
Turn right onto US 4 / Woodstock Road
Navigation decision point
4
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 5 / North Main Street
Turn right onto US 5 / North Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
6
37.4 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward US 5, VT 103: Rockingham, Bellows Falls
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 6
Toward US 5, VT 103: Rockingham, Bellows Falls
5
37.6 mi into trip
|
~45m in
|
VT 103 / Rockingham Road
At end of road, turn left onto VT 103 / Rockingham Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.57 one way
$15.13 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
16 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $8.32 | $16.65 |
| premium | $4.86 | $9.00 | $18.00 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.38 | $20.75 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 14.1 | 0 | $4.94 | $2.26 |
| Efficient EV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.11 | $1.88 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.8 | 0 | $6.58 | $3.01 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 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.
Destination
Chester, VT
Late night in Chester on Tuesday
Local time
4:06 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
40°F
Springfield, VT
24 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
19 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 1m 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?
Expect a highway-focused experience, as roughly 80% of this drive is spent on high-speed roads. You will spend the bulk of your time on I-91, which accounts for the longest uninterrupted stretch of 35.1 miles. This interstate portion provides a consistent pace before you transition onto Rockingham Road and Vermont Route 103 South for the final leg of the trip. While the first portion of the drive offers the steady rhythm of the interstate, the shift to local Vermont routes adds a bit of variety to your time behind the wheel. It is a functional, efficient drive that prioritizes speed and directness over technical, winding backroads.
80% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 35.1 mi on I 91.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 91 and Rockingham Road. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near US 4 / Woodstock Road.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 1m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (US 4 / Woodstock Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 5 / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Navigation decision point.
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 Hartford, VT to Chester, VT, road signs begin pointing toward Bellows Falls along the way.
Bellows Falls
37.4 mi in
|
~44m
About the Cities
Starting in Hartford, VT
Full guide →White River Junction is a village on the Connecticut River in eastern Vermont. It is in the town of Hartford.
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 1m. Total distance: 47 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 1m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (80%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 35.1 miles on I 91. 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through VT can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (US 4 / Woodstock Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 5 / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles: Navigation decision point.
Yes — Marsh - Billings - Rockefeller 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 Chester, VT 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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