Havre to Whitehall is 288 miles and takes about 5 hours 1 minute via First Special Service Force Memorial Highway and US 87, with a fuel budget near $51 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Mountain West region, moving from one area of Montana to another. It's a solid, straightforward drive that's manageable in a single day. If you're looking for a direct route with minimal fuss, this one will get you where you need to go efficiently. Consider it for its practicality over scenic detours.
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
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
144 miles from Havre, MT
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 37m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
149.4 mi
2h 25m
US 87
107.3 mi
1h 58m
I 90
21.6 mi
21m
1st Street
3.1 mi
3m
3rd Street Northwest
1.4 mi
1m
Central Avenue West
1.3 mi
1m
Old Havre Highway
0.8 mi
1m
Smelter Avenue Northeast
0.5 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
— 149.4 mi, about 2h 25m
Traffic on I-15
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~467 veh/hr typical
· worst 567
Quietest
2 AM
~12 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
38.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 52 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 Havre, MT and Whitehall, MT.
1
Start on Montana Avenue
161 ft·11 sec·Montana Avenue
2
Turn left onto 5th Street
0.1 mi·39 sec·5th Street
3
Turn left onto 2nd Avenue
0.3 mi·1 min·2nd Avenue
4
Turn left onto US 2
3.1 mi·3 min·1st Street
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto US 87
107 mi·1 hr 58 min·US 87
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on US 87
297 ft·5 sec·15th Street Northeast
7
Turn right onto Old Havre Highway
0.8 mi·1 min·Old Havre Highway
8
Turn right onto Smelter Avenue Northeast
0.5 mi·42 sec·Smelter Avenue Northeast
9
Turn straight onto 3rd Street Northwest
1.4 mi·1 min·3rd Street Northwest
10
Turn right onto I 15 Business
1.3 mi·1 min·Central Avenue West
11
Turn sharp left
0.3 mi·34 sec
12
Merge onto I 15; US 89; MT 200
149 mi·2 hr 25 min·First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
13
Take the exit
0.7 mi·2 min
Exit 129Toward I 90 East: Billings
14
Merge onto I 90
22 mi·21 min·I 90
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi·35 sec
Toward MT 55: Whitehall, Dillon, Virginia City
16
Turn right onto MT 55
0.4 mi·44 sec·North Whitehall Street
17
Turn left onto West 1st Street
0.2 mi·37 sec·West 1st Street
18
Arrive at destination
East 1st Street
Trip Plan
Given the 5-hour duration, starting your drive in Havre in the morning is ideal to ensure you reach Whitehall with ample daylight. With only one recommended stop and a fuel cost around $51, this trip is easy to budget for. Pay attention to your fuel gauge, especially during the longer stretches on surface roads, as services might be more spread out. The flexibility of a single-day drive means you can adapt your timing based on traffic or weather conditions. Keep an eye on the road conditions as you approach the end of your drive in Whitehall.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 144 miles from Havre, MT, or about 2h 37m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 149.4 miles.
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 63 miles or 1h 11m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 144 miles or 2h 37m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 7m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Whitehall, MT than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Havre, MT 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 Havre, MT
This is one driving day of about 288 miles and 5h 1m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 63 miles from Havre, MT.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on First Special Service Force Memorial Highway for about 149.4 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 14
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 287.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.5 mi into trip|~2m in|US 2 / 1st Street
Turn left onto US 2 / 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.6 mi into trip|~5m in|US 87
Turn left onto US 87
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
115.1 mi into trip|~2h 9m in
Turn sharp left
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
5
264.8 mi into trip|~4h 35m in
Take the exit toward I 90 East: Billings
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 129
Toward I 90 East: Billings
5
287.1 mi into trip|~4h 59m in
Take the exit toward MT 55: Whitehall, Dillon, Virginia City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward MT 55: Whitehall, Dillon, Virginia City
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$50.63 one way
$101.25 round trip
$4.47/gal25.4 MPG avg101 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.67
$52.94
$105.88
premium
$4.99
$56.58
$113.16
diesel
$5.35
$60.66
$121.32
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$51
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$76–$101
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 100.8 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.
Driving Electric?
About $30 in charging
· 1 stop
· 66% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
86.4
1
$30.24
$13.82
Efficient EV
72
0
$25.20
$11.52
EV Truck/SUV
115.2
1
$40.32
$18.43
Gas CO2
101 kg
EV CO2
34 kg (66% 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Forecast as of May 30, 2026
Origin
Havre, MT
Afternoon
in Havre on Wednesday
Local time
12:58 PM
MDT
Current temp
76°F
Chance Rain Showers
NW 5 to 10 mph63% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued May 30 at 3:14AM MDT until June 1 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Great Falls MT
Flash Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch issued May 30 at 12:49AM MDT until May 31 at 12:00AM MDT by NWS Billings MT
Destination
Whitehall, MT
Afternoon
in Whitehall on Wednesday
Local time
12:58 PM
MDT
Current temp
48°F
Chance Rain Showers
NW 5 mph30% chanceLive forecast
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued May 30 at 3:14AM MDT until June 1 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Great Falls MT
Flash Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch issued May 30 at 12:49AM MDT until May 31 at 12:00AM MDT by NWS Billings MT
49°F
Cascade, MT
144 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
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
28 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
5h 1m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route is about 45% highway, meaning you'll spend a good portion of the 5 hours cruising on interstates. The longest continuous stretch on the First Special Service Force Memorial Highway is 149.4 miles. Expect a mix of high-speed travel and more rural, surface road driving as you transition between the main highways. You'll notice the pace change as you move from more developed highway sections to less trafficked roads.
45% 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: 149.4 mi on First Special Service Force Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
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 around 0.5 miles in near US 2 / 1st Street.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 5h 1m drive. You will face about 14 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (US 2 / 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (US 87): Lane positioning matters here; at 115.1 miles: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach.
Whitehall Township is a suburban township near Allentown in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania. The township is 64.1 miles (103.2 km) north of Philadelphia, the sixth-largest city in the United States, and 93.7 miles (150.8 km) west of New York City, the nation's largest city.
The longest stretch is about 149.4 miles on First Special Service Force Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 4 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through MT 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 0.5 miles (US 2 / 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles (US 87): Lane positioning matters here; at 115.1 miles: Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach.
Not recommended in a single day. At 5.0 hours each way, a round trip means 10.1 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Whitehall, MT before the return drive.
