Origin
Issaquah, WA
Late night in Issaquah on Tuesday
Local time
2:14 AM
PDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Issaquah, WA to Seattle, WA
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
24m
Distance
17.1 mi
28 km
Drive Score
5/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 22m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 26m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Issaquah, WA
JOHN CALLERY
Seattle, WA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Issaquah to Seattle is a quick, straightforward journey spanning 17.1 miles. You can comfortably complete this trip in about 24 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day excursion. Budgeting roughly $4 for fuel keeps your costs minimal for this short transit within the Pacific Coast region. The route relies heavily on major thoroughfares, specifically I-90, East Sunset Way, and Madison Street, to bridge the distance between the two cities. Since the entire trip takes less than half an hour, you won't need to worry about overnight lodging or complex logistics. It is a highly efficient connector that gets you from the suburbs to the heart of the city with ease.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 90 | 14.8 mi | 18m |
| East Sunset Way | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Madison Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 90
— 14.8 mi, about 18m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Issaquah, WA and Seattle, WA.
1
Start on East Sunset Way
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Sunset Way
Use the straight lane.
2
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 90 West
Use the left lane.
3
Merge onto I 90
15 mi
·
18 min
·
I 90
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Exit 2C
Toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, James Street, Madison Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, Madison Street, Convention Center
6
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
Toward Madison Street, Convention Place
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn left onto Madison Street
0.1 mi
·
35 sec
·
Madison Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
8
Turn left
31 ft
·
2 sec
9
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 17 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 90 West
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 90 West
8
15.7 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, James Street, Madison Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2C
Toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, J...
6
16.5 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, Madison Street, Convention Center
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 5 North: Vancouver British Columbia, M...
8
16.6 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Madison Street, Convention Place
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Madison Street, Convention Place
6
17 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
Madison Street
Turn left onto Madison Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.58 one way
$7.16 round trip
$5.32/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.58 | $3.75 | $7.51 |
| premium | $5.77 | $3.88 | $7.77 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.50 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Seattle, WA
Late night in Seattle on Tuesday
Local time
2:14 AM
PDT
Current temp
65°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
1 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
24m 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 drive is heavily highway-focused, with 86% of your time spent on major roads. You will settle into a consistent pace early on, as the route features a long, uninterrupted 14.8-mile stretch on I-90. While the transition from Issaquah toward Seattle feels like a standard interstate commute, the final approach shifts as you navigate off the highway and onto local streets like Madison Street. Expect a functional, direct experience rather than a winding scenic tour. The road feels predictable and well-traveled, allowing you to focus on the flow of traffic as you move from the outskirts into the urban center.
86% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.8 mi on I 90.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 90 and East Sunset Way. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 17.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Starting in Issaquah, WA
Full guide →Issaquah is a city of 40,000 people (2019) in King County in the Puget Sound region of Washington State. Its historic downtown is a popular base for hiking in the foothills of the Cascades.
Arriving in Seattle, WA
Full guide →Seattle, Washington sits at one of the most beautiful spots in the United States. Occupying a narrow isthmus between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, it is the biggest city in the Pacific Northwest, with 780,000 people in Seattle and over four million people in the metro area. Seen from above, carpets of evergreen trees, pristine blue waters, and snowy white mountains surround the downtown's metallic skyscrapers, earning the city its nickname The Emerald City. On the ground, you will find a vibrant and cosmopolitan city. Next to the progressive downtown and the freewheeling feel of Capitol Hill, you can find a laid-back atmosphere in the districts to the north and ethnically diverse neighborhoods to the south.
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 24m. Total distance: 17.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (86%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 14.8 miles on I 90. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Seattle, WA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
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: at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit 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 Seattle, WA 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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