Origin
Kittery, ME
Morning in Kittery on Sunday
Local time
7:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Kittery, ME to Portland, ME
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
59m
Distance
49.5 mi
80 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 55m
★
6 AM
0h 59m
8 AM
1h 9m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 3m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Kittery, ME
Ever Rayan
Portland, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Kittery, ME to Portland, ME is 49.5 miles and takes about 59 minutes via Maine Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Maine, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a quick drive, perfect for a single-day excursion or an easy leg of a longer journey. You'll spend most of your time on major highways, making it a straightforward and efficient route. Consider this if you're looking for a no-fuss drive between two points in Southern Maine.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Maine Turnpike | 41.4 mi | 44m |
| I 295 | 5.2 mi | 7m |
| Rogers Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Shapleigh Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Portland Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Forest Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Preble Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Route 1 | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Maine Turnpike
— 41.4 mi, about 44m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Kittery, ME and Portland, ME.
1
Start on ME 103
87 ft
·
2 sec
·
Whipple Road
2
Continue on ME 236
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Shapleigh Road
3
Continue on ME 236
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Rogers Road
4
Continue on Rogers Road
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Rogers Road
5
Turn slight right onto US 1
502 ft
·
17 sec
·
State Road
6
Continue on US 1
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Route 1
7
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
1 min
8
Merge onto I 95
41 mi
·
44 min
·
Maine Turnpike
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295
5.2 mi
·
7 min
·
I 295
Exit 44
Toward Downtown Portland
Use the slight right lane.
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 6A
Toward ME 100 South
11
Keep slight left at fork
156 ft
·
7 sec
12
Continue on ME 100
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Forest Avenue
13
Turn left onto Portland Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
Portland Street
14
At end of road, turn right onto Preble Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Preble Street
15
At end of road, turn left onto Congress Street
156 ft
·
5 sec
·
Congress Street
16
Arrive at destination
Congress Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
25 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 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 24.7 miles from Kittery, ME, 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 75 decision points cluster between mile 43.4 and 49.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
43.4 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
I 295
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295 toward Downtown Portland
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 44
Toward Downtown Portland
5
48.6 mi into trip
|
~56m in
Take the exit toward ME 100 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 6A
Toward ME 100 South
5
48.8 mi into trip
|
~57m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
49.3 mi into trip
|
~58m in
|
Preble Street
At end of road, turn right onto Preble Street
Navigation decision point
6
49.4 mi into trip
|
~59m in
|
Congress Street
At end of road, turn left onto Congress Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.97 one way
$15.94 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
17 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $8.77 | $17.54 |
| premium | $4.86 | $9.48 | $18.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.93 | $21.86 |
Estimated Tolls: $2.49
Maine Turnpike
(41.4 mi)
$2.49
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Tolls
$2
Total
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 17.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 14.9 | 0 | $5.20 | $2.38 |
| Efficient EV | 12.4 | 0 | $4.33 | $1.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 19.8 | 0 | $6.93 | $3.17 |
Gas CO2
17 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Portland, ME
Morning in Portland on Sunday
Local time
7:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°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
2 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
59m 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 95% of the journey on major roads like the Maine Turnpike and I-295. Expect a smooth, fast-paced experience for the majority of the 49.5 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 41.4 miles on the Maine Turnpike, offering a consistent cruising speed. While the roads are predominantly high-speed, you'll transition onto Rogers Road towards the end of the trip, offering a slight change in pace before reaching your destination.
95% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 41.4 mi on Maine Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Maine Turnpike and I 295. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 43.4 miles in near I 295.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 59m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 43.4 miles (I 295): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 48.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 48.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 59m. Total distance: 49.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
59m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (95%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 41.4 miles on Maine Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $2.49 in tolls one way, starting with Maine Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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.
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 ME 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 43.4 miles (I 295): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 48.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 48.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Portland, ME 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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