Kittery, ME to Shady Nook, ME is 49.6 miles and takes about 1 hour 18 minutes via Maine Turnpike and local roads, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays entirely within Maine, taking you from the Northeast region to another part of the Northeast. It's a relatively short trip, making it ideal for a single-day excursion. The route offers a mix of highway driving and local road navigation, providing a varied experience without being overly demanding. Consider this trip if you're looking for a straightforward journey within the state.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Maine Turnpike
17 mi
18m
Shapleigh Corner Road
7.7 mi
12m
Sanford Road
5.4 mi
9m
Main Street
5 mi
9m
Grammar Road
2.1 mi
4m
Shady Nook Road
2 mi
3m
Emery Mills Road
1.9 mi
3m
Alfred Street
1.7 mi
2m
Longest stretch:
Maine Turnpike
— 17 mi, about 18m
Traffic on I-95
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 32 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~3,037 veh/hr typical
· worst 4,183
Quietest
1 AM
~166 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
18.3×
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 Kittery, ME and Shady Nook, 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
17 mi·18 min·Maine Turnpike
9
Take the exit
0.6 mi·1 min
Exit 19Toward ME 9, ME 109: Wells, Sanford
10
Turn right onto ME 109; ME 9
5.4 mi·9 min·Sanford Road
11
Continue on ME 109
2.7 mi·4 min·Main Street
12
Turn right onto Jagger Mill Road
1.5 mi·3 min·Jagger Mill Road
13
At end of road, turn right onto ME 4
1.7 mi·2 min·Alfred Street
14
Turn left onto Grammar Road
2.1 mi·4 min·Grammar Road
15
Continue on ME 224
1.2 mi·2 min·Shaws Ridge Road
16
Continue on ME 224
0.8 mi·1 min·Pleasant Street
17
Continue on ME 224
0.1 mi·10 sec·Bridge Street
18
Turn slight right
135 ft·6 sec
19
Turn right onto ME 109; ME 11
2.3 mi·5 min·Main Street
20
Continue on ME 11; ME 109
1.9 mi·3 min·Emery Mills Road
21
Turn slight right onto ME 11
2.8 mi·4 min·Shapleigh Corner Road
22
Continue on ME 11
4.9 mi·7 min·Shapleigh Corner Road
23
Continue on ME 11
0.9 mi·1 min·Bond Spring Road
24
Turn left onto Shady Nook Road
2.0 mi·3 min·Shady Nook Road
25
Arrive at destination
Shady Nook Road
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 24.8 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 7
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.9 and 47.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
1.9 mi into trip|~5m in|I 95 / Maine Turnpike
Merge onto I 95 / Maine Turnpike
Merge point - match speed before joining
6
18.9 mi into trip|~23m in
Take the exit toward ME 9, ME 109: Wells, Sanford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 19
Toward ME 9, ME 109: Wells, Sanford
4
19.5 mi into trip|~24m in|ME 109; ME 9 / Sanford Road
Turn right onto ME 109; ME 9 / Sanford Road
Navigation decision point
5
29 mi into trip|~41m in|ME 4 / Alfred Street
At end of road, turn right onto ME 4 / Alfred Street
Navigation decision point
4
47.6 mi into trip|~1h 14m in|Shady Nook Road
Turn left onto Shady Nook Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.78 one way
$15.57 round trip
$3.99/gal25.4 MPG avg17 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.48
$8.74
$17.48
premium
$4.81
$9.40
$18.79
diesel
$4.80
$9.37
$18.73
Estimated Tolls: $1.02
Maine Turnpike
(17 mi)$1.02
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Tolls
$1
Total
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 17.4 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging
· 0 stops
· 65% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
14.9
0
$5.21
$2.38
Efficient EV
12.4
0
$4.34
$1.98
EV Truck/SUV
19.8
0
$6.94
$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.
Forecast as of Jul 3, 2026
Origin
Kittery, ME
Night
in Kittery on Monday
Local time
10:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
72°F
Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms
W 0 to 5 mph21% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued July 3 at 2:32PM EDT until July 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Gray ME
Extreme Heat Warning
Extreme Heat Warning issued July 3 at 2:32PM EDT until July 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Gray ME
Destination
Shady Nook, ME
Night
in Shady Nook on Monday
Local time
10:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
70°F
Isolated Showers And Thunderstorms
W 5 mph15% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued July 3 at 2:32PM EDT until July 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Gray ME
Extreme Heat Warning
Extreme Heat Warning issued July 3 at 2:32PM EDT until July 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Gray ME
84°F
Sanford, ME
25 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
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
1h 18m on the road
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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route presents a mixed drive experience, with 34% of it on highways like the Maine Turnpike. You'll encounter your longest uninterrupted stretch of 17 miles on the Maine Turnpike, offering a chance for steady progress. As you transition off the turnpike onto Shapleigh Corner Road and Sanford Road, expect the character of the drive to change to more local, potentially winding roads. This shift means you'll need to adjust your speed and awareness, as the scenery and road conditions will likely become more varied.
34% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17 mi on Maine Turnpike.
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 1.9 miles in near I 95 / Maine Turnpike.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 18m 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 1.9 miles (I 95 / Maine Turnpike): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 18.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.5 miles (ME 109; ME 9 / Sanford Road): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
699 ft25 ft
Total Climb
733 ft
Total Descent
59 ft
Highest Point
699 ft
~49.6 mi in
Elevation Range
674 ft
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 Kittery, ME to Shady Nook, ME, road signs begin pointing toward Sanford along the way.
The longest stretch is about 17 miles on Maine Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.02 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 2 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 1.9 miles (I 95 / Maine Turnpike): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 18.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.5 miles (ME 109; ME 9 / Sanford Road): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Shady Nook, ME before heading back.
