Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
9h 10m
Distance
490.5 mi
789 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$85
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Kuna, ID
Wikimedia Commons
Sandpoint, ID
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Kuna, ID to Sandpoint, ID covers 490.5 miles and takes about 9h 10m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, US 395, US 95 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 229.5 miles on Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $85.07 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
245.2 miles from Kuna, ID
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 29m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway | 229.5 mi | 4h 5m |
| US 395 | 131.7 mi | 2h 23m |
| US 95 | 42.9 mi | 53m |
| I 90 | 33.4 mi | 38m |
| McNary Highway | 20.4 mi | 21m |
| Umatilla-Stanfield Highway | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Lewis and Clark Trail | 4.9 mi | 6m |
| North Ten Mile Road | 4.8 mi | 7m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 240 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~2,021 veh/hr typical · worst 2,406
Quietest
2 AM
~133 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Kuna, ID and Sandpoint, ID.
Start on West 4th Street
Turn right onto North Ten Mile Road
Enter roundabout onto South Ten Mile Road
Continue on South Ten Mile Road
Enter roundabout onto South Ten Mile Road
Continue on South Ten Mile Road
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 84; US 30; ID 55
Take the exit onto US 395
Continue on US 395
Continue on US 395
Continue on US 395
Turn right onto Southeast 4th Street
Turn left onto East Theater Lane
Turn right onto US 395
Continue on US 395
Turn left onto US 395; US 730
Take the exit onto US 395
Merge onto I 82; US 395
Keep slight right at fork onto US 395
Continue on US 395
Continue on US 395
Take the exit onto US 395
Keep slight left at fork onto US 395
Keep slight right at fork onto US 395
Merge onto I 90; US 2; US 395
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn left onto US 95
Take the exit
Turn straight onto East Superior Street
Turn slight right onto South 1st Avenue
Continue on Cedar Street
Turn right onto US 2
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 108 miles or 2h 1m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 245.2 miles or 4h 29m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 245.2 miles or 4h 29m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 7h 56m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Sandpoint, ID than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Kuna, ID 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.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Kuna, ID
Aim for roughly 245 miles and 4.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Sandpoint, ID
Aim for roughly 245 miles and 4.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
245 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in College Place, WANight 1
245 mi · about 4.6h in
A practical overnight split lands near College Place, WA after about 245 miles or 4.6 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 108 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 245.2 miles from Kuna, ID, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 229.5 miles.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 245 miles or 4.6 hours on the road.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 251.6 and 282 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the exit onto US 395 toward I 82 West, US 395 North: Kennewick, Yakima
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto US 395 / Lewis and Clark Trail Highway toward US 395 north to I‑182: Kennewick, Pasco, Spokane
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit onto US 395 toward US 395 north, SR 397 south (Oregon Street): Spokane, Finley
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto US 395 toward US 395
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Keep slight right at fork onto US 395 toward US 395 North: Spokane
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$85.07 one way
$170.13 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $88.97 | $177.93 |
| premium | $4.95 | $95.59 | $191.18 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $108.12 | $216.24 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$85
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$215–$325
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 171.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $52 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 147.2 | 1 | $51.50 | $23.54 |
| Efficient EV | 122.6 | 1 | $42.92 | $19.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 196.2 | 2 | $68.67 | $31.39 |
Gas CO2
172 kg
EV CO2
57 kg (67% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Night in Kuna on Tuesday
Local time
10:21 PM
MDT
Current temp
58°F
Partly Cloudy
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued September 1 at 2:15AM MDT until September 1 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
Destination
Night in Sandpoint on Tuesday
Local time
9:21 PM
PDT
Current temp
48°F
Mostly Cloudy
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued September 1 at 2:15AM MDT until September 1 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pocatello ID
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.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
490.5 mi in 9h 10m — 43% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 251.6 miles in near US 395.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 21 significant decision points across 490.5 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 251.6 miles (US 395): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 272.2 miles (US 395 / Lewis and Clark Trail Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 281.5 miles (US 395): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
2,908 ft
Total Descent
3,505 ft
Highest Point
3,271 ft
~140.1 mi in
Elevation Range
2,859 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Kuna, ID and Sandpoint, ID, road signs point toward Hermiston, Yakima, Pasco, Spokane, Finley and Moscow.
Hermiston
Yakima
Pasco
Spokane
Finley
Moscow
Top landmarks
Founded 1898
Sandpoint is a popular city and tourist destination in Northern Idaho on the shore of lake Pend Oreille (Pond-Orr-Ay) in the northwestern United States. Although Idaho is generally recognized as a Mountain State, Sandpoint and other far northern Idaho cities are most often categorized as officially being part of the Pacific Northwest. The population of Sandpoint was about 8,700 in 2018. The closest city of more than 100,000 people is Spokane, Washington, 78 miles away.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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