Origin
Marietta, GA
Late night in Marietta on Tuesday
Local time
4:53 AM
EDT
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Marietta, GA to Sandy Springs, GA
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
21m
Distance
13.4 mi
22 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion from Marietta to Sandy Springs, you are looking at a brief 13.4-mile journey that typically takes about 21 minutes to complete. Because of the short distance, this trip is perfectly suited as a one-day outing, requiring no overnight stays. You will navigate via a combination of the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway, Roswell Street, and the Atlanta Bypass, also known as The Perimeter. With a fuel budget of just $2, it is an incredibly economical route to manage. Both locations are situated in the Southeast, keeping the travel environment consistent throughout your drive. It is a straightforward commute that balances local street navigation with brief highway access.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Larry McDonald Memorial Highway | 3.2 mi | 3m |
| Atlanta Bypass / The Perimeter | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| Roswell Street | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Mount Vernon Highway | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Cobb Parkway South | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Marietta Parkway | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Heards Ferry Road Northwest | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Riverside Drive Northwest | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Larry McDonald Memorial Highway
— 3.2 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Marietta, GA and Sandy Springs, GA.
1
Start on West Park Square
117 ft
·
11 sec
·
West Park Square
2
Continue on South Park Square
343 ft
·
8 sec
·
South Park Square
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on Roswell Street
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Roswell Street
Use the straight lane.
4
Turn right onto US 41; GA 3
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Cobb Parkway South
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn left onto GA 120
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South Marietta Parkway
Use the left lane.
6
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
52 sec
Toward I 75 South: Atlanta
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto I 75
3.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Larry McDonald Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 259
Toward I 285 Bypass West, I 285 Bypass East: Birmingham, Tampa, Greenville, Augusta
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 285 East Bypass: Greenville, Augusta
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto I 285
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Atlanta Bypass / The Perimeter
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 24
Toward Riverside Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
134 ft
·
2 sec
Toward Riverside Drive
13
Turn slight right
214 ft
·
6 sec
14
Turn right onto Riverside Drive Northwest
478 ft
·
14 sec
·
Riverside Drive Northwest
15
Turn slight right onto Riverside Drive Northwest
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Riverside Drive Northwest
16
Turn right onto Heards Ferry Road Northwest
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Heards Ferry Road Northwest
17
Turn left onto Mount Vernon Highway
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Mount Vernon Highway
18
Arrive at destination
Mount Vernon Highway
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 10.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Park Square
Continue onto South Park Square
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
3.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward I 75 South: Atlanta
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 75 South: Atlanta
8
6.7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward I 285 Bypass West, I 285 Bypass East: Birmingham, Tampa, Greenville, Augusta
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 259
Toward I 285 Bypass West, I 285 Bypass East: Bi...
8
7.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 285 East Bypass: Greenville, Augusta
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 285 East Bypass: Greenville, Augusta
7
10.9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the exit toward Riverside Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 24
Toward Riverside Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.10 one way
$4.19 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.29 | $4.58 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.48 | $4.96 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.96 | $5.92 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4 | 0 | $1.41 | $0.64 |
| Efficient EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.17 | $0.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.88 | $0.86 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Sandy Springs, GA
Late night in Sandy Springs on Tuesday
Local time
4:53 AM
EDT
Current temp
80°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
21m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous interstate grind. While the route incorporates the Atlanta Bypass, only 10% of your travel occurs on major highways, keeping the pace varied. You will find that the longest uninterrupted stretch lasts for 3.2 miles while on the Larry McDonald Memorial Highway. The experience shifts from urban local roads to faster bypass segments, requiring you to adjust your driving style frequently. It is a technical, short-distance drive where you will spend more time navigating intersections than maintaining high speeds on the open road.
Only 10% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.2 mi on Larry McDonald Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near South Park Square.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 13.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South Park Square): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Marietta, GA and Sandy Springs, GA, road signs point toward Tampa, Greenville and Augusta.
Tampa
6.7 mi in
|
~11m
Greenville
6.7 mi in
|
~11m
Augusta
6.7 mi in
|
~11m
About the Cities
Starting in Marietta, GA
Full guide →Founded 1834
Marietta is a city of 61,000 people (2019) in Metro Atlanta. It is the fourth largest city in the state. Dobbins Air Reserve Base on the south side of town and a Lockheed Martin manufacturing plant are among the major industries in the city.
Top landmarks
- • Marietta National Cemetery — veterans cemetery in Cobb County, Georgia, United States
- • Aviation History & Technology Center — museum in Marietta, Georgia, USA
Arriving in Sandy Springs, GA
Full guide →Founded 2005
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 21m. Total distance: 13.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 3.2 miles on Larry McDonald Memorial Highway. 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 Sandy Springs, GA 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: near the start (South Park Square): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Martin Luther King, Jr. 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 Sandy Springs, GA 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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