Origin
Northfield, OH
Late night in Northfield on Tuesday
Local time
4:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Northfield, OH to Cleveland, OH
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
32m
Distance
20.9 mi
34 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Northfield, OH
Jovan Vasiljević
Cleveland, OH
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Northfield, OH to Cleveland, OH is 20.9 miles and takes about 32m via Outerbelt South Freeway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within the Midwest region and the state of Ohio, making it a straightforward local journey. You'll primarily be on freeways, so expect a consistent driving pace. Given its short distance and minimal stops, this route is ideal for a quick transit or an easy add-on to another activity in the area. It’s a practical option if you need to get from point A to point B without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Outerbelt South Freeway | 8.2 mi | 10m |
| Willow Freeway | 5.9 mi | 7m |
| Outerbelt East Freeway | 1.6 mi | 1m |
| Fair Oaks Road | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Northfield Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Alexander Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| East 14th Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Euclid Avenue | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Outerbelt South Freeway
— 8.2 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Northfield, OH and Cleveland, OH.
1
Start on this road
83 ft
·
9 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto SR 8
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Northfield Road
3
Turn right onto Alexander Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Alexander Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Turn left onto CR 774
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Fair Oaks Road
Use the straight lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward I 271 North, I 480 West
6
Merge onto I 271; I 480
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Outerbelt East Freeway
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 480
7.1 mi
·
8 min
·
Outerbelt South Freeway
Toward I 480 West: Rockside Road, Cleveland
Use the slight right lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 480
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Outerbelt South Freeway
9
Take the exit
470 ft
·
11 sec
Toward I 77 South, I 77 North: Akron, Cleveland
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Exit 20B
Toward I 77 North: Cleveland
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto I 77
5.9 mi
·
7 min
·
Willow Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Exit 162B
Toward East 22nd Street, East 14th Street
Use the slight right lane.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Toward East 14th Street
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
14
Turn straight onto East 14th Street
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
·
East 14th Street
15
Keep slight left at fork onto East 14th Street
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 14th Street
16
Turn left onto Prospect Avenue East
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Prospect Avenue East
Use the straight / left lanes.
17
Turn right onto East 9th Street
523 ft
·
19 sec
·
East 9th Street
18
Turn left onto US 20
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Euclid Avenue
19
At end of road, turn right onto US 6; US 20
518 ft
·
27 sec
·
East Roadway
Use the right lane.
20
At end of road, turn left onto US 6; US 20
513 ft
·
20 sec
·
Rockwell Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
21
Turn right onto Frankfort Avenue
186 ft
·
6 sec
·
Frankfort Avenue
22
Arrive at destination
Frankfort Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 195 decision points cluster between mile 4.6 and 19.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
4.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 480 / Outerbelt South Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 480 / Outerbelt South Freeway toward I 480 West: Rockside Road, Cleveland
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 480 West: Rockside Road, Cleveland
7
12.8 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward I 77 South, I 77 North: Akron, Cleveland
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.
Toward I 77 South, I 77 North: Akron, Cleveland
8
12.9 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 77 North: Cleveland
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 20B
Toward I 77 North: Cleveland
8
19.4 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward East 22nd Street, East 14th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 162B
Toward East 22nd Street, East 14th Street
8
19.5 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward East 14th Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward East 14th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.24 one way
$6.49 round trip
$3.94/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.38 | $3.60 | $7.20 |
| premium | $4.91 | $4.04 | $8.08 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.61 | $9.23 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.19 | $1.00 |
| Efficient EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.93 | $1.34 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Cleveland, OH
Late night in Cleveland on Tuesday
Local time
4:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
32m 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 largely highway-focused, with 75% of the route utilizing freeways. You'll spend a good portion of your time on the Outerbelt South Freeway, including an uninterrupted stretch of 8.2 miles. The main roads you'll navigate include the Outerbelt South Freeway, Willow Freeway, and Outerbelt East Freeway. Expect a fairly consistent driving experience throughout, characterized by higher speeds and limited turns. This highway-centric profile means you'll likely maintain a steady pace for most of the 32-minute journey.
75% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.2 mi on Outerbelt South Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Outerbelt South Freeway and Willow Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.6 miles in near I 480 / Outerbelt South Freeway.
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 19 decision points packed into just 20.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (I 480 / Outerbelt South Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Northfield, OH
Full guide →Northfield is a village in Summit County in Northeast Ohio.
Arriving in Cleveland, OH
Full guide →Cleveland is a culturally diverse city on the shores of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, USA. Recreational, cultural and educational opportunities are abundant throughout Northeast Ohio. You'll find world-class museums, cultural events, professional sports, and amusement parks.
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 32m. Total distance: 20.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (75%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.2 miles on Outerbelt South Freeway. 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 Cleveland, OH 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 4.6 miles (I 480 / Outerbelt South Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Cuyahoga Valley National 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 Cleveland, OH 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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