Parkersburg, WV to Alderson, WV is 190.7 miles and takes about 3h 44m via I 77 and I 64, with a fuel budget near $30 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within West Virginia, traversing the Southeast region for both its starting and ending points. With 93% of the route on highways, expect a fairly direct path with minimal detours. Given its manageable length and primarily highway profile, this trip is well-suited for a single-day excursion, allowing ample time for the drive and any brief stops you might need.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
95.3 miles from Parkersburg, WV
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 50m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 77
132 mi
2h 28m
I 64
42.5 mi
46m
Brushy Ridge Road
11.2 mi
19m
West Virginia Route 95
1.9 mi
3m
Camden Avenue
0.8 mi
1m
5th Street
0.7 mi
1m
East Riverside Drive
0.4 mi
<1m
6th Street
0.2 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
I 77
— 132 mi, about 2h 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Parkersburg, WV and Alderson, WV.
1
Start on WV 68; WV 618
449 ft·21 sec·Juliana Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
2
Turn right onto 6th Street
0.2 mi·50 sec·6th Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto Green Street
363 ft·19 sec·Green Street
4
Turn left onto WV 14
0.7 mi·1 min·5th Street
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto WV 95
0.8 mi·1 min·Camden Avenue
6
Continue on WV 95
1.9 mi·3 min·West Virginia Route 95
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·28 sec
Toward I 77, WV 2: Charleston
8
Merge onto I 77; WV 2
132 mi·2 hr 28 min·I 77; WV 2
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto I 64
42 mi·46 min·I 64
Exit 40Toward I 64 East: Lewisburg
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi·50 sec
Exit 161Toward WV 12: Alta, Alderson
11
Turn right onto WV 12
11 mi·19 min·Brushy Ridge Road
12
Continue on WV 12
0.4 mi·32 sec·East Riverside Drive
13
Continue on WV 12
0.1 mi·11 sec·East Riverview Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
WV 12
Trip Plan
For this 190.7-mile drive, leaving in the morning is recommended to give you flexibility. The 3-hour 44-minute duration means you can easily complete it in one day. Since the longest stretch is 132 miles on I 77, plan for a potential stop around the halfway point of that segment if needed, though the overall drive is not overly taxing. Your estimated fuel cost is $30, so ensure your tank is full before you depart Parkersburg. Keep an eye out for the transition from I 64 to Brushy Ridge Road around mile 177, as this marks the end of the highway portion and the beginning of your final approach.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 95.3 miles from Parkersburg, WV, or about 1h 50m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 132 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 42 miles or 50m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 95.3 miles or 1h 50m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h 58m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Alderson, WV than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Parkersburg, WV 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.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Parkersburg, WV
This is one driving day of about 190.7 miles and 3h 44m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 42 miles from Parkersburg, WV.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 77 for about 132 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 10
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 178.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|6th Street
Turn right onto 6th Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.3 mi into trip|~1m in|Green Street
At end of road, turn right onto Green Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.4 mi into trip|~1m in|WV 14 / 5th Street
Turn left onto WV 14 / 5th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
4 mi into trip|~8m in|I 77; WV 2
Merge onto I 77; WV 2
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
178.5 mi into trip|~3h 23m in
Take the exit toward WV 12: Alta, Alderson
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 161
Toward WV 12: Alta, Alderson
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$29.82 one way
$59.64 round trip
$3.97/gal25.4 MPG avg67 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.34
$32.61
$65.21
premium
$4.70
$35.29
$70.59
diesel
$5.61
$42.10
$84.21
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$30
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$55–$80
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 66.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $20 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
57.2
0
$20.02
$9.15
Efficient EV
47.7
0
$16.69
$7.63
EV Truck/SUV
76.3
0
$26.70
$12.20
Gas CO2
67 kg
EV CO2
22 kg (67% 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 Apr 19, 2026
Origin
Parkersburg, WV
Morning
in Parkersburg on Tuesday
Local time
8:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Alderson, WV
Morning
in Alderson on Tuesday
Local time
8:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
54°F
Charleston, WV
95 mi in
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.
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
4 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
3h 44m 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.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Gauley River National Recreation Area
National Recreation Area
The 25 miles of free-flowing Gauley River and the six miles of the Meadow River pass through scenic gorges and valleys containing a wide variety of natural and cultural features. The Gauley River cont...
22 mi from route
~55 min detour
Free
near mile 118.3
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is predominantly highway cruising, with 93% of the 190.7 miles on major interstates. You'll experience a long stretch of 132 miles on I 77 before transitioning to I 64 and eventually a short section on Brushy Ridge Road. Expect the highway portion to conclude around mile 177, where you'll shift to surface roads for the final miles into Alderson.
93% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 132 mi on I 77.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 77 and I 64. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 6th Street.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 3h 44m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Green Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (WV 14 / 5th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Parkersburg is a city of 30,000 people (as of 2018) in West Virginia. It was known as "Newport" when it was founded, later to be renamed Parkersburg in 1810. The city sits where the Little Kanawha River meets the Ohio river; the town of Belpre lies just across the river in Ohio. Among Parkersburg's more famous residents is Morgan Spurlock, director of the 2004 film Super Size Me; the city's film connections continued with the 2006 film Bubble, which was filmed in the area and starred local residents. The area also has a long history with oil drilling, and is the home of the first documented commercial use of oil in the US.
The longest stretch is about 132 miles on I 77. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through WV 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 0.1 miles (6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Green Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (WV 14 / 5th Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Gauley River National Recreation Area. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Possible but tiring. At 3.7 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 7.5 hours — manageable with a long break at Alderson, WV, but most travelers stay overnight.
