Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 31m
Distance
80.6 mi
130 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$17
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pasco, WA
nicholas hatherly
Union Gap, WA
Jack Davis
The drive from Pasco, WA to Union Gap, WA covers 80.6 miles and takes about 1h 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on US 12, I 182, Lewis and Clark Trail for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 64.2 miles on US 12. At current regular gas prices, budget about $16.97 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
40.3 miles from Pasco, WA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 45m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 12 | 64.2 mi | 1h 8m |
| I 182 | 11.8 mi | 12m |
| Lewis and Clark Trail | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| North 4th Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West Court Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North 8th Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Ahtanum Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 12 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,549 veh/hr typical · worst 4,426
Quietest
2 AM
~109 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
32.6×
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 Pasco, WA and Union Gap, WA.
Start on North 8th Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto West Court Street
Turn left onto North 4th Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 182; US 12; US 395
Keep slight left at fork onto I 182; US 12
Keep slight right at fork onto US 12
Take the exit
Continue on Main Street
Turn right onto East Ahtanum Road
Turn left
Turn left
Arrive at destination
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
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 18 miles or 21m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 40.3 miles or 45m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 15m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Union Gap, WA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Pasco, WA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Pasco, WA
This is one driving day of about 80.6 miles and 1h 31m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
40 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 18 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 40.3 miles from Pasco, WA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before US 12 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 64.2 miles.
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 0.1 and 80.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn right onto West Court Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Turn left onto North 4th Avenue
Navigation decision point
Keep slight left at fork onto I 182; US 12 toward I 182, US 12
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork onto US 12 toward I 82 West, US 12 West: Prosser, Yakima
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Regular Gas
$16.97 one way
$33.94 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.56 | $17.63 | $35.26 |
| premium | $5.76 | $18.27 | $36.53 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $17.77 | $35.53 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$17
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$42–$67
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 28.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $8 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 24.2 | 0 | $8.46 | $3.87 |
| Efficient EV | 20.2 | 0 | $7.05 | $3.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 32.2 | 0 | $11.28 | $5.16 |
Gas CO2
28 kg
EV CO2
9 kg (68% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Pasco on Friday
Local time
6:03 AM
PDT
Current temp
78°F
Sunny
Destination
Morning in Union Gap on Friday
Local time
6:03 AM
PDT
Current temp
79°F
Mostly Sunny
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
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
80.6 mi in 1h 31m, mostly highway — 64.2 mi of that is on US 12.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 12 and I 182. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near West Court Street.
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 80.6 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (West Court Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.4 miles (North 4th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.7 miles (I 182; US 12): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
948 ft
Total Descent
353 ft
Highest Point
981 ft
~80.6 mi in
Elevation Range
595 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Pasco, WA to Union Gap, WA, road signs begin pointing toward Yakima along the way.
Yakima
Founded 1891
Pasco is a city in the Columbia River Plateau in Washington State, roughly between the Yakima and Snake Rivers on the north bank of the Columbia. Pasco is one of the Tri-Cities of Washington, which also includes Kennewick and Richland. The Tri-Cities are the third most populous metropolitan area in the state, after Seattle-Tacoma and Spokane.
Yakima is the principal city of the Yakima Valley, an agricultural region noted for apple, wine, and hop production on the Columbia River Plateau of Washington State. It is the county seat of Yakima County. This article also covers the nearby communities of Union Gap and Selah.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 31m. Total distance: 80.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (94%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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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