Origin
Portales, NM
Late night in Portales on Tuesday
Local time
2:59 AM
MDT
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Portales, NM to Clovis, NM
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
24m
Distance
19 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Portales, NM
Wikimedia Commons
Clovis, NM
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Portales to Clovis is 19 miles and takes about 24 minutes via Clovis Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New Mexico's Desert Southwest region, offering a straightforward connection between two nearby towns. Expect a drive that's mostly on surface roads, making it easy to navigate. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transfer or as part of a larger exploration of the area.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Clovis Highway | 17.4 mi | 21m |
| East 1st Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Chicago Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Main Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| East 3rd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Clovis Highway
— 17.4 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Portales, NM and Clovis, NM.
1
Start on NM 88
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 3rd Street
2
Turn left onto South Chicago Avenue
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
South Chicago Avenue
3
Merge onto US 70
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
South Chicago Avenue
4
Continue on US 70
17 mi
·
21 min
·
Clovis Highway
5
Turn left onto US 60; US 84
0.5 mi
·
48 sec
·
East 1st Street
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto North Main Street
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
·
North Main Street
7
Arrive at destination
North Main Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 18.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Chicago Avenue
Turn left onto South Chicago Avenue
Navigation decision point
3
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 70 / South Chicago Avenue
Merge onto US 70 / South Chicago Avenue
Merge point - match speed before joining
4
18.1 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
US 60; US 84 / East 1st Street
Turn left onto US 60; US 84 / East 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
3
18.6 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
North Main Street
Turn right onto North Main Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.87 one way
$5.74 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $3.15 | $6.30 |
| premium | $4.56 | $3.41 | $6.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.19 | $8.39 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 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 | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.22 |
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
Clovis, NM
Late night in Clovis on Tuesday
Local time
2:59 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°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
34 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
24m 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 almost entirely on surface roads, with no highway driving. The longest continuous stretch you'll experience is 17.4 miles on Clovis Highway. You'll primarily be navigating through town on roads like East 1st Street and South Chicago Avenue. Be prepared for urban cruising as you pass through Portales and approach Clovis.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.4 mi on Clovis Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near South Chicago Avenue.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 24m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (South Chicago Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 70 / South Chicago Avenue): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 18.1 miles (US 60; US 84 / East 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Portales, NM
Full guide →Portales is a small, fairly quiet college and agricultural town in Southeast New Mexico, United States. Home of Eastern New Mexico University. Nearest sizable town is Clovis; close to Cannon Air Force Base. Located almost adjacent to the Texas border. 90 miles from Roswell of UFO fame.
Arriving in Clovis, NM
Full guide →Clovis is a city in the southeastern region of New Mexico, in Curry County, near the Texas state line. It is famous for the nearby archaeological site where "Clovis man" was discovered. It is a military community supporting nearby Cannon Air Force Base.
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 24m. Total distance: 19 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 17.4 miles on Clovis Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NM 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 0.2 miles (South Chicago Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (US 70 / South Chicago Avenue): Merge point - match speed before joining; at 18.1 miles (US 60; US 84 / East 1st Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Clovis, NM 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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