Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 4m
Distance
53.1 mi
85 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Portland, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Eliot, ME
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Portland, ME to Eliot, ME is 53.1 miles and takes about 1h 4m via Maine Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays entirely within Maine, making it a simple hop between two points in the Northeast region. Most of the travel is on highways, so you'll cover ground quickly. It's an easy trip to plan, perfect for a quick move or a day trip without extensive preparation.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Maine Turnpike | 41.5 mi | 44m |
| I 295 | 4.6 mi | 6m |
| Harold L Dow Highway | 3 mi | 5m |
| Route 236 | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Park Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Fore River Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cumberland Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Congress Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 38 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,298 veh/hr typical · worst 3,842
Quietest
2 AM
~103 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
32×
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 Portland, ME and Eliot, ME.
Start on Congress Street
Turn right onto Brown Street
Turn left onto Cumberland Avenue
Turn right onto ME 77
Turn left onto Park Avenue
Continue on Congress Street
Turn left onto Fore River Parkway
Take the ramp onto US 1A
Merge onto I 295; US 1
Keep slight left at fork onto I 295
Merge onto I 95
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Turn left onto ME 236
Continue on ME 236
Turn left onto Depot Road
Turn right
Turn right
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 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.
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 53 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto Brown Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto Fore River Parkway
Navigation decision point
Take the exit toward ME 236: Kittery, South Berwick
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward US 1, ME 236, US 1 Bypass: Kittery, South Berwick
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn left onto Depot Road
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$8.85 one way
$17.69 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.70 | $9.82 | $19.63 |
| premium | $5.07 | $10.59 | $21.18 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $11.70 | $23.41 |
Estimated Tolls: $2.49
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Tolls
$2
Total
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.9 | 0 | $5.58 | $2.55 |
| Efficient EV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.65 | $2.12 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.2 | 0 | $7.43 | $3.40 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 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
Afternoon in Portland on Friday
Local time
4:35 PM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Areas Of Fog
Destination
Afternoon in Eliot on Friday
Local time
4:35 PM
EDT
Current temp
71°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Cloudy
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.
You'll spend most of your time on highways, with 90% of the route utilizing them. The longest continuous stretch on a highway is 41.5 miles on the Maine Turnpike. Expect a lot of highway driving until you get closer to Eliot, where you'll transition to surface roads for the final segment.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Maine Turnpike and I 295. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Brown Street.
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 53.1 miles you will encounter 15 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 (Brown Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.6 miles (Fore River Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 48.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
187 ft
Total Descent
237 ft
Highest Point
158 ft
~34.2 mi in
Elevation Range
131 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Portland, ME to Eliot, ME, road signs begin pointing toward Berwick along the way.
Berwick
Founded 1632
Portland is on a peninsula in Casco Bay on the Southern Maine coast approximately 100 miles (161 km) north of Boston, Massachusetts. It has more than 65,000 inhabitants, making it the largest city in Maine. Portland is a small seaside city with a high concentration of shops, restaurants, museums, galleries, tours and many things to see and do. Many people commute to Portland to work, and the city's population significantly increases in the summertime.
Top landmarks
Founded 1810
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 4m. Total distance: 53.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 4m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). 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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