Origin
Reserve, LA
Morning in Reserve on Tuesday
Local time
8:20 AM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Reserve, LA to New Orleans, LA
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
46m
Distance
34.1 mi
55 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 49m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 54m
8 PM
0h 44m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Reserve, LA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 33.8-mile drive from Reserve to New Orleans, Louisiana, will take you about 40 minutes to complete. With a modest fuel cost estimate of $5, it's a budget-friendly excursion. Since it's a single-day trip, you won't need to worry about overnight stays. The journey offers a straightforward local drive experience, making it easy to fit into your schedule. Both your origin and destination are within the Southeast region, so you'll be staying within familiar territory. This route is ideal for a quick transition between locations without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Airline Highway | 11 mi | 14m |
| I 10 | 10.1 mi | 12m |
| Pontchartrain Expressway | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| LA 44 | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| I 310 | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| West 2nd Street | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Tulane Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Airline Highway
— 11 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Reserve, LA and New Orleans, LA.
1
Start on LA 53
86 ft
·
5 sec
·
Central Avenue
2
Turn left onto LA 44
2.6 mi
·
4 min
·
LA 44
3
Continue on LA 636-3
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
West 2nd Street
4
Continue on LA 636-3
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Cardinal Street
5
Turn left onto LA 628
476 ft
·
13 sec
·
East 5th Street
6
Turn right onto LA 44
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
Main Street
7
Turn right onto US 61
11 mi
·
14 min
·
East Airline Highway
Use the left lane.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
Toward I 310: Boutte, New Orleans
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 310 North: New Orleans
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Merge onto I 310
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
I 310
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Exit 1A
Toward I 10 East: New Orleans
12
Merge onto I 10
9.6 mi
·
11 min
·
I 10
Use the straight lane.
13
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Pontchartrain Expressway
Toward New Orleans, Business District
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10
0.5 mi
·
36 sec
·
I 10
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 234B
Toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
16
Turn left onto South Claiborne Avenue
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
South Claiborne Avenue
17
Turn right onto Tulane Avenue
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Tulane Avenue
18
Arrive at destination
Tulane Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 34 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 17.1 miles from Reserve, LA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 15.7 and 33.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
15.7 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward I 310: Boutte, New Orleans
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 310: Boutte, New Orleans
7
16 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 310 North: New Orleans
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 310 North: New Orleans
6
18.9 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 10 East: New Orleans
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 1A
Toward I 10 East: New Orleans
8
29.2 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
I 10 / Pontchartrain Expressway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10 / Pontchartrain Expressway toward New Orleans, Business District
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward New Orleans, Business District
8
33.2 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 234B
Toward Poydras Street, Superdome
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.15 one way
$10.30 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $5.65 | $11.31 |
| premium | $4.56 | $6.12 | $12.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.53 | $15.06 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.98 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.77 | $2.18 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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.
Destination
New Orleans, LA
Morning in New Orleans on Tuesday
Local time
8:20 AM
CDT
Current temp
85°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
17 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
46m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 33.8-mile stretch. With a highway share of 0%, you'll be navigating primarily through local roads, so be prepared for frequent turns and varying speed limits. The longest uninterrupted stretch isn't a factor here due to the route's nature. This drive will likely feel more like navigating through towns and communities rather than open highway cruising. Keep your attention sharp for the many intersections and potential traffic lights that characterize this type of local transit.
53% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11 mi on East Airline Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 15.7 miles in.
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 14 decision points packed into just 34.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 46m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Reserve, LA to New Orleans, LA, road signs begin pointing toward Business District along the way.
Business District
29.2 mi in
|
~39m
|
via I 10
About the Cities
Arriving in New Orleans, LA
Full guide →Way down yonder in New Orleans (French: La Nouvelle-Orléans), you'll find the roots of jazz and a blossoming culture that is unlike anything else on Earth. Here, the laid-back atmosphere of the riverfront South has mixed with French sophistication, Spanish style, and African-American energy to create something greater than the sum of its parts. "NOLA" is the largest city in Louisiana and one of the top tourist destinations in the United States. "Laissez les bons temps rouler" is what they say here in the Big Easy, and you too can "let the good times roll" with a cool stroll down Bourbon Street, a hot Dixieland band, and even hotter Creole cuisine. Mardi Gras may be the city's calling card, but that's just one day out of the hot and muggy year in New Orleans. Go ahead, take a riverboat down the Mississippi, munch on some beignets, and watch the Saints go marchin' in.
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 46m. Total distance: 34.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
46m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (53%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11 miles on East Airline Highway. 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 New Orleans, LA 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 15.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes — New Orleans Jazz National Historical 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 New Orleans, LA 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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