Origin
Ridgefield, WA
Evening in Ridgefield on Saturday
Local time
7:48 PM
PDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ridgefield, WA to Vancouver, WA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
15.5 mi
25 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 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ridgefield, WA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick commute between Ridgefield and Vancouver, Washington, this 15.5-mile journey is as straightforward as it gets. Expect to spend about 22 minutes behind the wheel, making it a perfect one-day trip that requires no overnight planning. With an estimated fuel cost of just $3, this is an incredibly budget-friendly drive within the Pacific Coast region. You will primarily utilize I-5, Pioneer Street, and East Fourth Plain Boulevard to complete the transit. Since the entire route is contained within Washington state, the transition between these two cities is seamless and efficient. Whether you are running errands or heading into the city for the day, this drive offers a practical, no-fuss connection.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 5 | 12.1 mi | 14m |
| Pioneer Street | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| East Fourth Plain Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South 5th Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 5
— 12.1 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ridgefield, WA and Vancouver, WA.
1
Start on South 5th Avenue
96 ft
·
6 sec
·
South 5th Avenue
2
Turn right onto Pioneer Street
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Pioneer Street
3
Enter roundabout onto WA 501
117 ft
·
3 sec
·
Pioneer Street
4
Continue on WA 501
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Pioneer Street
5
Enter roundabout onto WA 501
135 ft
·
3 sec
·
Pioneer Street
6
Continue on WA 501
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Pioneer Street
7
Enter roundabout onto Pioneer Street
134 ft
·
2 sec
·
Pioneer Street
8
Continue on Pioneer Street
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Pioneer Street
9
Enter roundabout onto WA 501
140 ft
·
2 sec
·
Pioneer Street
10
Continue on WA 501
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Pioneer Street
11
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Toward I 5 South: Portland
Use the right lane.
12
Merge onto I 5
5.9 mi
·
6 min
·
I 5
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
6.2 mi
·
7 min
·
I 5
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Exit 1D
Toward 4th Plain Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork
242 ft
·
13 sec
Toward 4th Plain Boulevard East
Use the left lane.
16
Turn left onto East Fourth Plain Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
East Fourth Plain Boulevard
Use the left lane.
17
Arrive at destination
East Fourth Plain Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 2.7 and 15.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.7 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the ramp toward I 5 South: Portland
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 5 South: Portland
6
8.9 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
I 5
Keep slight left at fork onto I 5
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
15.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward 4th Plain Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1D
Toward 4th Plain Boulevard
8
15.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight left at fork toward 4th Plain Boulevard East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward 4th Plain Boulevard East
6
15.4 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
East Fourth Plain Boulevard
Turn left onto East Fourth Plain Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.24 one way
$6.49 round trip
$5.32/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.58 | $3.40 | $6.80 |
| premium | $5.77 | $3.52 | $7.04 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.42 | $6.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.36 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Vancouver, WA
Evening in Vancouver on Saturday
Local time
7:48 PM
PDT
Current temp
37°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy
W 0 to 6 mph
15% chance
Live forecast
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 8:37PM PDT until April 17 at 8:00AM PDT by NWS Spokane WA
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 10:33AM PDT until April 17 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Pendleton OR
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
10 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
22m on the road
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.
What kind of drive is this?
This trip is a highway-focused drive, with 78% of your journey spent on high-speed thoroughfares. You will spend the vast majority of your time on I-5, which accounts for the longest stretch of 12.1 miles of uninterrupted travel. Because the interstate dominates the profile, you can expect a steady, predictable pace for most of the 22-minute duration. While the local roads like Pioneer Street and East Fourth Plain Boulevard handle the start and finish, the interstate portion provides the bulk of the mileage. It is a functional, efficient drive that prioritizes speed and directness over winding scenic detours.
78% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.1 mi on I 5.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 5 and Pioneer Street. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.7 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 15.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.9 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Vancouver, WA
Full guide →Vancouver is a city in southwest Washington State, immediately north of the border with Oregon. The city was established around Fort Vancouver, a fur trading outpost dating back to 1824, making this one of the oldest continuously-inhabited European communities in the Pacific Northwest. Two bridges across the Columbia River connect Vancouver to the rest of the Portland Metropolitan Area.
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 22m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (78%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.1 miles on I 5. 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 Vancouver, WA 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 2.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 8.9 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Vancouver, WA 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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