Origin
Roswell, NM
Late night in Roswell on Tuesday
Local time
4:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Roswell, NM to Dexter, 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
29m
Distance
19.7 mi
32 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 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Roswell, NM
Wikimedia Commons
Dexter, NM
Mikhail Nilov
Trip Overview
Roswell to Dexter is 19.7 miles and takes about 29 minutes via Southeast Main Street, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Desert Southwest region, making it a straightforward connection between two New Mexico communities. The drive is primarily on surface roads, suggesting a more local and less highway-intensive experience. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transit or as part of a larger exploration of the area, allowing for flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southeast Main Street | 13.8 mi | 17m |
| East Shawnee Road | 4.2 mi | 7m |
| North Main Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Elford Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 1st Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Old Dexter Highway | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 2nd Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Cherokee Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Southeast Main Street
— 13.8 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Roswell, NM and Dexter, NM.
1
Start on US 70; US 380
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
West 2nd Street
2
Turn right onto US 285
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
North Main Street
3
Turn slight left onto US 285
14 mi
·
17 min
·
Southeast Main Street
4
Turn left onto NM 560
3.8 mi
·
6 min
·
East Shawnee Road
5
At end of road, turn left onto NM 340
237 ft
·
8 sec
·
Cherokee Road
6
Turn right onto NM 2
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
·
Old Dexter Highway
7
Continue on NM 2
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
East Shawnee Road
8
Turn straight onto NM 2
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Elford Avenue
9
Continue on NM 2
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
1st Street
10
Turn slight right onto NM 2
160 ft
·
3 sec
·
Old Dexter Highway
11
Arrive at destination
NM 2
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 18.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 285 / North Main Street
Turn right onto US 285 / North Main Street
Navigation decision point
3
15 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
NM 560 / East Shawnee Road
Turn left onto NM 560 / East Shawnee Road
Navigation decision point
4
18.8 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
NM 340 / Cherokee Road
At end of road, turn left onto NM 340 / Cherokee Road
Navigation decision point
4
18.9 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
NM 2 / Old Dexter Highway
Turn right onto NM 2 / Old Dexter Highway
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.98 one way
$5.95 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $3.27 | $6.53 |
| premium | $4.56 | $3.54 | $7.07 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.35 | $8.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.9 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 | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
| Efficient EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
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
Dexter, NM
Late night in Dexter on Tuesday
Local time
4:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
84°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
2 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
29m 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 trip features no highway driving, meaning you'll be on surface roads for the entire 19.7 miles. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 13.8 miles on Southeast Main Street. Expect a local cruising feel as you navigate through the area, rather than a high-speed transit.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.8 mi on Southeast Main Street.
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 0.1 miles in near US 285 / North Main Street.
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 29m 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 0.1 miles (US 285 / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 15 miles (NM 560 / East Shawnee Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.8 miles (NM 340 / Cherokee Road): Navigation decision point.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
3,618 ft
3,464 ft
Total Climb
46 ft
Total Descent
156 ft
Highest Point
3,618 ft
~4.2 mi in
Elevation Range
153 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Roswell, NM
Full guide →Roswell is a city in the southeastern region of the state of New Mexico, United States of America. It has attained a quirky sort of fame/notoriety as the result of an alleged UFO crash (!) in 1947.
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 29m. Total distance: 19.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m 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 13.8 miles on Southeast Main Street. 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 0.1 miles (US 285 / North Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 15 miles (NM 560 / East Shawnee Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.8 miles (NM 340 / Cherokee Road): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Dexter, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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