Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
6h 35m
Distance
353.7 mi
569 km
Drive Score
10/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$52
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Shreveport, LA
Wikimedia Commons
Golden Meadow, LA
Simon Berger
Shreveport to Golden Meadow is 353.7 miles and takes about 6h 35m via Louisiana Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway and US 90, with a fuel budget near $52 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Louisiana, moving from the Southeast region to its southern tip. The route offers a mix of highway cruising and surface road driving, making it a feasible one-day trip for most drivers. You'll spend about 41% of your time on highways, so expect some stretches of faster travel interspersed with more local road conditions. It's a straightforward drive that gets you from one part of the state to another without significant complexity.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
176.9 miles from Shreveport, LA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 5m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway | 197.9 mi | 3h 22m |
| US 90 | 101 mi | 1h 51m |
| LA 3235 | 14.6 mi | 17m |
| LA 308 | 14.4 mi | 20m |
| Veterans Memorial Expressway | 10.6 mi | 11m |
| Highway 1 | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Northwest Evangeline Thruway | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| North Morgan Avenue | 1.6 mi | 2m |
Step-by-step road directions between Shreveport, LA and Golden Meadow, LA.
Start on River Parkway
Turn left onto Jack Wells Boulevard
Turn left onto Airport Drive
Turn right onto North Common Street
Turn right onto LA 173
Continue on LA 173
Turn left onto Allen Avenue
Keep slight left at fork
Continue on I 49
Continue on I 49; US 167
Continue on I 49; LA 182
Continue on US 90; LA 182
Turn right onto North Morgan Avenue
Turn left onto LA 3073
Turn right onto East Fairfield Drive
Turn left onto St Etienne Road
At end of road, turn left onto LA 92-1
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90; LA 92-1
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90
Take the exit
Turn right onto LA 1
Turn left onto LA 654
Turn right onto LA 308
Continue on LA 657
Turn straight onto LA 3235
Turn left onto Saint Louis Street
At end of road, turn left onto LA 1
Arrive at destination
Given the 6h 35m estimated drive time, leaving Shreveport in the morning should allow you to reach Golden Meadow comfortably within daylight hours. The route is planned for a single day, so you won't need to worry about booking overnight accommodations. Plan for one significant stop to break up the drive, especially since the longest stretch without a major change in road type is nearly 200 miles. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, as services can become less frequent once you move off the main highways. A budget of around $52 for fuel should cover the 353.7 miles.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 78 miles or 1h 24m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 176.9 miles or 3h 5m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 5h 19m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Golden Meadow, LA than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Shreveport, LA so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Shreveport, LA
This is one driving day of about 353.7 miles and 6h 35m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
177 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.
A short stop after about 78 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 176.9 miles from Shreveport, LA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Louisiana Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 197.9 miles.
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 3.5 and 353.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork toward I 49 South: Alexandria
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
At end of road, turn left onto LA 92-1 / Young Street
Navigation decision point
Keep slight right at fork onto US 90 / Veterans Memorial Expressway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Take the exit toward LA 1: Thibodaux, Lockport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
At end of road, turn left onto LA 1 / South Bayou Drive
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Regular Gas
$51.82 one way
$103.63 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.13 | $57.52 | $115.05 |
| premium | $4.49 | $62.47 | $124.94 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $77.97 | $155.93 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.15
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$52
Tolls
$0
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$77–$102
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 123.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $37 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 106.1 | 1 | $37.14 | $16.98 |
| Efficient EV | 88.4 | 1 | $30.95 | $14.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 141.5 | 1 | $49.52 | $22.64 |
Gas CO2
124 kg
EV CO2
41 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Late night in Shreveport on Wednesday
Local time
3:53 AM
CDT
Current temp
75°F
Mostly Clear
Destination
Late night in Golden Meadow on Wednesday
Local time
3:53 AM
CDT
Current temp
75°F
Mostly Cloudy
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
National Historical Park
The Cane River region is home to a unique culture; the Creoles. Generations of the same families of workers, enslaved and tenant, and owners lived on these lands for over 200 years. The park tells the...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
You'll cover 41% of this route on highways, with the longest continuous highway segment being 197.9 miles on the Louisiana Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. After this extensive highway portion, expect to transition to surface roads as you approach your destination. This means you'll experience a shift from higher-speed travel to driving through more populated areas with potentially more traffic signals. The change from primarily highway to surface roads will be noticeable as you get closer to Golden Meadow.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 21 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 3.5 miles in.
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 353.7 miles you will encounter 21 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 3.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 223.3 miles (LA 92-1 / Young Street): Navigation decision point; at 224.5 miles (US 90 / Veterans Memorial Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
49 ft
Total Descent
229 ft
Highest Point
190 ft
~25.3 mi in
Elevation Range
189 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Shreveport, LA to Golden Meadow, LA, road signs begin pointing toward Lockport along the way.
Lockport
Founded 1836
Shreveport is the largest city in Northern Louisiana, part of the twin city metro of Shreveport-Bossier City, and is considered the principal city in the three-state region known as the "Ark-La-Tex." It has about 188,000 residents (2019), and is in the area of the state designated as the Sportsman's Paradise. Many lakes and rivers are in the area and offer recreational activities. The surrounding area is also a contrast from points in southern Louisiana, in that the landscape is marked by rolling hills and pine forests, being an extension of the Texas region known as the Piney Woods.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 6h 35m. Total distance: 353.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
6h 35m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (41%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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