Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 6, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 26m
Distance
50.5 mi
81 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Burlington, VT
Wikimedia Commons
Orwell, VT
Google DeepMind
South Burlington to Orwell is 50.5 miles and takes about 1 hour 26 minutes via Vermont Route 22A and Ethan Allen Highway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Vermont, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a straightforward drive that offers a mix of highway cruising and surface road travel. Consider this route if you're looking for a relatively short, efficient drive between these two Vermont locations without venturing into neighboring states.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Vermont Route 22A | 24.9 mi | 39m |
| Ethan Allen Highway | 12.3 mi | 19m |
| Shelburne Road | 6.8 mi | 13m |
| Main Street | 1.9 mi | 4m |
| I 189 | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Hinesburg Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| U.S. Route 7 | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Kennedy Drive | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~1,823 veh/hr typical · worst 2,119
Quietest
1 AM
~54 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
33.8×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 81 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between South Burlington, VT and Orwell, VT.
Start on US 2
Turn left onto VT 116
Turn sharp right onto Kennedy Drive
Take the ramp
Continue on I 189
Turn left onto US 7
Continue on US 7
Continue on US 7
Turn right onto Monkton Road
At end of road, turn left onto VT 22A
Continue on VT 22A
Turn left onto VT 73
Turn left onto North Orwell Road
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
25 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 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 25.2 miles from South Burlington, VT, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto VT 116 / Hinesburg Road
Navigation decision point
Turn sharp right onto Kennedy Drive
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Take the ramp toward I 189 West
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto US 7 / Shelburne Road
Lane positioning matters here
At end of road, turn left onto VT 22A / Main Street
Navigation decision point
Regular Gas
$8.41 one way
$16.82 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.70 | $9.33 | $18.67 |
| premium | $5.07 | $10.07 | $20.14 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $11.13 | $22.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 17.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.2 | 0 | $5.30 | $2.42 |
| Efficient EV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.42 | $2.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 20.2 | 0 | $7.07 | $3.23 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Night in South Burlington on Saturday
Local time
9:04 PM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Partly Cloudy
Destination
Night in Orwell on Saturday
Local time
9:04 PM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Partly 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.
This route is 54% highway, meaning you'll experience some faster-paced driving before transitioning to surface roads. The longest continuous stretch on highway is 24.9 miles, primarily on Vermont Route 22A. You can expect to notice a shift from more developed highway sections to a more rural feel as you approach Orwell. The transition from highway to surface roads will be a noticeable change in pace and surroundings.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near VT 116 / Hinesburg Road.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 26m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (VT 116 / Hinesburg Road): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Kennedy Drive): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
407 ft
Total Descent
341 ft
Highest Point
381 ft
~50.5 mi in
Elevation Range
193 ft
Founded 1865
South Burlington is a city in Northwest Vermont. It is a suburb of Burlington and is the second largest city in the state. Unlike most sizable Vermont communities, it doesn't have a downtown of any sort since most of the city's development has occurred in the last few decades. The city has intelligently reserved a large tract of land near the busiest intersection in town to construct a downtown, however they haven't yet decided how they want this done. Unfortunately, there's nothing there but a dirt road (possibly the only one in the city) and some trees.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 26m. Total distance: 50.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). Straightforward navigation.
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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