Origin
South Portland Gardens, ME
Late night in South Portland Gardens on Saturday
Local time
5:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South Portland Gardens, ME to Bowdoinham, ME
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
48m
Distance
37.2 mi
60 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 44m
★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Portland Gardens, ME
Brett Sayles
Bowdoinham, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from South Portland Gardens, ME to Bowdoinham, ME covers 37.2 miles and takes about 48m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 295, Main Street, Westbrook Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 34.4 miles on I 295. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.20 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 295 | 34.4 mi | 40m |
| Main Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Westbrook Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| State Route 138 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Devereaux Circle | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Western Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Center Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 295
— 34.4 mi, about 40m
Traffic on I-295
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 78 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~2,550 veh/hr typical · worst 3,104
Quietest
2 AM
~86 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
29.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 105 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South Portland Gardens, ME and Bowdoinham, ME.
1
Start on Devereaux Circle
0.2 mi
·
50 sec
·
Devereaux Circle
2
Turn right onto Westbrook Street
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Westbrook Street
3
At end of road, turn left onto ME 9
208 ft
·
7 sec
·
Western Avenue
4
Continue on ME 9
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Westbrook Street
5
Take the ramp
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 295 North: Portland
6
Merge onto I 295
34 mi
·
40 min
·
I 295
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
Exit 37
Toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
8
Turn right onto State Route 138
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
State Route 138
9
Continue on ME 125
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street
10
Turn left onto Center Street
76 ft
·
2 sec
·
Center Street
11
Arrive at destination
Center Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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 37 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.6 miles from South Portland Gardens, ME, 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 75 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 36 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Westbrook Street
Turn right onto Westbrook Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
ME 9 / Western Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto ME 9 / Western Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
1.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 295
Merge onto I 295
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
35.8 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 37
Toward ME 125, ME 138: Bowdoinham, Bowdoin
4
36 mi into trip
|
~44m in
|
State Route 138
Turn right onto State Route 138
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.20 one way
$12.39 round trip
$4.23/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.70 | $6.88 | $13.75 |
| premium | $5.07 | $7.42 | $14.84 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $8.20 | $16.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.2 | 0 | $3.91 | $1.79 |
| Efficient EV | 9.3 | 0 | $3.26 | $1.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.9 | 0 | $5.21 | $2.38 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Bowdoinham, ME
Late night in Bowdoinham on Saturday
Local time
5:14 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
58°F
Yarmouth, ME
19 mi in
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
6 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
48m 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?
37.2 mi in 48m, mostly highway — 34.4 mi of that is on I 295.
93% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 34.4 mi on I 295.
How Hard Is This Drive?
2/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 295 and Main Street. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Westbrook Street.
Driving Effort
2/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from South Portland Gardens, ME to Bowdoinham, ME is easy. At 48m with 93% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Westbrook Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (ME 9 / Western Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.4 miles (I 295): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
226 ft
21 ft
Total Climb
272 ft
Total Descent
251 ft
Highest Point
226 ft
~23.9 mi in
Elevation Range
205 ft
About the Cities
Arriving in Bowdoinham, ME
Full guide →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 48m. Total distance: 37.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
48m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (93%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 34.4 miles on I 295. 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 ME 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 0.2 miles (Westbrook Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (ME 9 / Western Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.4 miles (I 295): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Frances Perkins National Monument. 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 Bowdoinham, ME 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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