Origin
Stafford Springs, CT
Morning in Stafford Springs on Sunday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Stafford Springs, CT to Hartford, CT
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
28.7 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Stafford Springs, CT
David Kanigan
Hartford, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition from the quiet corners of Stafford Springs to the bustle of Hartford, this 28.6-mile trek is an ideal day trip. You can expect to spend about 31 minutes behind the wheel, making it a highly efficient connection within Connecticut. Because the distance is so short, you certainly won't need an overnight stay to complete the journey. Budgeting just $5 for fuel makes this one of the most economical trips you can take in the Northeast. It is a straightforward, no-nonsense route that gets you from point A to point B without any unnecessary complications.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 84 | 23.5 mi | 27m |
| River Road | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Broad Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Capitol Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Spring Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Farmington Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Asylum Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 84
— 23.5 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Stafford Springs, CT and Hartford, CT.
1
Start on CT 190
169 ft
·
6 sec
·
East Main Street
2
Continue on CT 190
140 ft
·
2 sec
·
East Main Street
3
Enter roundabout onto CT 32
97 ft
·
8 sec
·
River Road
4
Continue on CT 32
4.1 mi
·
6 min
·
River Road
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 84 West: Hartford
6
Merge onto I 84
13 mi
·
14 min
·
I 84
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 84
8.0 mi
·
9 min
·
I 84
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 84; US 6
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
I 84; US 6
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Exit 48
Toward Asylum Street
Use the slight right lane.
10
Continue on Spring Street
370 ft
·
14 sec
·
Spring Street
11
At end of road, turn right onto Asylum Avenue
197 ft
·
3 sec
·
Asylum Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn slight left onto Farmington Avenue
347 ft
·
11 sec
·
Farmington Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Turn left onto Broad Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
Broad Street
Use the straight lane.
14
Turn left onto Capitol Avenue
382 ft
·
16 sec
·
Capitol Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Turn left onto Armory Road
111 ft
·
9 sec
·
Armory Road
16
Arrive at destination
Armory Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 28.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CT 32 / River Road
Enter roundabout onto CT 32 / River Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
17.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
I 84
Keep slight right at fork onto I 84
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
25.1 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
I 84; US 6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 84; US 6
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
28 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Asylum Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 48
Toward Asylum Street
7
28.2 mi into trip
|
~35m in
|
Asylum Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto Asylum Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.62 one way
$9.24 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $5.08 | $10.17 |
| premium | $4.86 | $5.50 | $10.99 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.34 | $12.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.01 | $1.38 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.51 | $1.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.02 | $1.84 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Hartford, CT
Morning in Hartford on Sunday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°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
26 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
36m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention as you navigate away from Stafford Springs. You will primarily navigate via East Main Street and River Road before merging onto I-84 West to finish the final leg of the trip. Since the highway share is 0% for the majority of the local maneuvering, the pace remains steady rather than fast. The road evolves from smaller local arteries into a more direct path toward the state capital, offering a tactile driving experience that keeps you engaged. With no long, monotonous stretches, the 31-minute duration passes quickly as you transition between these two Connecticut hubs.
82% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.5 mi on I 84.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 84 and River Road. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near CT 32 / River Road.
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 12 decision points packed into just 28.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (CT 32 / River Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 17.1 miles (I 84): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.1 miles (I 84; US 6): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Hartford, CT
Full guide →Hartford is the capital of the state of Connecticut in the United States of America. It is home to the country's oldest public art museum (Wadsworth Atheneum), and the Mark Twain House, in which the author wrote his most famous works and raised his family. Mark Twain wrote in 1868, "Of all the beautiful towns it has been my fortune to see this is the chief."
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 36m. Total distance: 28.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (82%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 23.5 miles on I 84. 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 Hartford, CT 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 0.1 miles (CT 32 / River Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 17.1 miles (I 84): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.1 miles (I 84; US 6): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — New England National Scenic Trail. 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 Hartford, CT 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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