Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Tampa, FL to Crystal Lake, FL

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

49m

Distance

37.5 mi

60 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
city in Florida, United States

Tampa, FL

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Crystal Lake, FL, FL

Crystal Lake, FL

Matt Fitz Gibaud

Trip Overview

This short, 37.5-mile drive from Tampa to Crystal Lake in Florida is easily manageable as a day trip, taking approximately 49 minutes. The route primarily utilizes I-4 and Memorial Boulevard, with a significant 76% highway focus. With an estimated fuel cost of just $6, this trip is very budget-friendly. You won't need to plan for overnight stays, and with no designated stops in the data, you have the flexibility to make spontaneous breaks as needed. This is a straightforward journey through the Florida region.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 4 27.7 mi 30m
Memorial Boulevard 3.4 mi 5m
East Memorial Boulevard 3.2 mi 6m
North Combee Road 0.8 mi 1m
I 275 0.7 mi 1m
North Ashley Drive 0.3 mi <1m
East Kennedy Boulevard <0.1 mi <1m
Belair Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 4 — 27.7 mi, about 30m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Tampa, FL and Crystal Lake, FL.

1

Start on FL 60

400 ft · 17 sec · East Kennedy Boulevard
2

Turn right onto North Ashley Drive

0.3 mi · 49 sec · North Ashley Drive
Use the straight / right lanes.
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 275
4

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Toward I 275 North Use the slight right lane.
5

Merge onto I 275

0.7 mi · 1 min · I 275
6

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 42 sec
Exit 45B Toward I 4 East: Orlando Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7

Continue on I 4

28 mi · 30 min · I 4
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Exit 28 Toward Lakeland Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Turn straight onto FL 546

3.4 mi · 5 min · Memorial Boulevard
Use the right lane.
10

Continue on US 92

3.2 mi · 6 min · East Memorial Boulevard
11

Turn right onto FL 659

0.8 mi · 1 min · North Combee Road
Use the right lane.
12

Turn right onto Coral Way

310 ft · 19 sec · Coral Way
13

Turn left onto Belair Avenue

331 ft · 14 sec · Belair Avenue
14

Arrive at destination

Belair Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Plant City, FL, FL

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Plant City, FL

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

Lakeland, FL

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 37.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Mango, FL

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.7 miles from Tampa, FL, 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 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 36.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Ashley Drive

Turn right onto North Ashley Drive

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
8
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 275 North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 275 North
7
1.5 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the exit toward I 4 East: Orlando

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Exit 45B Toward I 4 East: Orlando
7
29.6 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward Lakeland

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 28 Toward Lakeland
5
36.6 mi into trip | ~46m in | FL 659 / North Combee Road

Turn right onto FL 659 / North Combee Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.97 one way

$11.94 round trip

$4.04/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.40 $6.49 $12.99
premium $4.72 $6.97 $13.95
diesel $5.61 $8.28 $16.56

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 13.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 11.3 0 $3.94 $1.80
Efficient EV 9.4 0 $3.28 $1.50
EV Truck/SUV 15 0 $5.25 $2.40

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Tampa, FL

Late night in Tampa on Sunday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Mostly Clear

E 7 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued April 14 at 4:28PM EDT until April 16 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Miami FL

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued April 14 at 12:29PM EDT until April 15 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Tallahassee FL

Destination

Crystal Lake, FL

Late night in Crystal Lake on Sunday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

62°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

1 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

49m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a highway-focused drive for most of this 37.5-mile trip. You'll spend a good portion of your time on I-4, including one uninterrupted stretch of 27.7 miles. While the route includes Memorial Boulevard and East Memorial Boulevard, the overall profile leans heavily towards interstate travel. This means you'll likely experience consistent speeds for much of the 49-minute journey, making it a predictable drive.

76% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27.7 mi on I 4.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 4 and Memorial Boulevard. 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 North Ashley Drive.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 37.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (North Ashley Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Tampa, FL to Crystal Lake, FL, road signs begin pointing toward Lakeland along the way.

Lakeland

29.6 mi in | ~34m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 49m. Total distance: 37.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

49m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (76%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 27.7 miles on I 4. 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 Crystal Lake, FL 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 (North Ashley Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Crystal Lake, FL 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

More from Tampa, FL

Eglin Village, FL 430.8 mi · 7h 58m Laguna Beach, FL 394.1 mi · 7h 33m Bonifay, FL 365 mi · 6h 37m Youngstown, FL 355.1 mi · 6h 41m Westchester, FL 275.9 mi · 5h Tallahassee, FL 274.3 mi · 5h 4m

More trips to Crystal Lake, FL

Fort Lauderdale, FL 208.5 mi Cape Coral, FL 114.2 mi
Escape planner: Tampa, FL Scenic drives in FL

Explore more options from Tampa, FL or browse trips ending in Crystal Lake, FL.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse FL road trips.