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Trip from Vestavia Hills, AL to Bessemer, AL

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

Drive Time

29m

Distance

14.6 mi

24 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Good

6 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 27m ★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Vestavia Hills, AL, AL

Vestavia Hills, AL

Kelly

suburb city of Birmingham, located in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States

Bessemer, AL

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are looking for a quick connection between Vestavia Hills and Bessemer, this 14.6-mile trip is an efficient way to traverse the region. Expect to spend about 29 minutes behind the wheel, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day journey. Because the distance is so manageable, there is no need to worry about overnight lodging or complex itineraries. You can comfortably budget around $2 for fuel for the entire trip. Since both cities are located within the Southeast, you will remain in a familiar environment for the duration of the drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Lakeshore Parkway 8.1 mi 14m
West Lakeshore Parkway 1.6 mi 2m
14th Street South 1.1 mi 1m
Bessemer Road 0.9 mi 1m
Green Springs Highway 0.6 mi 1m
Vestaview Lane 0.6 mi 2m
Canyon Road 0.6 mi 2m
Columbiana Road 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Lakeshore Parkway — 8.1 mi, about 14m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Vestavia Hills, AL and Bessemer, AL.

1

Start on this road

142 ft · 17 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto Tremont Drive

0.1 mi · 28 sec · Tremont Drive
3

Turn right onto Kentucky Avenue

353 ft · 17 sec · Kentucky Avenue
4

Turn left onto US 31

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Montgomery Highway
5

Turn right onto Canyon Road

0.5 mi · 2 min · Canyon Road
6

Continue on Canyon Road

84 ft · 4 sec · Canyon Road
7

Turn left onto Vestaview Lane

0.6 mi · 2 min · Vestaview Lane
8

Turn right onto Columbiana Road

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Columbiana Road
9

Continue on Green Springs Highway

0.6 mi · 1 min · Green Springs Highway
10

Turn left onto Lakeshore Parkway

1.1 mi · 2 min · Lakeshore Parkway
11

Continue on West Lakeshore Parkway

1.6 mi · 2 min · West Lakeshore Parkway
12

Continue on Lakeshore Parkway

6.9 mi · 12 min · Lakeshore Parkway
13

At end of road, turn right onto AL 150

0.9 mi · 1 min · Bessemer Road
Use the straight lane.
14

Continue on AL 150

1.1 mi · 1 min · 14th Street South
15

Turn right onto 4th Avenue North

0.4 mi · 54 sec · 4th Avenue North
16

Turn right onto 18th Street North

377 ft · 15 sec · 18th Street North
17

Turn left onto 3rd Avenue North

94 ft · 4 sec · 3rd Avenue North
18

Arrive at destination

3rd Avenue North

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 14.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Tremont Drive

Turn left onto Tremont Drive

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Kentucky Avenue

Turn right onto Kentucky Avenue

Navigation decision point

6
12.2 mi into trip | ~25m in | AL 150 / Bessemer Road

At end of road, turn right onto AL 150 / Bessemer Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
4
14.2 mi into trip | ~28m in | 4th Avenue North

Turn right onto 4th Avenue North

Navigation decision point

4
14.5 mi into trip | ~29m in | 18th Street North

Turn right onto 18th Street North

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.20 one way

$4.41 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.21 $2.42 $4.84
premium $4.56 $2.62 $5.24
diesel $5.61 $3.22 $6.45

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.4 0 $1.53 $0.70
Efficient EV 3.7 0 $1.28 $0.58
EV Truck/SUV 5.8 0 $2.04 $0.93

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 12, 2026

Origin

Vestavia Hills, AL

Morning in Vestavia Hills on Sunday

Local time

11:16 AM

CDT

Current temp

85°F

Sunny

S 0 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 12 at 3:14AM CDT until April 12 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Huntsville AL

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 11 at 10:01PM CDT until April 12 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Birmingham AL

Destination

Bessemer, AL

Morning in Bessemer on Sunday

Local time

11:16 AM

CDT

Current temp

49°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

36 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

29m 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?

This 29-minute trip is a highway-focused drive, with 66% of the journey spent on high-speed roads. You will spend the bulk of your time navigating Lakeshore Parkway and West Lakeshore Parkway before transitioning onto 14th Street South to reach your destination. The longest uninterrupted stretch occurs on Lakeshore Parkway, where you can settle into an 8.1-mile run. While the route is functional and direct, the shift from parkway driving to local streets keeps the experience varied. You should feel comfortable with a straightforward, steady pace throughout the entire 14.6-mile distance.

66% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.1 mi on Lakeshore Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

4/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Lakeshore Parkway and West Lakeshore Parkway. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Tremont Drive.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 29m drive. You will face about 9 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 (Tremont Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Kentucky Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 12.2 miles (AL 150 / Bessemer Road): Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

959 ft 498 ft

Total Climb

218 ft

Total Descent

666 ft

Highest Point

959 ft

Elevation Range

461 ft

About the Cities

Arriving in Bessemer, AL

Full guide →

Bessemer is an industrial city in Metropolitan Alabama, just outside of Birmingham.

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 29m. Total distance: 14.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

29m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (66%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 8.1 miles on Lakeshore Parkway. 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.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (Tremont Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Kentucky Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 12.2 miles (AL 150 / Bessemer Road): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Birmingham Civil Rights 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 Bessemer, AL 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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