Origin
Worcester, MA
Night in Worcester on Monday
Local time
11:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Worcester, MA to Nahant, MA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 21m
Distance
57.7 mi
93 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 15m
★
6 AM
1h 21m
8 AM
1h 34m
10 AM
1h 26m
12 PM
1h 24m
3 PM
1h 26m
5 PM
1h 33m
8 PM
1h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Worcester, MA
Wikimedia Commons
Nahant, MA
cottonbro studio
Trip Overview
The drive from Worcester, MA to Nahant, MA covers 57.7 miles and takes about 1h 21m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Massachusetts Turnpike, Grafton Street, North Shore Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 40.1 miles on Massachusetts Turnpike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $9.62 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts Turnpike | 40.1 mi | 49m |
| Grafton Street | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| North Shore Road | 2.7 mi | 4m |
| Nahant Road | 2.7 mi | 6m |
| Lynnway | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| Ted Williams Tunnel | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| McClellan Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Lee Burbank Highway | 1 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Massachusetts Turnpike
— 40.1 mi, about 49m
Traffic on I-90
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 222 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~3,846 veh/hr typical · worst 4,589
Quietest
2 AM
~275 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
14×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 104 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 Worcester, MA and Nahant, MA.
1
Start on Main Street
293 ft
·
12 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn right onto Front Street
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
Front Street
3
Enter roundabout onto Grafton Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
Grafton Street
4
Continue on Grafton Street
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Grafton Street
5
Continue on MA 122
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Grafton Street
6
Enter roundabout onto MA 122
39 ft
·
0 sec
·
Grafton Street
7
Continue on MA 122
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Grafton Street
8
Continue on MA 122
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
Grafton Road
9
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
11
Merge onto I 90
39 mi
·
48 min
·
Massachusetts Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
12
Continue on I 90
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Ted Williams Tunnel
13
Continue on I 90
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Massachusetts Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Merge onto MA 1A
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
East Boston Expressway
15
Continue on MA 1A
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
McClellan Highway
16
Continue on MA 1A
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Lee Burbank Highway
17
Take the exit onto MA 1A
366 ft
·
11 sec
·
MA 1A
18
Enter roundabout onto MA 1A
7 ft
·
0 sec
·
Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
19
Continue on MA 1A
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
20
Enter roundabout onto MA 1A
375 ft
·
4 sec
·
North Shore Road
21
Continue on MA 1A
2.6 mi
·
4 min
·
North Shore Road
22
Continue on MA 1A
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Lynnway
Use the straight / right lanes.
23
Enter roundabout onto Nahant Road
256 ft
·
3 sec
·
Nahant Road
24
Continue on Nahant Road
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
Nahant Road
25
Turn left onto Ocean Street
297 ft
·
13 sec
·
Ocean Street
26
Turn right
263 ft
·
21 sec
27
Turn right
114 ft
·
8 sec
28
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 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 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 28.9 miles from Worcester, MA, 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 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 49.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Front Street
Turn right onto Front Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Grafton Street
Enter roundabout onto Grafton Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
4.5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
5
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 90 / Massachusetts Turnpike
Merge onto I 90 / Massachusetts Turnpike
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
49.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 6m in
|
MA 1A / Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
Enter roundabout onto MA 1A / Veterans of Foreign Wars Parkway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.62 one way
$19.25 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $10.60 | $21.19 |
| premium | $5.06 | $11.49 | $22.98 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $12.72 | $25.44 |
Estimated Tolls: $2.40
Massachusetts Turnpike
(40.1 mi)
$2.40
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Tolls
$2
Total
$12
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.3 | 0 | $6.06 | $2.77 |
| Efficient EV | 14.4 | 0 | $5.05 | $2.31 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.1 | 0 | $8.08 | $3.69 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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
Nahant, MA
Night in Nahant on Monday
Local time
11:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
60°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
5 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
1h 21m 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?
57.7 mi in 1h 21m, mostly highway — 40.1 mi of that is on Massachusetts Turnpike.
71% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 40.1 mi on Massachusetts Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Massachusetts Turnpike and Grafton Street. You will hit about 14 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Front Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 57.7 miles you will encounter 14 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Front Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (Grafton Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
483 ft
-5 ft
Total Climb
206 ft
Total Descent
607 ft
Highest Point
483 ft
Elevation Range
488 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Worcester, MA
Full guide →Founded 1848
Explore fine arts, history, and take in a show in Worcester, a medium sized city in Central Massachusetts about an hour's drive west of Boston. Worcester's seven hills and their valleys contain top notch museums, nine colleges and universities, beautiful parks, and food from all over the globe.
Top landmarks
- • Clark University — American private university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts
- • Cathedral of Saint Paul — church in Massachusetts, United States
- • Worcester Academy — private high school in Worcester, Massachusetts, United States
Arriving in Nahant, MA
Full guide →Nahant is a small town in the US state of Massachusetts with a population of about 3,000 (2020). It used to be a resort town, but changes in vacation preference and modes of travel left the town behind. Now the town is a charming suburb of Boston, with a very small population, a rocky shore, a small-boat "harbor" and direct-vote town meeting.
Top landmarks
- • Nahant Beach Boulevard — historic parkway in Massachusetts, USA
- • Greenlawn Cemetery — cemetery in Nahant, Massachusetts
- • Nahant Civic Historic District — historic district in Massachusetts, United States
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 1h 21m. Total distance: 57.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (71%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 40.1 miles on Massachusetts Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $2.40 in tolls one way, starting with Massachusetts Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
Yes — we found about 5 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Nahant, MA 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 (Front Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (Grafton Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes — Boston National Historical Park, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area and Salem Maritime National Historical Park (6 total within detour distance). 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 Nahant, MA 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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