Origin
Cardinal Lake Estates, GA
Afternoon in Cardinal Lake Estates on Saturday
Local time
12:58 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA to Suwanee, GA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
7.7 mi
12 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 15m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 15m
5 PM
0h 16m
8 PM
0h 13m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Cardinal Lake Estates, GA
Sami Laughlin
Suwanee, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA to Suwanee, GA covers 7.7 miles and takes about 14m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Buford Highway, Davenport Road Northwest, Mockingbird Circle for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6 miles on Buford Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.20 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 14m. Total distance: 7.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
14m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 14m drive with frequent turns across 7.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Buford Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Mockingbird Circle.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 14m drive. You will face about 6 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 (Mockingbird Circle): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Blue Jay Drive Northwest): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Davenport Road Northwest): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Mockingbird Circle
Turn right onto Mockingbird Circle
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Blue Jay Drive Northwest
Turn left onto Blue Jay Drive Northwest
Navigation decision point
3
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Davenport Road Northwest
Turn right onto Davenport Road Northwest
Navigation decision point
5
1.7 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 23; GA 13 / Buford Highway
Turn right onto US 23; GA 13 / Buford Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
7.6 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
US 23; GA 13 / Buford Highway
Enter roundabout onto US 23; GA 13 / Buford Highway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Buford Highway | 6 mi | 9m |
| Davenport Road Northwest | 1.3 mi | 3m |
| Mockingbird Circle | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Blue Jay Drive Northwest | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cardinal Lake Circle Northwest | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Buford Highway
— 6 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cardinal Lake Estates, GA and Suwanee, GA.
1
Start on Cardinal Lake Circle Northwest
218 ft
·
10 sec
·
Cardinal Lake Circle Northwest
2
Turn right onto Mockingbird Circle
0.2 mi
·
45 sec
·
Mockingbird Circle
3
Turn left onto Blue Jay Drive Northwest
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
Blue Jay Drive Northwest
4
Turn right onto Davenport Road Northwest
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Davenport Road Northwest
5
Continue on Davenport Road Northwest
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Davenport Road Northwest
6
Turn right onto US 23; GA 13
5.9 mi
·
9 min
·
Buford Highway
Use the left lane.
7
Enter roundabout onto US 23; GA 13
117 ft
·
1 sec
·
Buford Highway
8
Continue on US 23; GA 13
200 ft
·
10 sec
·
Buford Highway
9
Continue on US 23; GA 13
34 ft
·
0 sec
·
Buford Highway
10
Arrive at destination
US 23; GA 13
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.20 one way
$2.41 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $1.32 | $2.63 |
| premium | $4.70 | $1.43 | $2.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.70 | $3.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.81 | $0.37 |
| Efficient EV | 1.9 | 0 | $0.67 | $0.31 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% 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
Suwanee, GA
Afternoon in Suwanee on Saturday
Local time
12:58 PM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Clear
0 mph
0% chance
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
2 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
14m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA to Suwanee, GA covers 7.7 miles and takes about 14m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Buford Highway, Davenport Road Northwest, Mockingbird Circle. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.8 miles from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.20 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 14m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Mockingbird Circle): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Blue Jay Drive Northwest): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Davenport Road Northwest): Navigation decision point.
The route from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA to Suwanee, GA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Suwanee, GA
More trips to Suwanee, GA
Explore more options from Cardinal Lake Estates, GA or browse trips ending in Suwanee, GA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse GA road trips.