Origin
Decatur, GA
Afternoon in Decatur on Friday
Local time
4:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Decatur, GA to Alpharetta, GA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
26.2 mi
42 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Decatur, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Alpharetta, GA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 26.2-mile drive from Decatur, GA to Alpharetta, GA is a quick, one-day trip with an estimated duration of 38 minutes. Primarily focused on highways, about 70% of your journey will be on high-speed roads, making it an efficient way to get from point A to point B within the Southeast region. With a modest fuel cost of around $4, this route is very budget-friendly. Since it's a short distance, you won't need an overnight stay, offering plenty of flexibility for your schedule. Expect a straightforward and practical drive.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 26.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (70%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This drive is predominantly highway-focused, with 70% of the route utilizing faster roads. You'll encounter stretches on Turner McDonald Parkway, T Harvey Mathis Parkway, and North Druid Hills Road, offering a consistent pace for most of the journey. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll experience is 11 miles on Turner McDonald Parkway, allowing for a solid period of cruising. While not a winding scenic byway, the highway-centric nature ensures a direct and efficient transit between these Georgia locations.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 18 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Turner McDonald Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 11 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Turner McDonald Parkway and T Harvey Mathis Parkway. 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 East Ponce de Leon Avenue.
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 26.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East Ponce de Leon Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3 miles (North Druid Hills Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Ponce de Leon Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto East Ponce de Leon Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
North Druid Hills Road
Turn left onto North Druid Hills Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward GA 13 South, GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cumming
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 86
Toward GA 13 South, GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cum...
8
6.5 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Keep slight right at fork toward GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cumming
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cumming
8
24.2 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Alpharetta, Haynes Bridge Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 9
Toward Alpharetta, Haynes Bridge Road
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 Decatur, GA to Alpharetta, GA, road signs begin pointing toward Cumming along the way.
Cumming
6.4 mi in
|
~12m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Turner McDonald Parkway | 11 mi | 13m |
| T Harvey Mathis Parkway | 6.2 mi | 7m |
| North Druid Hills Road | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| Clairmont Road | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Haynes Bridge Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Clairemont Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Northeast Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| South Main Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Turner McDonald Parkway
— 11 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Decatur, GA and Alpharetta, GA.
1
Start on this road
287 ft
·
26 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto East Ponce de Leon Avenue
188 ft
·
7 sec
·
East Ponce de Leon Avenue
3
Turn right onto Clairemont Avenue
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Clairemont Avenue
4
Continue on US 23; GA 155
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Clairmont Road
Use the right lane.
5
Turn left onto North Druid Hills Road
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
North Druid Hills Road
Use the left lane.
6
Turn slight left
182 ft
·
10 sec
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
8
Merge onto I 85
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Northeast Expressway
Use the straight lane.
9
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
Exit 86
Toward GA 13 South, GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cumming
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward GA 400 North: Buckhead, Cumming
Use the slight right lane.
11
Merge onto GA 400
6.2 mi
·
7 min
·
T Harvey Mathis Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on GA 400
11 mi
·
13 min
·
Turner McDonald Parkway
Use the right lane.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 9
Toward Alpharetta, Haynes Bridge Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Turn left onto Haynes Bridge Road
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Haynes Bridge Road
Use the left lane.
15
Turn left onto GA 120
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Old Milton Parkway
Use the left lane.
16
Turn right onto GA 9
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
South Main Street
17
Turn right onto Academy Street
139 ft
·
3 sec
·
Academy Street
18
Arrive at destination
Academy Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.10 one way
$8.19 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $4.48 | $8.96 |
| premium | $4.70 | $4.85 | $9.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.78 | $11.57 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.75 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.29 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.67 | $1.68 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Alpharetta, GA
Afternoon in Alpharetta on Friday
Local time
4:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
38m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Decatur, GA to Alpharetta, GA covers 26.2 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Turner McDonald Parkway, T Harvey Mathis Parkway, North Druid Hills Road. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.1 miles from Decatur, GA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.10 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 short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 26.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East Ponce de Leon Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 3 miles (North Druid Hills Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
On the drive from Decatur, GA to Alpharetta, GA, road signs begin pointing toward Cumming along the way.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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