Origin
Elk Plain, WA
Morning in Elk Plain on Friday
Local time
11:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elk Plain, WA to McKenna, WA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
18.1 mi
29 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elk Plain, WA
JOHN CALLERY
McKenna, WA
nicholas hatherly
Trip Overview
The drive from Elk Plain, WA to McKenna, WA covers 18.1 miles and takes about 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on State Route 702 East, Mountain Highway East, Spanaway McKenna Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9.3 miles on State Route 702 East. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.79 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 26m. Total distance: 18.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (51%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Elk Plain, WA to McKenna, WA covers 18.1 miles and takes about 26m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 6 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Route 702 East is the longest continuous segment at about 9.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near WA 7 / Mountain Highway East.
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 26m drive. You will face about 4 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 (WA 7 / Mountain Highway East): Navigation decision point; at 8.6 miles (WA 702 / State Route 702 East): Navigation decision point; at 17.9 miles (WA 507 / Spanaway McKenna Highway): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 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
|
WA 7 / Mountain Highway East
Turn left onto WA 7 / Mountain Highway East
Navigation decision point
4
8.6 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
WA 702 / State Route 702 East
Turn right onto WA 702 / State Route 702 East
Navigation decision point
4
17.9 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
WA 507 / Spanaway McKenna Highway
Turn left onto WA 507 / Spanaway McKenna Highway
Navigation decision point
5
18.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| State Route 702 East | 9.3 mi | 13m |
| Mountain Highway East | 8.6 mi | 12m |
| Spanaway McKenna Highway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 224th Street East | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
State Route 702 East
— 9.3 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elk Plain, WA and McKenna, WA.
1
Start on 224th Street East
37 ft
·
8 sec
·
224th Street East
2
Turn left onto WA 7
8.6 mi
·
12 min
·
Mountain Highway East
3
Turn right onto WA 702
9.3 mi
·
13 min
·
State Route 702 East
4
Turn left onto WA 507
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
Spanaway McKenna Highway
5
Turn left
62 ft
·
4 sec
6
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.79 one way
$7.58 round trip
$5.32/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.58 | $3.97 | $7.95 |
| premium | $5.77 | $4.11 | $8.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.00 | $7.99 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.90 | $0.87 |
| Efficient EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.53 | $1.16 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
McKenna, WA
Morning in McKenna on Friday
Local time
11:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
38°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
21 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
26m 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 Elk Plain, WA to McKenna, WA covers 18.1 miles and takes about 26m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are State Route 702 East, Mountain Highway East, Spanaway McKenna Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.1 miles from Elk Plain, WA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.79 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 26m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (WA 7 / Mountain Highway East): Navigation decision point; at 8.6 miles (WA 702 / State Route 702 East): Navigation decision point; at 17.9 miles (WA 507 / Spanaway McKenna Highway): Navigation decision point.
The route from Elk Plain, WA to McKenna, WA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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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