Origin
Elsmere, DE
Late night in Elsmere on Saturday
Local time
1:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elsmere, DE to Bellefonte, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
14m
Distance
8.2 mi
13 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 13m
★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 17m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 15m
3 PM
0h 16m
5 PM
0h 17m
8 PM
0h 14m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elsmere, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Bellefonte, DE
Antonio Garcia Prats
Trip Overview
The drive from Elsmere, DE to Bellefonte, DE covers 8.2 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 Wilmington Expressway, North Maryland Avenue, Marsh Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.8 miles on Wilmington Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.36 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 14m. Total distance: 8.2 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 (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from Elsmere, DE to Bellefonte, DE covers 8.2 miles and takes about 14m, 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 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Wilmington Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 3.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue.
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 8.2 miles you will encounter 8 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 1.2 miles (DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue
Turn left onto DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
2.8 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the ramp
Lane positioning matters here
Use the uturn lane.
8
3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 North: Philadelphia
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 North: Philadelphia
7
7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward DE 3: Marsh Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 9
Toward DE 3: Marsh Road
4
7.2 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
Carr Road
At end of road, turn left onto Carr Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Wilmington Expressway | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| North Maryland Avenue | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| Marsh Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| South Dupont Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Robert Kirkwood Highway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Martin Luther King Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Carr Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Wilmington Expressway
— 3.8 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elsmere, DE and Bellefonte, DE.
1
Start on DE 2
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
Robert Kirkwood Highway
2
Turn right onto DE 100
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Dupont Road
3
Turn slight left
111 ft
·
11 sec
4
Turn left onto DE 4
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Maryland Avenue
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn right onto DE 48
509 ft
·
24 sec
·
Martin Luther King Boulevard
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Use the uturn lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward I 95 North: Philadelphia
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 95; US 202
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Wilmington Expressway
9
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 9
Toward DE 3: Marsh Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
At end of road, turn left onto Carr Road
401 ft
·
10 sec
·
Carr Road
11
Turn sharp right onto DE 3
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Marsh Road
12
Arrive at destination
DE 3 Alternate
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.36 one way
$2.72 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $1.49 | $2.98 |
| premium | $4.93 | $1.59 | $3.18 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.81 | $3.62 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.9 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 | 2.5 | 0 | $0.86 | $0.39 |
| Efficient EV | 2.1 | 0 | $0.72 | $0.33 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.3 | 0 | $1.15 | $0.52 |
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
Bellefonte, DE
Late night in Bellefonte on Saturday
Local time
1:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°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
14m 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 Elsmere, DE to Bellefonte, DE covers 8.2 miles and takes about 14m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Wilmington Expressway, North Maryland Avenue, Marsh Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.1 miles from Elsmere, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.36 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 8.2 miles you will encounter 8 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles (DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Elsmere, DE to Bellefonte, DE does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include First State 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.
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