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Trip from Elsmere, DE to Claymont, DE

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

19m

Distance

11.1 mi

18 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 18m ★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 18m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States

Elsmere, DE

Wikimedia Commons

census-designated place in Delaware, United States

Claymont, DE

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Elsmere, DE to Claymont, DE covers 11.1 miles and takes about 19m 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, Harvey Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.1 miles on Wilmington Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.84 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 11.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

19m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (55%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

The drive from Elsmere, DE to Claymont, DE covers 11.1 miles and takes about 19m, 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 14 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 6.1 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near DE 4 / North Maryland Avenue.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 11.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 19m.

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 9 key points

These 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
9.2 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward Harvey Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 10 Toward Harvey Road
6
11 mi into trip | ~19m in | US 13 / Governor Printz Boulevard

Turn right onto US 13 / Governor Printz Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Wilmington Expressway 6.1 mi 8m
North Maryland Avenue 1.5 mi 3m
Harvey Road 0.9 mi 2m
South Dupont Road 0.8 mi 1m
Philadelphia Pike 0.6 mi 1m
Robert Kirkwood Highway 0.4 mi <1m
Governor Printz Boulevard 0.1 mi <1m
Martin Luther King Boulevard <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Wilmington Expressway — 6.1 mi, about 8m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elsmere, DE and Claymont, 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

6.1 mi · 8 min · Wilmington Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Exit 10 Toward Harvey Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Turn right onto Harvey Road

0.9 mi · 2 min · Harvey Road
11

Turn left onto US 13 Business

0.6 mi · 1 min · Philadelphia Pike
12

Turn right onto US 13

330 ft · 12 sec · Governor Printz Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
13

Continue on US 13

233 ft · 7 sec · Governor Printz Boulevard
14

Arrive at destination

US 13

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.84 one way

$3.68 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $2.02 $4.03
premium $4.93 $2.15 $4.31
diesel $5.61 $2.45 $4.90

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.3 0 $1.17 $0.53
Efficient EV 2.8 0 $0.97 $0.44
EV Truck/SUV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Elsmere, DE

Late night in Elsmere on Saturday

Local time

12:42 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Claymont, DE

Late night in Claymont on Saturday

Local time

12:42 AM

EDT

Current temp

49°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

14 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

19m 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 Claymont, DE covers 11.1 miles and takes about 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Wilmington Expressway, North Maryland Avenue, Harvey Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 5.5 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 $1.84 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 9 decision points packed into just 11.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 19m.

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 Claymont, 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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