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Trip from Elsmere, DE to Milford, DE

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 26m

Distance

67.1 mi

108 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$11

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 20 min
4 AM
1h 20m ★
6 AM
1h 26m
8 AM
1h 40m
10 AM
1h 31m
12 PM
1h 30m
3 PM
1h 32m
5 PM
1h 39m
8 PM
1h 22m

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

city in Kent and Sussex counties, Delaware, United States of America

Milford, DE

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Elsmere, DE to Milford, DE covers 67.1 miles and takes about 1h 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Bay Road, Delaware Turnpike for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 42.8 miles on Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $11.12 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 26m. Total distance: 67.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 26m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 26m drive with frequent turns across 67.1 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 26 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 42.8 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.9 miles in near North James Street.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 67.1 miles you will encounter 18 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 2.9 miles (North James Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 18 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

7
2.9 mi into trip | ~5m in | North James Street

Turn left onto North James Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
6
3 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the ramp toward DE 141 South: New Castle

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward DE 141 South: New Castle
8
3.5 mi into trip | ~6m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 3B Toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore
8
6.3 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover, Beaches

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 4A Toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover...
6
6.8 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Elsmere, DE and Milford, DE, road signs point toward Baltimore, Dover and Beaches.

Baltimore

3.5 mi in | ~6m

Dover

6.3 mi in | ~10m

Beaches

6.3 mi in | ~10m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway 42.8 mi 49m
Bay Road 14.7 mi 19m
Delaware Turnpike 2 mi 2m
North Walnut Street 1.4 mi 2m
South Dupont Road 0.8 mi 1m
East Newport Pike 0.8 mi 1m
North Maryland Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
Robert Kirkwood Highway 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway — 42.8 mi, about 49m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Elsmere, DE and Milford, 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 right onto DE 4

0.7 mi · 1 min · North Maryland Avenue
4

Continue on DE 4

0.8 mi · 1 min · East Newport Pike
5

Continue on DE 4

0.3 mi · 40 sec · East Justis Street
Use the straight lane.
6

Turn left onto North James Street

338 ft · 13 sec · North James Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
7

Turn left onto DE 4

94 ft · 1 sec · East Market Street
8

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Toward DE 141 South: New Castle Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto DE 141

0.3 mi · 28 sec · DE 141
10

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 3B Toward I 95 South: Newark, Baltimore Use the slight right lane.
11

Merge onto I 95

2.0 mi · 2 min · Delaware Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
12

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 40 sec
Exit 4A Toward DE 1 South, DE 7 South: Mall Road, Dover, Beaches Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 58 sec
Toward DE 1 South: Dover, Beaches
14

Merge onto DE 1

10 mi · 12 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
15

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

0.3 mi · 19 sec · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

28 mi · 32 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
17

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

3.0 mi · 3 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
18

Keep slight left at fork onto DE 1 Toll

1.6 mi · 1 min · Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway
19

Continue on DE 1

15 mi · 19 min · Bay Road
20

Keep slight right at fork onto US 113; DE 1 Business

0.4 mi · 45 sec · US 113; DE 1 Business
Toward US 113 South, DE 1 Business: Milford, Georgetown
21

Take the exit

501 ft · 15 sec
22

Continue on DE 1 Business

0.4 mi · 45 sec · North Walnut Street
23

Keep slight right at fork onto North Walnut Street

1.0 mi · 1 min · North Walnut Street
24

Turn left onto DE 36

200 ft · 8 sec · Southeast Front Street
25

Turn left

301 ft · 22 sec
26

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 33.5 mi from Elsmere, DE · 42m into the drive

town in Delaware, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Smyrna, DE

34 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Bear, DE

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 15 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Smyrna, DE

Meal break

The midpoint is around 33.5 miles from Elsmere, DE, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Milford, DE

The final approach into Milford, DE usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$11.12 one way

$22.25 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 24 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $12.18 $24.37
premium $4.93 $13.01 $26.03
diesel $5.61 $14.81 $29.63

Estimated Tolls: $0.14

Delaware Turnpike (2 mi) $0.14

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$11

Tolls

$0

Total

$11

Estimated CO2 emission: 23.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 20.1 0 $7.05 $3.22
Efficient EV 16.8 0 $5.87 $2.68
EV Truck/SUV 26.8 0 $9.39 $4.29

Gas CO2

23 kg

EV CO2

8 kg (65% 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

Morning in Elsmere on Friday

Local time

11:21 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Milford, DE

Morning in Milford on Friday

Local time

11:21 AM

EDT

Current temp

64°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

63°F

Smyrna, DE

34 mi in

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

1 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

1h 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 Elsmere, DE to Milford, DE covers 67.1 miles and takes about 1h 26m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, Bay Road, Delaware Turnpike. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 33.5 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 $11.12 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 67.1 miles you will encounter 18 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 2.9 miles (North James Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Between Elsmere, DE and Milford, DE, road signs point toward Baltimore, Dover and Beaches.

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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