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Trip from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY

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

Drive Time

1h 38m

Distance

103 mi

166 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$16

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 22 min
4 AM
1h 31m ★
6 AM
1h 39m
8 AM
1h 53m
10 AM
1h 44m
12 PM
1h 42m
3 PM
1h 44m
5 PM
1h 53m
8 PM
1h 34m

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

city in LaRue County, Kentucky, United States

Hodgenville, KY

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Owensboro, KY, KY

Owensboro, KY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY covers 103 miles and takes about 1h 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Lincoln Square, West Main Street, Lincoln Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $16.10 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Midpoint

51.5 miles from Hodgenville, KY

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 49m into the drive .

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 38m. Total distance: 103 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 38m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 38m drive with frequent turns across 103 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Lincoln Square is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY is easy. At 1h 38m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Lincoln Square
West Main Street
Lincoln Parkway
Western Kentucky Parkway
I 165 North
US 60 East
Wendell Ford Expressway
KY 54

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Lincoln Square — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Hodgenville, KY and Owensboro, KY.

1

Start on East Main Street

16 ft · East Main Street
2

Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward Lincoln Square

180 ft · 3 sec · Lincoln Square
3

Exit the rotary onto West Main Street

0.6 mi · 55 sec · West Main Street
4

Turn right onto Lincoln Parkway

9.0 mi · 10 min · Lincoln Parkway
5

Continue on Western Kentucky Parkway

60 mi · 1 hr 4 min · Western Kentucky Parkway
6

Take the exit slight right toward I 165 North: Owensboro

0.6 mi · 1 min · I 165 North: Owensboro
7

Merge slight left

28 mi · 30 min
8

Keep slight right to continue on US 60 East, US 231 North: Hawesville

0.3 mi · 44 sec · US 60 East, US 231 North: Hawesville
9

Merge slight left onto Wendell Ford Expressway

0.8 mi · 53 sec · Wendell Ford Expressway
10

Take the exit slight right toward KY 54

0.3 mi · 42 sec · KY 54
11

Turn left onto Leitchfield Road

259 ft · 6 sec · Leitchfield Road
12

Continue on East Parrish Avenue

1.3 mi · 2 min · East Parrish Avenue
13

Turn right onto Leitchfield Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Leitchfield Road
14

Turn left onto East 5th Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · East 5th Street
15

Turn right onto Frederica Street

0.2 mi · 21 sec · Frederica Street
16

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 51.5 miles from Hodgenville, KY, or about 49m into the drive.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 23 miles or 22m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 51.5 miles or 49m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 1h 20m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Owensboro, KY than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Hodgenville, KY so your first major turns are already loaded.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Hodgenville, KY

This is one driving day of about 103 miles and 1h 38m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 23 miles from Hodgenville, KY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 51.5 mi from Hodgenville, KY · 49m into the drive

Downtown Leitchfield, KY, KY

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Leitchfield, KY

52 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

Elizabethtown, KY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 23 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Leitchfield, KY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 51.5 miles from Hodgenville, KY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Owensboro, KY

The final approach into Owensboro, KY 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

$16.10 one way

$32.21 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 36 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $17.68 $35.36
premium $4.89 $19.82 $39.64
diesel $5.61 $22.74 $45.48

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$16

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$41–$66

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 36 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $11 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 30.9 0 $10.82 $4.94
Efficient EV 25.8 0 $9.01 $4.12
EV Truck/SUV 41.2 0 $14.42 $6.59

Gas CO2

36 kg

EV CO2

12 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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Hodgenville, KY

Afternoon in Hodgenville on Friday

Local time

4:25 PM

EDT

Current temp

52°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Owensboro, KY

Afternoon in Owensboro on Friday

Local time

3:25 PM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

Time zone

1 hour earlier

The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.

Temperature spread

24 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 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 Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY covers 103 miles and takes about 1h 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Lincoln Square, West Main Street, Lincoln Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 51.5 miles from Hodgenville, KY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $16.10 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.

The drive from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY is easy. At 1h 38m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Hodgenville, KY to Owensboro, KY 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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