Kirkland to Fairwood is 19.5 miles and takes about 30m via I 405 and Maple Valley Highway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Washington State, transitioning from the Pacific Coast region to a similar coastal environment. Expect a drive that is primarily on well-maintained highways, making it a straightforward journey. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick commute or an easy day trip, allowing for flexibility in your schedule.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 19.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (70%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This route is about 70% highway, offering a highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 13 miles on I 405, providing a good opportunity to maintain a steady pace. You'll start on I 405, a major interstate, before transitioning to Maple Valley Highway and then 140th Avenue Southeast, which are more arterial roads. This mix means you'll experience both faster-paced highway driving and slightly more varied local road conditions as you approach your destination.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 405 is the longest continuous segment at about 13 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 405 and Maple Valley Highway. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 7th Avenue.
Driving Effort5/10
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 19.5 miles you will encounter 11 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 0.1 miles (7th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (7th Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.5 miles (7th Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|7th Avenue
Turn left onto 7th Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip|~0m in|7th Avenue
Enter roundabout onto 7th Avenue
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
0.5 mi into trip|~1m in|7th Avenue
Enter roundabout onto 7th Avenue
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
8
14.5 mi into trip|~20m in|WA 900
Take the exit onto WA 900 toward WA 169 South, WA 900 West: Renton, Enumclaw
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 4
Toward WA 169 South, WA 900 West: Renton, Enumc...
6
19.3 mi into trip|~30m in|139th Place Southeast
Turn sharp left onto 139th Place Southeast
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Kirkland, WA to Fairwood, WA, road signs begin pointing toward Enumclaw along the way.
Enumclaw
14.5 mi in|~20m|via WA 900
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 405
13 mi
16m
Maple Valley Highway
2.2 mi
4m
140th Avenue Southeast
1.8 mi
3m
WA 900
0.7 mi
1m
7th Avenue
0.5 mi
1m
Northeast 85th Street
0.5 mi
1m
Southeast 172nd Street
0.1 mi
<1m
6th Street
<0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
I 405
— 13 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Kirkland, WA and Fairwood, WA.
1
Start on 1st Street
399 ft·16 sec·1st Street
2
Turn left onto 7th Avenue
0.1 mi·16 sec·7th Avenue
3
Continue on 7th Avenue
0.3 mi·52 sec·7th Avenue
4
Continue on 7th Avenue
0.1 mi·20 sec·7th Avenue
5
Turn right onto 6th Street
449 ft·14 sec·6th Street
6
Turn left onto Northeast 85th Street
0.5 mi·1 min·Northeast 85th Street
7
Take the ramp
0.4 mi·49 sec
Toward I 405 South: RentonUse the right lane.
8
Merge onto I 405
13 mi·16 min·I 405
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto WA 900
0.7 mi·1 min·WA 900
Exit 4Toward WA 169 South, WA 900 West: Renton, EnumclawUse the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn left onto WA 169
270 ft·14 sec·Maple Valley Highway
Use the left / straight lanes.
11
Continue on WA 169
2.2 mi·4 min·Maple Valley Highway
12
Turn right onto 140th Avenue Southeast
1.8 mi·3 min·140th Avenue Southeast
13
Turn right onto Southeast 171st Place
217 ft·14 sec·Southeast 171st Place
14
Turn sharp left onto 139th Place Southeast
313 ft·12 sec·139th Place Southeast
15
Turn right onto Southeast 172nd Street
0.1 mi·20 sec·Southeast 172nd Street
16
Arrive at destination
Southeast 172nd Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.08 one way
$8.16 round trip
$5.32/gal25.4 MPG avg7 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$5.58
$4.28
$8.56
premium
$5.77
$4.43
$8.86
diesel
$5.61
$4.31
$8.61
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.8 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging
· 0 stops
· 71% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
5.9
0
$2.05
$0.94
Efficient EV
4.9
0
$1.71
$0.78
EV Truck/SUV
7.8
0
$2.73
$1.25
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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 16, 2026
Origin
Kirkland, WA
Late night
in Kirkland on Saturday
Local time
4:28 AM
PDT
Current temp
57°F
Sunny
SSW 5 mph2% chanceLive forecast
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 6:46AM PDT until April 17 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Pendleton OR
Freeze Warning
Freeze Warning issued April 16 at 6:46AM PDT until April 17 at 9:00AM PDT by NWS Pendleton OR
Destination
Fairwood, WA
Late night
in Fairwood on Saturday
Local time
4:28 AM
PDT
Current temp
42°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
15 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
30m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Kirkland, WA to Fairwood, WA covers 19.5 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are I 405, Maple Valley Highway, 140th Avenue Southeast. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.7 miles from Kirkland, WA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.08 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 19.5 miles you will encounter 11 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 0.1 miles (7th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (7th Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.5 miles (7th Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
On the drive from Kirkland, WA to Fairwood, WA, road signs begin pointing toward Enumclaw along the way.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit 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.
