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Trip from Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY

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

Drive Time

1h 10m

Distance

55.8 mi

90 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 17 min
4 AM
1h 5m ★
6 AM
1h 11m
8 AM
1h 22m
10 AM
1h 15m
12 PM
1h 14m
3 PM
1h 15m
5 PM
1h 21m
8 PM
1h 7m

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

Downtown Owenton, KY, KY

Owenton, KY

Vietnam Hidden Light

Trip Overview

The drive from Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY covers 55.8 miles and takes about 1h 10m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Gainesway Drive, Tates Creek Road, KY 4 West for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.72 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 10m. Total distance: 55.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 10m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 10m drive with frequent turns across 55.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Gainesway Drive 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 Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY is easy. At 1h 10m 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 Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Gainesway Drive
Tates Creek Road
KY 4 West
New Circle Road
US 60 West
Versailles Road
Lexington Road
Versailles Bypass

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Gainesway Drive — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Lexington, KY and Owenton, KY.

1

Start on Coldstream Drive

262 ft · 12 sec · Coldstream Drive
2

Turn right onto Gainesway Drive

1.0 mi · 2 min · Gainesway Drive
3

Turn right onto Tates Creek Road

0.3 mi · 35 sec · Tates Creek Road
4

Turn left onto KY 4 West: New Circle Road

0.4 mi · 49 sec · KY 4 West: New Circle Road
5

Merge slight left onto New Circle Road

5.8 mi · 7 min · New Circle Road
6

Take the exit slight right toward US 60 West: Versailles

0.3 mi · 38 sec · US 60 West: Versailles
7

Continue on Versailles Road

4.7 mi · 6 min · Versailles Road
8

Continue on Lexington Road

3.6 mi · 4 min · Lexington Road
9

Turn slight right onto Versailles Bypass

1.6 mi · 1 min · Versailles Bypass
10

Continue on Frankfort Road

6.0 mi · 6 min · Frankfort Road
11

Continue on Frankfort Highway

1.8 mi · 2 min · Frankfort Highway
12

Continue on Versailles Road

3.3 mi · 5 min · Versailles Road
13

Continue on Wilkinson Boulevard

1.5 mi · 2 min · Wilkinson Boulevard
14

Take the exit slight right

0.1 mi · 16 sec
15

Keep slight left

410 ft · 11 sec
16

Turn left

24 mi · 27 min
17

At the end of the road, turn left onto South Main Street

0.6 mi · 49 sec · South Main Street
18

Turn left onto West Seminary Street

0.4 mi · 42 sec · West Seminary Street
19

Arrive at your destination

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 27.9 mi from Lexington, KY · 35m into the drive

county seat city in Franklin County, Kentucky, USA and Kentucky federated state capital city

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Frankfort, KY

28 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

Versailles, KY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Frankfort, KY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 27.9 miles from Lexington, KY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Owenton, KY

The final approach into Owenton, 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

$8.72 one way

$17.45 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 20 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $9.58 $19.16
premium $4.89 $10.74 $21.48
diesel $5.61 $12.32 $24.64

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 19.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 16.7 0 $5.86 $2.68
Efficient EV 14 0 $4.88 $2.23
EV Truck/SUV 22.3 0 $7.81 $3.57

Gas CO2

20 kg

EV CO2

7 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

Lexington, KY

Late night in Lexington on Saturday

Local time

4:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Owenton, KY

Late night in Owenton on Saturday

Local time

4:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

74°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

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 10m 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 Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY covers 55.8 miles and takes about 1h 10m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Gainesway Drive, Tates Creek Road, KY 4 West. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 27.9 miles from Lexington, KY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $8.72 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 Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY is easy. At 1h 10m 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 Lexington, KY to Owenton, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Lexington, KY to Owenton, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Owenton, KY to Lexington, KY

Plan the drive back the other way.

55.2 mi 1h 10m

Explore more options from Lexington, KY or browse trips ending in Owenton, KY.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse KY road trips.