Skip to main content

Trip from Milford, NH to Salem, NH

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

Drive Time

55m

Distance

36.3 mi

58 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 51m ★
6 AM
0h 56m
8 AM
1h 5m
10 AM
0h 59m
12 PM
0h 58m
3 PM
0h 59m
5 PM
1h 4m
8 PM
0h 53m

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

town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States

Milford, NH

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Salem, NH, NH

Salem, NH

Banx Photography

Trip Overview

The drive from Milford, NH to Salem, NH covers 36.3 miles and takes about 55m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on NH 101, Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway, Amherst Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.8 miles on NH 101. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.84 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
NH 101 13.8 mi 20m
Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway 10.8 mi 12m
Amherst Street 3.2 mi 6m
Alan B Shepard Highway 3.2 mi 3m
Main Street 2.1 mi 5m
Alan B Shepard Jr Highway 1 mi 1m
I 293 0.8 mi 1m
Pelham Road 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: NH 101 — 13.8 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Milford, NH and Salem, NH.

1

Start on NH 13

354 ft · 7 sec · South Street
2

Turn straight onto NH 13

264 ft · 8 sec · Mont Vernon Road
3

Turn right onto Amherst Street

3.2 mi · 6 min · Amherst Street
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 34 sec
5

Merge onto NH 101

2.9 mi · 4 min · NH 101
6

Continue on NH 101

6.3 mi · 10 min · NH 101
Use the left / straight lanes.
7

Take the exit onto NH 101

4.7 mi · 6 min · NH 101
8

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 16 sec
Toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston
9

Continue on I 293

0.8 mi · 1 min · I 293
10

Merge onto I 93

3.2 mi · 3 min · Alan B Shepard Highway
11

Continue on I 93

1.0 mi · 1 min · Alan B Shepard Jr Highway
12

Continue on I 93

11 mi · 12 min · Alan Bartlett Shepard Junior Highway
Use the straight lane.
13

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 45 sec
Exit 2 Toward Pelham, Salem
14

Keep slight left at fork

321 ft · 9 sec
15

Turn left onto Pelham Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · Pelham Road
Use the straight lane.
16

Continue on Main Street

2.1 mi · 5 min · Main Street
17

Turn right

113 ft · 8 sec
18

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

town in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Bedford, NH

18 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

Lawrence, MA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

City of Manchester, NH

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.2 miles from Milford, NH, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

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

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 17.4 and 36.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
17.4 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston

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

Toward I 93 South: Salem, Boston
6
33.4 mi into trip | ~48m in

Take the exit toward Pelham, Salem

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

Exit 2 Toward Pelham, Salem
4
33.7 mi into trip | ~48m in

Keep slight left at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

4
33.8 mi into trip | ~49m in | Pelham Road

Turn left onto Pelham Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
4
36.3 mi into trip | ~55m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.84 one way

$11.69 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $6.43 $12.86
premium $4.86 $6.95 $13.90
diesel $5.61 $8.01 $16.03

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.9 0 $3.81 $1.74
Efficient EV 9.1 0 $3.18 $1.45
EV Truck/SUV 14.5 0 $5.08 $2.32

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (69% 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

Milford, NH

Afternoon in Milford on Saturday

Local time

3:49 PM

EDT

Current temp

62°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Salem, NH

Afternoon in Salem on Saturday

Local time

3:49 PM

EDT

Current temp

61°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

53°F

Bedford, NH

18 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 cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

55m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

36.3 mi in 55m — 40% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: NH 101.

40% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.8 mi on NH 101.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

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 17.4 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 36.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 55m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 17.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 33.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 33.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Milford, NH and Salem, NH, road signs point toward Boston and Pelham.

Boston

17.4 mi in | ~28m

Pelham

33.4 mi in | ~48m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 55m. Total distance: 36.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

55m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (40%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 13.8 miles on NH 101. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Salem, NH before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NH can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.

The main spots that need attention: at 17.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 33.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 33.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Salem, NH before heading back.

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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Explore more options from Milford, NH or browse trips ending in Salem, NH.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NH road trips.