Origin
North Star, DE
Afternoon in North Star on Friday
Local time
1:11 PM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from North Star, DE to Elsmere, DE
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
9 mi
14 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
North Star, DE
Abraham
Elsmere, DE
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from North Star, DE to Elsmere, DE covers 9 miles and takes about 17m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Kirkwood Highway, Limestone Road, North Star Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.5 miles on Kirkwood Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.49 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m 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 with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 17m drive with frequent turns across 9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Kirkwood Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 3.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Venus Drive.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 17m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Venus Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (North Star Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles (DE 72 / Paper Mill Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Venus Drive
Turn right onto Venus Drive
Navigation decision point
3
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
North Star Road
Turn left onto North Star Road
Navigation decision point
6
1.4 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
DE 72 / Paper Mill Road
Turn left onto DE 72 / Paper Mill Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
3
2.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
DE 7 / Limestone Road
Turn right onto DE 7 / Limestone Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kirkwood Highway | 3.5 mi | 6m |
| Limestone Road | 3.2 mi | 5m |
| North Star Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Paper Mill Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Venus Drive | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Robert Kirkwood Highway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Kirkwood Highway
— 3.5 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between North Star, DE and Elsmere, DE.
1
Start on this road
198 ft
·
13 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Venus Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Venus Drive
3
Turn left onto North Star Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North Star Road
4
Turn left onto DE 72
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Paper Mill Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto DE 7
3.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Limestone Road
6
Turn left onto DE 2
3.5 mi
·
6 min
·
Kirkwood Highway
7
Arrive at destination
DE 2
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.49 one way
$2.98 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $1.63 | $3.27 |
| premium | $4.93 | $1.75 | $3.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.99 | $3.97 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.79 | $0.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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.
Destination
Elsmere, DE
Afternoon in Elsmere on Friday
Local time
1:11 PM
EDT
Current temp
63°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
2 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
17m 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 North Star, DE to Elsmere, DE covers 9 miles and takes about 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Kirkwood Highway, Limestone Road, North Star Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 4.5 miles from North Star, DE. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.49 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 is a straightforward 17m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Venus Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (North Star Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles (DE 72 / Paper Mill Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from North Star, DE to Elsmere, DE does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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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