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Trip from Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA

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

Drive Time

2h 20m

Distance

136.2 mi

219 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$21

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 29 min
4 AM
2h 11m ★
6 AM
2h 21m
8 AM
2h 40m
10 AM
2h 28m
12 PM
2h 26m
3 PM
2h 29m
5 PM
2h 39m
8 PM
2h 15m

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

small city in Allen Parish, Louisiana, United States

Oakdale, LA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Monroe, LA, LA

Monroe, LA

Perry Z

Trip Overview

The drive from Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA covers 136.2 miles and takes about 2h 20m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Macarthur Drive, Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge, Monroe Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $20.57 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

68.1 miles from Oakdale, LA

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 1h 10m into the drive .

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 20m. Total distance: 136.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

2h 20m 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 2h 20m drive with frequent turns across 136.2 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Macarthur 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 Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA is easy. At 2h 20m 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 Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Macarthur Drive
Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge
Monroe Highway
US 165
Lea Joyner Memorial Expressway
North 6th Street
Louisville Avenue

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

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

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Oakdale, LA and Monroe, LA.

1

Start on East 6th Avenue

0.2 mi · 46 sec · East 6th Avenue
2

Turn right

34 mi · 42 min
3

Turn slight left onto Macarthur Drive

0.6 mi · 1 min · Macarthur Drive
4

Turn right

105 ft · 7 sec
5

Turn left onto Macarthur Drive

4.0 mi · 6 min · Macarthur Drive
6

Continue on Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge

0.6 mi · 43 sec · Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge
7

Continue on Monroe Highway

62 mi · 1 hr 13 min · Monroe Highway
8

Continue straight

23 mi · 26 min
9

Turn straight

6.1 mi · 7 min
10

Take the exit slight right

0.1 mi · 13 sec
11

Keep slight left

0.7 mi · 1 min
12

Merge slight left

1.0 mi · 1 min
13

Take the exit slight right toward US 165 BUS, LA 15: Civic Center

0.1 mi · 19 sec · US 165 BUS, LA 15: Civic Center
14

Keep slight right

305 ft · 7 sec
15

Turn straight onto Lea Joyner Memorial Expressway

0.5 mi · 46 sec · Lea Joyner Memorial Expressway
16

Continue on North 6th Street

0.3 mi · 35 sec · North 6th Street
17

Turn left onto Louisville Avenue

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Louisville Avenue
18

Turn left

46 ft · 5 sec
19

Turn right

39 ft · 3 sec
20

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 68.1 miles from Oakdale, LA, or about 1h 10m 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 30 miles or 31m in

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

Halfway reset

Around 68.1 miles or 1h 10m 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 55m

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

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Oakdale, LA so your first major turns are already loaded.

+

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

+

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Oakdale, LA

This is one driving day of about 136.2 miles and 2h 20m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 30 miles from Oakdale, LA.
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 68.1 mi from Oakdale, LA · 1h 10m into the drive

suburb town of Alexandria, located in Rapides Parish just north of Pineville, Louisiana, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Ball, LA

68 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

Alexandria, LA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 30 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Ball, LA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 68.1 miles from Oakdale, LA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Monroe, LA

The final approach into Monroe, LA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Monroe, LA.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$20.57 one way

$41.14 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 48 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.21 $22.58 $45.16
premium $4.56 $24.45 $48.89
diesel $5.61 $30.07 $60.14

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$21

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$46–$71

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

Estimated CO2 emission: 47.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $14 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 40.9 0 $14.30 $6.54
Efficient EV 34.1 0 $11.92 $5.45
EV Truck/SUV 54.5 0 $19.07 $8.72

Gas CO2

48 kg

EV CO2

16 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

Oakdale, LA

Morning in Oakdale on Saturday

Local time

6:40 AM

CDT

Current temp

58°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Monroe, LA

Morning in Monroe on Saturday

Local time

6:40 AM

CDT

Current temp

86°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

Same local time

Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.

Temperature spread

28 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

2h 20m 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 Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA covers 136.2 miles and takes about 2h 20m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Macarthur Drive, Curtis-Coleman Memorial Bridge, Monroe Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 68.1 miles from Oakdale, LA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $20.57 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 Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA is easy. At 2h 20m 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 Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Oakdale, LA to Monroe, LA 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

Monroe, LA to Oakdale, LA

Plan the drive back the other way.

134 mi 2h 42m

Explore more options from Oakdale, LA or browse trips ending in Monroe, LA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse LA road trips.