Trip from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY

Drive Time

4h 37m

Distance

292.7 mi

471 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$44

one way

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 40 min
4 AM
4h 24m ★
6 AM
4h 38m
8 AM
5h 4m
10 AM
4h 47m
12 PM
4h 44m
3 PM
4h 48m
5 PM
5h 3m
8 PM
4h 29m

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

Downtown Paintsville, KY, KY

Paintsville, KY

Vietnam Hidden Light

Downtown Owensboro, KY, KY

Owensboro, KY

Vietnam Hidden Light

Trip Overview

The drive from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY covers 292.7 miles and takes about 4h 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on 3rd Street, Mountain Parkway, I 64 West for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $44.46 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.

Break Rhythm

1 planned break

Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

Midpoint

146.4 miles from Paintsville, KY

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 18m into the drive .

Drive Character

Expect a 4h 37m drive with frequent turns across 292.7 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 31 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
3rd Street 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. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.

Route Complexity 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

This is a straightforward 4h 37m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
3rd Street Unavailable Refreshing
Mountain Parkway Unavailable Refreshing
I 64 West Unavailable Refreshing
US 27 Unavailable Refreshing
North Broadway Unavailable Refreshing
West New Circle Road Unavailable Refreshing
US 60 West Unavailable Refreshing
Versailles Road Unavailable Refreshing

Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.

Longest stretch: 3rd Street — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Paintsville, KY and Owensboro, KY.

1

Start on Court Street

495 ft · 27 sec · Court Street
2

Turn left onto 3rd Street

2.3 mi · 3 min · 3rd Street
3

Continue straight

14 mi · 15 min
4

At the end of the road, turn right onto Mountain Parkway

77 mi · 1 hr 22 min · Mountain Parkway
5

Merge slight left

16 mi · 16 min
6

Keep slight right to continue on I 64 West, I 75 North: Louisville, Cincinnati

2.4 mi · 3 min · I 64 West, I 75 North: Louisville, Cincinnati
7

Take the exit slight right toward US 27, US 68: Paris, Lexington

0.4 mi · 1 min · US 27, US 68: Paris, Lexington
8

Turn right onto North Broadway

1.2 mi · 2 min · North Broadway
9

Turn right onto West New Circle Road

5.8 mi · 8 min · West New Circle Road
10

Take the exit slight right toward US 60 West: Versailles

0.3 mi · 45 sec · US 60 West: Versailles
11

Merge slight left onto Versailles Road

4.5 mi · 6 min · Versailles Road
12

Continue on Lexington Road

1.3 mi · 1 min · Lexington Road
13

Take the exit slight right toward Elizabethtown

0.7 mi · 1 min · Elizabethtown
14

Continue on Bluegrass Parkway

71 mi · 1 hr 15 min · Bluegrass Parkway
15

Keep slight left

0.9 mi · 1 min
16

Merge slight left

1.2 mi · 1 min
17

Take the exit slight right toward KY 61 South: Elizabethtown, Paducah, Western Kentucky Parkway

0.2 mi · 26 sec · KY 61 South: Elizabethtown, Paducah, Western Kentucky Parkway
18

Keep slight right to continue on US 31W: Elizabethtown, Paducah, Western Kentucky Parkway West

0.2 mi · 32 sec · US 31W: Elizabethtown, Paducah, Western Kentucky Parkway West
19

Keep slight left to continue on Paducah, Elizabethtown

0.3 mi · 42 sec · Paducah, Elizabethtown
20

Merge slight left onto Western Kentucky Parkway

59 mi · 1 hr 3 min · Western Kentucky Parkway
21

Take the exit slight right toward I 165 North: Owensboro

0.6 mi · 1 min · I 165 North: Owensboro
22

Merge slight left

28 mi · 30 min
23

Keep slight right to continue on US 60 East, US 231 North: Hawesville

0.3 mi · 44 sec · US 60 East, US 231 North: Hawesville
24

Merge slight left onto Wendell Ford Expressway

0.8 mi · 53 sec · Wendell Ford Expressway
25

Take the exit slight right toward KY 54

0.3 mi · 42 sec · KY 54
26

Turn left onto Leitchfield Road

259 ft · 6 sec · Leitchfield Road
27

Continue on East Parrish Avenue

1.3 mi · 2 min · East Parrish Avenue
28

Turn right onto Leitchfield Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Leitchfield Road
29

Turn left onto East 5th Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · East 5th Street
30

Turn right onto Frederica Street

0.2 mi · 21 sec · Frederica Street
31

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Evening Departure

A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 146.4 miles from Paintsville, KY, or about 2h 18m 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 80 miles or 1h 15m in

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

Halfway reset

Around 146.4 miles or 2h 18m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 3h 47m

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

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Paintsville, KY 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 Paintsville, KY

This is one driving day of about 292.7 miles and 4h 37m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 80 miles from Paintsville, KY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 146.4 mi from Paintsville, KY · 2h 18m into the drive

Downtown Lexington-Fayette, KY, KY

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Lexington-Fayette, KY

146 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

Lexington-Fayette, KY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 80 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Lexington-Fayette, KY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 146.4 miles from Paintsville, KY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Owensboro, KY

The final approach into Owensboro, KY 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 Owensboro, KY.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$44.46 one way

$88.92 round trip

$3.86/gal 25.4 MPG avg 102 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.25 $49.01 $98.02
premium $4.80 $55.26 $110.51
diesel $5.64 $65.03 $130.06

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$44

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$69–$94

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

Estimated CO2 emission: 102.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-06.

Driving Electric?

About $31 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 87.8 1 $30.73 $14.05
Efficient EV 73.2 0 $25.61 $11.71
EV Truck/SUV 117.1 1 $40.98 $18.73

Gas CO2

102 kg

EV CO2

34 kg (67% less)

Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.

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 data refreshed 3 days ago

Origin

Paintsville, KY

Afternoon in Paintsville on Sunday

Local time

4:16 PM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Owensboro, KY

Afternoon in Owensboro on Sunday

Local time

3:16 PM

CDT

Current temp

61°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

1 hour earlier

The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.

Temperature spread

2 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

4h 37m on the road

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY covers 292.7 miles and takes about 4h 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are 3rd Street, Mountain Parkway, I 64 West. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 146.4 miles from Paintsville, KY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $44.46 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left. A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
This is a straightforward 4h 37m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Paintsville, KY to Owensboro, KY does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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