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Trip from Portland, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME

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

Drive Time

55m

Distance

29.5 mi

48 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 51m ★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 58m
12 PM
0h 57m
3 PM
0h 59m
5 PM
1h 4m
8 PM
0h 52m

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

seat of Cumberland County, and largest city in State of Maine, United States

Portland, ME

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Lake Arrowhead, ME, ME

Lake Arrowhead, ME

Ira Bowman

Trip Overview

The drive from Portland, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME covers 29.5 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 Parker Farm Road, Main Street, Plains Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4.6 miles on Parker Farm Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.75 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Parker Farm Road 4.6 mi 8m
Main Street 3.7 mi 6m
Plains Road 3 mi 5m
Cape Road 2.2 mi 3m
Doles Ridge Road 2.1 mi 3m
Stroudwater Street 1.7 mi 3m
Ossipee Trail 1.7 mi 2m
Congress Street 1.6 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Parker Farm Road — 4.6 mi, about 8m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Portland, ME and Lake Arrowhead, ME.

1

Start on Congress Street

484 ft · 20 sec · Congress Street
2

Turn right onto Brown Street

0.1 mi · 30 sec · Brown Street
3

Turn left onto Cumberland Avenue

0.2 mi · 29 sec · Cumberland Avenue
4

Turn right onto ME 77

0.2 mi · 19 sec · High Street
5

Turn left onto Park Avenue

0.9 mi · 1 min · Park Avenue
6

Continue on Congress Street

1.5 mi · 2 min · Congress Street
7

Turn right onto Westbrook Street

1.2 mi · 2 min · Westbrook Street
8

Continue on Stroudwater Street

1.7 mi · 3 min · Stroudwater Street
9

Turn left onto William B Clarke Drive

0.1 mi · 17 sec · William B Clarke Drive
10

Turn right onto Spring Street

324 ft · 13 sec · Spring Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

Turn left onto ME 25 Business

0.5 mi · 53 sec · Main Street
Use the left lane.
12

Turn right onto ME 25

0.4 mi · 47 sec · William B Clarke Drive
13

Continue on ME 25

0.3 mi · 38 sec · Conant Street
14

Continue on Main Street

3.2 mi · 5 min · Main Street
Use the straight lane.
15

Continue on US 202; ME 4

1.0 mi · 1 min · State Street
16

Continue on ME 25

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Ossipee Trail East
17

Enter roundabout onto ME 25; ME 112

70 ft · 1 sec · Ossipee Trail
18

Continue on ME 25; ME 112

1.7 mi · 2 min · Ossipee Trail
19

Turn left onto ME 112

1.6 mi · 2 min · Dow Road
20

Continue on Parker Farm Road

4.6 mi · 8 min · Parker Farm Road
21

Turn right onto West Buxton Road

0.1 mi · 15 sec · West Buxton Road
22

Continue on Moderation Street

518 ft · 13 sec · Moderation Street
23

At end of road, turn left onto River Road

164 ft · 3 sec · River Road
24

Keep slight right at fork onto High Street

0.3 mi · 29 sec · High Street
25

Continue on Plains Road

3.0 mi · 5 min · Plains Road
26

Turn right onto ME 117

2.2 mi · 3 min · Cape Road
27

Turn left onto Doles Ridge Road

2.1 mi · 3 min · Doles Ridge Road
28

Turn left onto New Dam Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · New Dam Road
29

Turn right onto Old Portland Road

0.8 mi · 3 min · Old Portland Road
30

Turn right onto Crescent Drive

267 ft · 13 sec · Crescent Drive
31

Turn right onto Pioneer Circle

210 ft · 9 sec · Pioneer Circle
32

Arrive at destination

Pioneer Circle

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 17

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 19.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Brown Street

Turn right onto Brown Street

Navigation decision point

7
6.2 mi into trip | ~11m in | Spring Street

Turn right onto Spring Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
5
6.2 mi into trip | ~11m in | ME 25 Business / Main Street

Turn left onto ME 25 Business / Main Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
11.8 mi into trip | ~21m in | ME 25; ME 112 / Ossipee Trail

Enter roundabout onto ME 25; ME 112 / Ossipee Trail

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

5
19.9 mi into trip | ~35m in | River Road

At end of road, turn left onto River Road

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.75 one way

$9.50 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $5.23 $10.45
premium $4.86 $5.65 $11.30
diesel $5.61 $6.51 $13.03

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.9 0 $3.10 $1.42
Efficient EV 7.4 0 $2.58 $1.18
EV Truck/SUV 11.8 0 $4.13 $1.89

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 17, 2026

Origin

Portland, ME

Afternoon in Portland on Saturday

Local time

4:44 PM

EDT

Current temp

45°F

Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

S 0 to 5 mph 67% chance Live forecast

Destination

Lake Arrowhead, ME

Afternoon in Lake Arrowhead on Saturday

Local time

4:44 PM

EDT

Current temp

58°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

13 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

55m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

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

What kind of drive is this?

29.5 mi in 55m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
32 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.6 mi on Parker Farm Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 17 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Brown Street.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 29.5 miles you will encounter 17 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Brown Street): Navigation decision point; at 6.2 miles (Spring Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles (ME 25 Business / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 55m. Total distance: 29.5 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.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 4.6 miles on Parker Farm Road. 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 Lake Arrowhead, ME 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 ME 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 0.1 miles (Brown Street): Navigation decision point; at 6.2 miles (Spring Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 6.2 miles (ME 25 Business / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here.

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

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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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