Origin
Prairie Ridge, WA
Morning in Prairie Ridge on Saturday
Local time
11:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Prairie Ridge, WA to Auburn, WA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
17.2 mi
28 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Prairie Ridge, WA
Brett Sayles
Auburn, WA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 17.2-mile drive from Prairie Ridge to Auburn in Washington is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 28 minutes. With 65% of the journey on highways, you'll spend most of your time on the Valley Freeway and State Route 410 East before transitioning to South Prairie Road East. The estimated fuel cost for this short excursion is around $4, making it an economical option. This route is ideal for a quick local transit within the Pacific Coast region, offering a practical way to connect two points without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Valley Freeway | 6.5 mi | 8m |
| State Route 410 East | 4.6 mi | 6m |
| South Prairie Road East | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| 214th Avenue East | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Elhi Hill Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| C Street Southwest | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 128th Street Court East | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Valley Freeway
— 6.5 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Prairie Ridge, WA and Auburn, WA.
1
Start on 211th Avenue Court East
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
211th Avenue Court East
2
At end of road, turn right onto 128th Street Court East
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
128th Street Court East
3
At end of road, turn left onto Ridgewood Drive
315 ft
·
8 sec
·
Ridgewood Drive
4
Continue on 214th Avenue East
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
214th Avenue East
5
Turn left onto South Prairie Road East
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
South Prairie Road East
6
Turn left onto WA 410
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Elhi Hill Road
7
Continue on WA 410
4.6 mi
·
6 min
·
State Route 410 East
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward WA 167 North: Seattle
Use the slight right lane.
9
Merge onto WA 167
6.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
2 min
Toward WA 18 East: Auburn
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto WA 18
452 ft
·
6 sec
·
State Route 18
12
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
Toward C Street Southwest
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
At end of road, turn left onto C Street Southwest
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
C Street Southwest
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto West Main Street
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
West Main Street
Use the right lane.
15
Arrive at destination
East Main Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 16.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
128th Street Court East
At end of road, turn right onto 128th Street Court East
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Ridgewood Drive
At end of road, turn left onto Ridgewood Drive
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
7
8.4 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Keep slight right at fork toward WA 167 North: Seattle
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward WA 167 North: Seattle
6
15.3 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Take the exit toward WA 18 East: Auburn
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward WA 18 East: Auburn
6
16.4 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward C Street Southwest
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward C Street Southwest
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.60 one way
$7.20 round trip
$5.32/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.58 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
| premium | $5.77 | $3.91 | $7.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.80 | $7.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.41 | $1.10 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Auburn, WA
Morning in Auburn on Saturday
Local time
11:10 AM
PDT
Current temp
46°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
1 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
28m 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?
Expect a highway-focused drive for most of this route, with 65% of the mileage being on main roads like the Valley Freeway and State Route 410 East. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.5 miles on the Valley Freeway, providing a consistent pace. As you progress, the character shifts from this faster highway segment to the more localized South Prairie Road East. This transition offers a change of scenery and driving feel as you approach your destination.
65% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.5 mi on Valley Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Valley Freeway and State Route 410 East. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 128th Street Court East.
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 17.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (128th Street Court East): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles (Ridgewood Drive): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 8.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 17.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (65%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.5 miles on Valley Freeway. 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 Auburn, WA 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (128th Street Court East): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles (Ridgewood Drive): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 8.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Auburn, WA 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.
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