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Trip from Richmond, ME to Brightwater, ME

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 4m

Distance

24.5 mi

39 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 16 min
4 AM
0h 59m ★
6 AM
1h 4m
8 AM
1h 15m
10 AM
1h 8m
12 PM
1h 7m
3 PM
1h 9m
5 PM
1h 14m
8 PM
1h 1m

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

Downtown Richmond, ME, ME

Richmond, ME

Tnarg

Downtown Brightwater, ME, ME

Brightwater, ME

Vladislav Nahorny

Trip Overview

This 24.5-mile journey from Richmond to Brightwater, Maine, is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking about 1 hour and 4 minutes to complete. You'll primarily navigate local roads, with Middle Road, River Road, and Meadowbrook Road forming the backbone of your route. With no highway driving, expect a relaxed pace. The estimated fuel cost for this short hop is a modest $4, making it an economical option. This drive stays within the Northeast region, offering a taste of local Maine life without significant travel time.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 4m. Total distance: 24.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 4m 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.

Drive Character

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with a 0% highway share. The most substantial uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.8 miles along Middle Road. This means you'll be actively navigating, with frequent turns and changes in road character as you move through the area. The drive is characterized by its local feel, rather than long, high-speed segments, so be prepared for a more engaging driving experience.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Middle Road is the longest continuous segment at about 9.8 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 around 0.1 miles in.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 1h 4m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles (ME 128 / River Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (Indian Road): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

4
1.7 mi into trip | ~4m in | ME 128 / River Road

Turn right onto ME 128 / River Road

Navigation decision point

4
4.4 mi into trip | ~11m in | Indian Road

Turn left onto Indian Road

Navigation decision point

4
15.4 mi into trip | ~35m in

Take the exit

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

5
15.7 mi into trip | ~36m in | Washington Street

Turn left onto Washington Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / uturn lanes.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Middle Road 9.8 mi 21m
River Road 2.8 mi 6m
Meadowbrook Road 2.2 mi 8m
High Street 2.1 mi 5m
Campbells Pond Road 2.1 mi 5m
Washington Street 1.1 mi 3m
Front Street 0.9 mi 2m
Brightwater Road 0.9 mi 3m
Longest stretch: Middle Road — 9.8 mi, about 21m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Richmond, ME and Brightwater, ME.

1

Start on this road

283 ft · 22 sec · this road
2

Turn right

54 ft · 5 sec
3

Turn right onto ME 24

0.5 mi · 1 min · Front Street
4

Continue on ME 197

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Front Street
5

Continue on ME 197

0.1 mi · 18 sec · Ferry Road
6

Continue on ME 197

0.5 mi · 1 min · Patterson Road
7

Turn right onto ME 128

2.8 mi · 6 min · River Road
8

Turn left onto Indian Road

0.5 mi · 1 min · Indian Road
9

Turn right onto ME 127

9.8 mi · 21 min · Middle Road
10

Merge onto US 1; ME 127

0.6 mi · 1 min · Main Street
11

Continue on US 1

0.1 mi · 15 sec · Leeman Highway
12

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 21 sec
13

Continue on Vine Street

0.1 mi · 21 sec · Vine Street
14

Turn left onto Washington Street

1.1 mi · 3 min · Washington Street
Use the left / uturn lanes.
15

Turn right onto Marshall Street

0.1 mi · 30 sec · Marshall Street
16

At end of road, turn left onto ME 209

1.3 mi · 3 min · High Street
17

Continue on High Street

0.7 mi · 1 min · High Street
18

Continue on Campbells Pond Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Campbells Pond Road
19

Continue on Campbells Pond Road

1.0 mi · 2 min · Campbells Pond Road
20

Continue on Campbells Pond Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · Campbells Pond Road
21

Continue on Meadowbrook Road

2.2 mi · 8 min · Meadowbrook Road
22

Turn right onto Brightwater Road

0.9 mi · 3 min · Brightwater Road
23

Turn straight onto The Boulevard

0.3 mi · 1 min · The Boulevard
24

Arrive at destination

The Boulevard

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.94 one way

$7.89 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $4.34 $8.68
premium $4.86 $4.69 $9.38
diesel $5.61 $5.41 $10.82

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.57 $1.18
Efficient EV 6.1 0 $2.14 $0.98
EV Truck/SUV 9.8 0 $3.43 $1.57

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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

Richmond, ME

Morning in Richmond on Friday

Local time

11:08 AM

EDT

Current temp

35°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Brightwater, ME

Morning in Brightwater on Friday

Local time

11:08 AM

EDT

Current temp

53°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

18 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

1h 4m 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 Richmond, ME to Brightwater, ME covers 24.5 miles and takes about 1h 4m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Middle Road, River Road, Meadowbrook Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 12.3 miles from Richmond, ME. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.94 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 1h 4m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles (ME 128 / River Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.4 miles (Indian Road): Navigation decision point.

The route from Richmond, ME to Brightwater, ME 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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