Origin
Sanford, ME
Late night in Sanford on Friday
Local time
12:39 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Sanford, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME
Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026
Drive Time
42m
Distance
20.4 mi
33 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Sanford, ME
Wikimedia Commons
Lake Arrowhead, ME
Ira Bowman
Trip Overview
The drive from Sanford, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME covers 20.4 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Main Street, Sokokis Trail, New Dam Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4.9 miles on Main Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.28 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 20.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m 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 42m drive with frequent turns across 20.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Main Street is the longest continuous segment at about 4.9 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 early in the drive near Washington Street.
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 42m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Washington Street): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (US 202; ME 4 / Oak Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles (ME 5 / Sokokis Trail): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Washington Street
Turn right onto Washington Street
Navigation decision point
4
4 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
US 202; ME 4 / Oak Street
Turn left onto US 202; ME 4 / Oak Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
11.9 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
ME 5 / Sokokis Trail
At end of road, turn left onto ME 5 / Sokokis Trail
Navigation decision point
4
16.5 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
Chadbourne Ridge Road
At end of road, turn right onto Chadbourne Ridge Road
Navigation decision point
4
20.3 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
Pioneer Circle
Turn right onto Pioneer Circle
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Main Street | 4.9 mi | 8m |
| Sokokis Trail | 4 mi | 7m |
| New Dam Road | 2.6 mi | 6m |
| Waterboro Road | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| Sanford Road | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Cottage Street | 1.2 mi | 3m |
| Old Portland Road | 0.8 mi | 3m |
| Silas Brown Road | 0.6 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Main Street
— 4.9 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Sanford, ME and Lake Arrowhead, ME.
1
Start on this road
89 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Washington Street
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Washington Street
3
Continue on River Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
River Street
4
Turn right onto US 202; ME 4A
1.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Cottage Street
5
Continue on US 202; ME 4A
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Sanford Road
6
Turn left onto US 202; ME 4
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Oak Street
Use the left lane.
7
Continue on US 202; ME 4
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Waterboro Road
8
Continue on US 202; ME 4
4.9 mi
·
8 min
·
Main Street
9
At end of road, turn left onto ME 5
4.0 mi
·
7 min
·
Sokokis Trail
10
Turn right onto Silas Brown Road
0.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Silas Brown Road
11
At end of road, turn right onto Chadbourne Ridge Road
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
Chadbourne Ridge Road
12
Turn left onto New Dam Road
2.6 mi
·
6 min
·
New Dam Road
13
Turn left onto Old Portland Road
0.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Old Portland Road
14
Turn right onto Crescent Drive
267 ft
·
13 sec
·
Crescent Drive
15
Turn right onto Pioneer Circle
210 ft
·
9 sec
·
Pioneer Circle
16
Arrive at destination
Pioneer Circle
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.28 one way
$6.57 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $3.61 | $7.23 |
| premium | $4.86 | $3.91 | $7.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.50 | $9.01 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.78 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.86 | $1.31 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Lake Arrowhead, ME
Late night in Lake Arrowhead on Friday
Local time
12:39 AM
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
7 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
42m 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 Sanford, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME covers 20.4 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Main Street, Sokokis Trail, New Dam Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10.2 miles from Sanford, ME. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.28 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 42m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Washington Street): Navigation decision point; at 4 miles (US 202; ME 4 / Oak Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.9 miles (ME 5 / Sokokis Trail): Navigation decision point.
The route from Sanford, ME to Lake Arrowhead, ME does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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