Scranton to Akron is 117.7 miles and takes about 2h 33m via American Legion Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $20 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Pennsylvania, taking you from the Northeast region to its continuation. Expect a route that involves frequent turns and local road navigation, making it a hands-on driving experience rather than a straightforward highway cruise. Given its manageable length, it's well-suited for a single day trip.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
58.8 miles from Scranton, PA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 11m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 33m. Total distance: 117.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This route is characterized by its 'turn-heavy local drive' profile, with only a 2% highway share. You'll be navigating a series of local roads, including segments of American Legion Memorial Highway, Chestnut Street, and Stiegel Pike. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 59.7 miles on the American Legion Memorial Highway. Be prepared for a dynamic driving experience that requires attention to navigation and road changes.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 39 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
American Legion Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 59.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 19 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Lackawanna Avenue.
Driving Effort6/10
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 117.7 miles you will encounter 19 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 (Lackawanna Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles (CR 3023 / Cedar Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 61.9 miles (PA 61 / Skyline Drive): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 19 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Lackawanna Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto Lackawanna Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
0.3 mi into trip|~1m in|CR 3023 / Cedar Avenue
Turn right onto CR 3023 / Cedar Avenue
Navigation decision point
8
61.9 mi into trip|~1h 15m in|PA 61 / Skyline Drive
Turn uturn onto PA 61 / Skyline Drive
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
89.1 mi into trip|~1h 53m in
Take the exit toward PA 501: Bethel
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 13
Toward PA 501: Bethel
7
89.3 mi into trip|~1h 54m in|PA 501 / Lancaster Avenue
Turn left onto PA 501 / Lancaster Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
American Legion Memorial Highway
59.7 mi
1h 10m
Chestnut Street
9.5 mi
14m
Stiegel Pike
6 mi
6m
Lancaster Avenue
5.6 mi
6m
North College Street
5.5 mi
6m
Skyline Drive
4.4 mi
5m
West Main Street
4.2 mi
7m
William Penn Highway
3.6 mi
4m
Longest stretch:
American Legion Memorial Highway
— 59.7 mi, about 1h 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Scranton, PA and Akron, PA.
1
Start on Wyoming Avenue
0.1 mi·38 sec·Wyoming Avenue
2
At end of road, turn left onto Lackawanna Avenue
0.2 mi·24 sec·Lackawanna Avenue
3
Turn right onto CR 3023
0.2 mi·22 sec·Cedar Avenue
4
Continue on Cedar Avenue
400 ft·12 sec·Cedar Avenue
5
Turn left onto River Street
0.9 mi·1 min·River Street
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·28 sec
7
Merge onto I 81
60 mi·1 hr 10 min·American Legion Memorial Highway
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi·1 min
Exit 124BToward PA 61 North: Frackville
9
Turn straight onto PA 61
500 ft·13 sec·Skyline Drive
10
Turn uturn onto PA 61
4.3 mi·5 min·Skyline Drive
Use the left lane.
11
Continue on PA 61
1.1 mi·1 min·Joseph H. Long Boulevard
12
Continue on PA 61
1.0 mi·1 min·Pottsville Saint Clair Highway
13
Continue on PA 61
1.6 mi·2 min·North Claude A. Lord Boulevard
14
Continue on PA 61
0.2 mi·14 sec·Pottsville Boulevard
15
Continue on PA 61
2.8 mi·3 min·Route 61 South
16
Take the exit
0.1 mi·14 sec
17
Turn straight onto PA 183
0.6 mi·1 min·Pottsville Street
18
Turn left onto PA 183
0.3 mi·26 sec·South Sillyman Street
19
Continue on PA 183
0.9 mi·2 min·Chestnut Street
20
Continue on PA 183
8.6 mi·12 min·Chestnut Street
21
Turn slight right onto PA 419
1.9 mi·2 min·Four Point Road
22
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·29 sec
Toward I 78 West, US 22 West: Harrisburg
23
Merge onto I 78; US 22
3.6 mi·4 min·William Penn Highway
24
Take the exit
0.2 mi·28 sec
Exit 13Toward PA 501: BethelUse the slight right lane.
25
Turn left onto PA 501
0.3 mi·42 sec·Lancaster Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
26
Continue on PA 501
1.2 mi·1 min·Lancaster Avenue
Use the right lane.
27
At end of road, turn right onto PA 501
4.1 mi·4 min·Lancaster Avenue
28
Continue on PA 501
5.5 mi·6 min·North College Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
29
Continue on PA 501
6.0 mi·6 min·Stiegel Pike
30
Continue on PA 501
1.5 mi·1 min·Furnace Hill Pike
31
Continue on PA 501
0.7 mi·55 sec·Furnace Hills Pike
32
Turn left onto US 322
2.6 mi·4 min·East 28th Division Highway
33
Continue on US 322
4.2 mi·7 min·West Main Street
34
Turn right onto South Academy Drive
0.3 mi·48 sec·South Academy Drive
35
Turn right onto PA 272
0.9 mi·1 min·South Reading Road
36
Continue on PA 272
0.5 mi·43 sec·South State Street
37
Continue on PA 272
0.3 mi·37 sec·North 7th Street
38
Turn left onto North 9th Street
0.3 mi·45 sec·North 9th Street
39
Arrive at destination
South 9th Street
Trip Plan
With a duration of just over two and a half hours, this is a trip you can easily complete in one day, offering flexibility in your departure time. Consider leaving mid-morning to avoid early rush hour and allow for a leisurely pace. The longest stretch without a turn is nearly 60 miles, so plan your fuel and rest stops accordingly before you embark on that segment. Keep an eye on your GPS, as the 'turn-heavy' nature of this route means you'll be making frequent adjustments.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 58.8 miles from Scranton, PA, or about 1h 11m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 59.7 miles.
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 26 miles or 32m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 58.8 miles or 1h 11m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h 3m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Akron, PA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Scranton, PA 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 Scranton, PA
This is one driving day of about 117.7 miles and 2h 33m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 26 miles from Scranton, PA.
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.
The longest stretch is on American Legion Memorial Highway for about 59.7 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 58.8 mi from Scranton, PA
· 1h 11m into the drive
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Appalachian National Scenic Trail
National Scenic Trail
The Appalachian Trail is a 2,190+ mile long public footpath that traverses the scenic, wooded, pastoral, wild, and culturally resonant lands of the Appalachian Mountains. Conceived in 1921, built by p...
7 mi from route
~18 min detour
Free
near mile 97.4
Park Closure: List of trail closures post-Hurricane Helene
Caution: Black Bears Frequenting the McAfee Knob Area in Virginia
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $12 in charging
· 0 stops
· 66% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
35.3
0
$12.36
$5.65
Efficient EV
29.4
0
$10.30
$4.71
EV Truck/SUV
47.1
0
$16.48
$7.53
Gas CO2
41 kg
EV CO2
14 kg (66% 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
Scranton, PA
Morning
in Scranton on Friday
Local time
6:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Akron, PA
Morning
in Akron on Friday
Local time
6:19 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°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
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
19 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
2h 33m 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 Scranton, PA to Akron, PA covers 117.7 miles and takes about 2h 33m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are American Legion Memorial Highway, Chestnut Street, Stiegel Pike. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 58.8 miles from Scranton, PA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $19.51 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.
Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 117.7 miles you will encounter 19 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Lackawanna Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles (CR 3023 / Cedar Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 61.9 miles (PA 61 / Skyline Drive): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Scranton, PA to Akron, PA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from
OSRM
over
OpenStreetMap.
Fuel cost uses
EIA
weekly regional averages.
EV charging comes from the
NREL Alternative Fuels
dataset.
National park proximity is from the
NPS API.
Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our
methodology page
documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
