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Trip from Seattle, WA to Alderton, WA

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

Drive Time

48m

Distance

36.4 mi

59 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$8

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

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

city in and county seat of King County, State of Washington, United States

Seattle, WA

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Alderton, WA, WA

Alderton, WA

Michael

Trip Overview

The drive from Seattle, WA to Alderton, WA covers 36.4 miles and takes about 48m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Valley Freeway, I 5, I 405 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19 miles on Valley Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.62 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 36.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

48m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (92%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 48m highway drive covering 36.4 miles, with most of the trip on Valley Freeway and I 5. The longest continuous stretch is about 19 miles on Valley Freeway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Valley Freeway is the longest continuous segment at about 19 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Valley Freeway and I 5. 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 Spring Street.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 36.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 48m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Spring Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 15 key points

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

7
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Spring Street

Turn right onto Spring Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
7
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 5

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5 toward I 5 South: Tacoma, Portland

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 5 South: Tacoma, Portland
7
1.2 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 5

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5 toward I 5 South: Sea-Tac Airport

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 5 South: Sea-Tac Airport
8
13.1 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward WA 167 South: Renton, Auburn

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 2 Toward WA 167 South: Renton, Auburn
8
13.5 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight right at fork toward WA 167 South: Kent, Auburn

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward WA 167 South: Kent, Auburn

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Seattle, WA and Alderton, WA, road signs point toward Auburn and Yakima.

Auburn

13.1 mi in | ~17m

Yakima

32.9 mi in | ~42m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Valley Freeway 19 mi 23m
I 5 10.8 mi 13m
I 405 1.5 mi 1m
WA 410 1.3 mi 1m
State Route 162 1.1 mi 1m
Orting Highway East 0.4 mi <1m
Spring Street 0.1 mi <1m
4th Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Valley Freeway — 19 mi, about 23m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Seattle, WA and Alderton, WA.

1

Start on this road

31 ft · 7 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto Madison Street

204 ft · 11 sec · Madison Street
3

Turn right onto 4th Avenue

308 ft · 14 sec · 4th Avenue
4

Turn right onto Spring Street

0.1 mi · 26 sec · Spring Street
Use the right lane.
5

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 5 South: Portland
6

Continue on I 5

0.6 mi · 1 min · I 5
Use the left lane.
7

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5

147 ft · 2 sec · I 5
Toward I 90 East, I 5 South: Bellevue, Portland
8

Keep slight right at fork onto I 5

0.1 mi · 8 sec · I 5
Toward I 5 South: Tacoma, Portland
9

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5

305 ft · 4 sec · I 5
Toward Airport Way
10

Keep slight left at fork onto I 5

10 mi · 12 min · I 5
Toward I 5 South: Sea-Tac Airport Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 34 sec
Exit 154A Toward I 405 North: Renton Use the slight left lane.
12

Continue on I 405

1.5 mi · 1 min · I 405
13

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 30 sec
Exit 2 Toward WA 167 South: Renton, Auburn Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight right at fork

0.4 mi · 43 sec
Toward WA 167 South: Kent, Auburn Use the slight right lane.
15

Merge onto WA 167

19 mi · 23 min · Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 47 sec
Toward WA 410 East: Sumner, Yakima Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17

Continue on WA 410

1.3 mi · 1 min · WA 410
18

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Toward WA 162 East: Valley Avenue, Orting Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Turn right onto Orting Highway East

0.4 mi · 57 sec · Orting Highway East
Use the straight / right lanes.
20

Continue on State Route 162

1.1 mi · 1 min · State Route 162
21

Arrive at destination

WA 162

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 18.2 mi from Seattle, WA · 24m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Renton, WA

18 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Bonney Lake, WA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Kent, WA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.2 miles from Seattle, WA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Alderton, WA

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Alderton, WA if you are unfamiliar with the area.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.62 one way

$15.24 round trip

$5.32/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $5.58 $7.99 $15.98
premium $5.77 $8.27 $16.53
diesel $5.61 $8.04 $16.07

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.9 0 $3.82 $1.75
Efficient EV 9.1 0 $3.18 $1.46
EV Truck/SUV 14.6 0 $5.10 $2.33

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (69% 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

Seattle, WA

Morning in Seattle on Friday

Local time

10:07 AM

PDT

Current temp

49°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Alderton, WA

Morning in Alderton on Friday

Local time

10:07 AM

PDT

Current temp

40°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

9 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

48m 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 Seattle, WA to Alderton, WA covers 36.4 miles and takes about 48m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Valley Freeway, I 5, I 405. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 18.2 miles from Seattle, WA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.62 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 short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 36.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 48m.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Spring Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.2 miles (I 5): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Between Seattle, WA and Alderton, WA, road signs point toward Auburn and Yakima.

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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