The drive from Springhill, LA to Lake Charles, LA covers 232.4 miles and takes about 4h 53m behind the wheel.
This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Mansfield Road, Highway 171, Dowell Street for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is mixed drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 70.1 miles on Mansfield Road.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $35.10 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
116.2 miles from Springhill, LA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 28m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 4h 53m. Total distance: 232.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
4h 53m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (33%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from Springhill, LA to Lake Charles, LA covers 232.4 miles and takes about 4h 53m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 39 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Mansfield Road is the longest continuous segment at about 70.1 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Driving Effort5/10
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 232.4 miles you will encounter 15 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (LA 157 / Butler Street): Navigation decision point; at 58.6 miles (LA 525 / Colquitt Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 15 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip|~0m in
At end of road, turn right
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|LA 157 / Butler Street
Turn right onto LA 157 / Butler Street
Navigation decision point
5
58.6 mi into trip|~1h 21m in|LA 525 / Colquitt Road
At end of road, turn left onto LA 525 / Colquitt Road
Navigation decision point
5
162.1 mi into trip|~3h 22m in|US 171; LA 8 / North 6th Street
Enter roundabout onto US 171; LA 8 / North 6th Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
184.3 mi into trip|~3h 53m in|US 171; US 190 / West 1st Street
Turn left onto US 171; US 190 / West 1st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Mansfield Road
70.1 mi
1h 21m
Highway 171
37.5 mi
43m
Dowell Street
21.6 mi
25m
Highway 3
18.9 mi
26m
Highway 157
14.5 mi
19m
Main Street
12.9 mi
17m
Shreveport Highway
11.1 mi
13m
Joseph D. Waggonner Jr. Memorial Highway
10.8 mi
11m
Longest stretch:
Mansfield Road
— 70.1 mi, about 1h 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Springhill, LA and Lake Charles, LA.
1
Start on this road
212 ft·17 sec·this road
2
At end of road, turn right
68 ft·7 sec
3
Turn right onto LA 157
0.3 mi·42 sec·Butler Street
4
Continue on LA 157
1.5 mi·2 min·Plain Dealing Road
5
Continue on LA 157
15 mi·19 min·Highway 157
6
Continue on LA 157
0.8 mi·1 min·Hickory Drive
7
Turn slight left onto LA 157
381 ft·11 sec·North Magnolia Street
8
Turn right onto LA 2
0.5 mi·40 sec·East Mary Lee Street
9
Turn left
162 ft·9 sec
10
At end of road, turn left onto LA 3
0.6 mi·1 min·South Louisiana Street
11
Continue on LA 3
19 mi·26 min·Highway 3
12
Continue on LA 3
5.0 mi·7 min·Benton Road
13
Take the ramp
0.3 mi·37 sec
14
Merge onto I 220
11 mi·11 min·Joseph D. Waggonner Jr. Memorial Highway
15
Continue on LA 3132
3.4 mi·4 min·Inner Loop Expressway
16
Take the exit
0.2 mi·31 sec
Toward Walker Road
17
Turn right onto Walker Road
1.6 mi·3 min·Walker Road
18
At end of road, turn left onto LA 525
0.3 mi·30 sec·Colquitt Road
19
Turn right onto US 171
70 mi·1 hr 21 min·Mansfield Road
20
Continue on US 171
0.4 mi·29 sec·West Georgia Avenue
21
Continue on US 171
22 mi·25 min·Dowell Street
22
Continue on US 171
11 mi·13 min·Shreveport Highway
23
Continue on US 171
239 ft·3 sec·Shreveport Highway
24
Enter roundabout onto US 171; LA 8
135 ft·1 sec·North 6th Street
25
Continue on US 171; LA 8
2.0 mi·2 min·North 6th Street
26
Merge onto US 171
0.9 mi·1 min·South 5th Street
27
Keep slight right at fork onto US 171
0.3 mi·32 sec·South 5th Street
28
Continue on US 171
13 mi·17 min·Main Street
29
Continue on US 171
3.7 mi·4 min·Johnny B Hall Memorial Highway
30
Continue on US 171
2.5 mi·3 min·North Pine Street
31
Turn left onto US 171; US 190
2.5 mi·2 min·West 1st Street
Use the left lane.
32
Continue on US 171; US 190
38 mi·43 min·Highway 171
33
Continue on US 171
4.5 mi·7 min·Martin Luther King Highway
34
Take the exit
0.4 mi·52 sec
35
Merge onto I 10
1.2 mi·1 min·I 10
36
Take the exit
0.3 mi·41 sec
37
Turn straight onto US 90 Bus
0.6 mi·1 min·Enterprise Boulevard
38
Continue on Enterprise Boulevard
1.0 mi·1 min·Enterprise Boulevard
39
Arrive at destination
Enterprise Boulevard
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 116.2 miles from Springhill, LA, or about 2h 28m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 70.1 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 51 miles or 1h 10m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 116.2 miles or 2h 28m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 4h 1m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Lake Charles, LA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Springhill, LA 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 Springhill, LA
This is one driving day of about 232.4 miles and 4h 53m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 51 miles from Springhill, LA.
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 Mansfield Road for about 70.1 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 116.2 mi from Springhill, LA
· 2h 28m into the drive
The midpoint is around 116.2 miles from Springhill, LA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel check
Top up before Mansfield Road if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 70.1 miles.
Arriving in Lake Charles, LA
The final approach into Lake Charles, LA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Lake Charles, LA.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Cane River Creole National Historical Park
National Historical Park
The Cane River region is home to a unique culture; the Creoles. Generations of the same families of workers, enslaved and tenant, and owners lived on these lands for over 200 years. The park tells the...
29 mi from route
~74 min detour
Free
near mile 136.2
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$35.10 one way
$70.20 round trip
$3.84/gal25.4 MPG avg81 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.21
$38.53
$77.06
premium
$4.56
$41.71
$83.43
diesel
$5.61
$51.31
$102.62
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$35
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$60–$85
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 81.3 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $24 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
69.7
0
$24.40
$11.16
Efficient EV
58.1
0
$20.34
$9.30
EV Truck/SUV
93
1
$32.54
$14.87
Gas CO2
81 kg
EV CO2
27 kg (67% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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 17, 2026
Origin
Springhill, LA
Morning
in Springhill on Friday
Local time
6:57 AM
CDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Lake Charles, LA
Morning
in Lake Charles on Friday
Local time
6:57 AM
CDT
Current temp
81°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
2 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
4h 53m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Springhill, LA to Lake Charles, LA covers 232.4 miles and takes about 4h 53m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Mansfield Road, Highway 171, Dowell Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 116.2 miles from Springhill, LA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $35.10 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left. A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 232.4 miles you will encounter 15 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (LA 157 / Butler Street): Navigation decision point; at 58.6 miles (LA 525 / Colquitt Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Springhill, LA to Lake Charles, LA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Cane River Creole National Historical Park.
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.
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.
