Origin
Tacoma, WA
Night in Tacoma on Friday
Local time
10:00 PM
PDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Tacoma, WA to Lea Hill, WA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
18.3 mi
30 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lea Hill, WA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Tacoma, WA to Lea Hill, WA covers 18.3 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 5, State Route 18, Lea Hill Road Southeast for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.7 miles on I 5. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.83 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 18.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (67%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 30m highway drive covering 18.3 miles, with most of the trip on I 5 and State Route 18. The longest continuous stretch is about 7.7 miles on I 5.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 5 is the longest continuous segment at about 7.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 5 and State Route 18. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.5 miles in.
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 18 decision points packed into just 18.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 5 North: Seattle
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 5 North: Seattle
7
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 5 North: Seattle
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 5 North: Seattle
8
9.8 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward WA 18 East: Auburn, Muckleshoot Reservation
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 142A
Toward WA 18 East: Auburn, Muckleshoot Reservat...
7
14.1 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward WA 164 East: Auburn Way, Enumclaw
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.
Toward WA 164 East: Auburn Way, Enumclaw
6
14.2 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Auburn Way
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward Auburn Way
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Tacoma, WA and Lea Hill, WA, road signs point toward Muckleshoot Reservation and Enumclaw.
Muckleshoot Reservation
9.8 mi in
|
~14m
Enumclaw
14.1 mi in
|
~19m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 5 | 7.7 mi | 9m |
| State Route 18 | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| Lea Hill Road Southeast | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| I 705 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Southeast 312th Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 4th Street Southeast | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| M Street Northeast | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 8th Street Northeast | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 5
— 7.7 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Tacoma, WA and Lea Hill, WA.
1
Start on South 11th Street
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
South 11th Street
2
Turn right onto Market Street
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Market Street
3
Turn left onto South 13th Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
South 13th Street
4
Turn right onto I 705 SB Ramp
213 ft
·
11 sec
·
I 705 SB Ramp
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward Port of Tacoma
6
Merge onto I 705
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
I 705
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
Toward I 5 North: Seattle
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward I 5 North: Seattle
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto I 5
7.7 mi
·
9 min
·
I 5
Use the slight right lane.
10
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 142A
Toward WA 18 East: Auburn, Muckleshoot Reservation
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto WA 18
3.8 mi
·
4 min
·
State Route 18
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward WA 164 East: Auburn Way, Enumclaw
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork
251 ft
·
6 sec
Toward Auburn Way
14
Turn slight right onto WA 164
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
Auburn Way South
Use the right lane.
15
Turn right onto 4th Street Southeast
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
4th Street Southeast
16
At end of road, turn left onto M Street Southeast
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
M Street Southeast
17
Continue on M Street Northeast
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
M Street Northeast
18
Turn right onto 8th Street Northeast
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
8th Street Northeast
Use the right lane.
19
Continue on Southeast 320th Street
432 ft
·
10 sec
·
Southeast 320th Street
20
Continue on Lea Hill Road Southeast
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Lea Hill Road Southeast
21
Continue on Southeast 312th Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Southeast 312th Street
22
Turn left onto 124th Avenue Southeast
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
124th Avenue Southeast
Use the left lane.
23
Turn left onto Southeast 307th Place
0.2 mi
·
48 sec
·
Southeast 307th Place
24
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.83 one way
$7.66 round trip
$5.32/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $5.58 | $4.02 | $8.03 |
| premium | $5.77 | $4.16 | $8.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.04 | $8.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.92 | $0.88 |
| Efficient EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Lea Hill, WA
Night in Lea Hill on Friday
Local time
10:00 PM
PDT
Current temp
67°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
8 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
30m 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 Tacoma, WA to Lea Hill, WA covers 18.3 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are I 5, State Route 18, Lea Hill Road Southeast. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.2 miles from Tacoma, WA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.83 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 18 decision points packed into just 18.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Tacoma, WA and Lea Hill, WA, road signs point toward Muckleshoot Reservation and Enumclaw.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Klondike Gold Rush - Seattle Unit National Historical Park.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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