Grand Island, NE Road Trips

With 5 routes heading out and 11 heading in, Grand Island, NE works well as a modest departure point in the Great Plains. Most drives stay under 78 miles, making this area well-suited for day trips and weekend getaways. Routes from Grand Island, NE spread mainly east and south, covering a wide geographic range.

city in and county seat of Hall County, Nebraska, United States

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Trip Routes

16

Longest Drive

198.1 mi

Falls City, NE

Quickest Drive

35m

Hastings, NE

Plan Around Grand Island, NE

Popular Incoming Routes

Useful if Grand Island, NE is the arrival point and you want the strongest routes into the city first.

Falls City, NE to Grand Island, NE 198.1 mi · 3h 50m Macy, NE to Grand Island, NE 166.1 mi · 3h 28m Winnebago, NE to Grand Island, NE 164.4 mi · 3h 25m Beatrice, NE to Grand Island, NE 123.6 mi · 2h 24m

Continue From Grand Island, NE

Good next legs if this city is only one stop in a longer road trip.

Grand Island, NE to Ashland, NE 119 mi · 2h 10m Grand Island, NE to Fairbury, NE 114.8 mi · 2h 9m Grand Island, NE to Schuyler, NE 81 mi · 1h 44m Grand Island, NE to Kearney, NE 50.5 mi · 58m

Trips from Grand Island, NE

Grand Island, NE to Ashland, NE

119 mi 2h 10m

Grand Island, NE to Fairbury, NE

114.8 mi 2h 9m

Grand Island, NE to Schuyler, NE

81 mi 1h 44m

Grand Island, NE to Kearney, NE

50.5 mi 58m

Grand Island, NE to Hastings, NE

25.7 mi 35m

Driving from Grand Island, NE

The typical drive from Grand Island, NE covers about 78 miles and takes around 1h 31m. The majority of routes are short drives — quick enough to finish before lunch and be back for dinner. The longest mapped route runs 119 miles (2h 10m), while the shortest is just 26 miles.

Popular Destinations

Drivers leaving Grand Island, NE most often head toward Ashland, NE (119 mi, 2h 10m), Fairbury, NE (114.8 mi, 2h 9m), Schuyler, NE (81 mi, 1h 44m), Kearney, NE (50.5 mi, 58m), and Hastings, NE (25.7 mi, 35m). Most destinations stay within the same state, perfect for exploring the local region thoroughly.

Planning & Costs

For the average 78-mile drive from Grand Island, NE, expect to burn about 3.1 gallons of fuel one way at 25 MPG. Check local pump prices before you go to lock in your budget.

Routes tend to go east, so afternoon departures put the sun at your back on the return leg. With an average drive under three hours, you have plenty of flexibility — leave whenever it suits you.

Frequently Asked Questions

There are 5 mapped routes leaving Grand Island, NE and 11 routes heading into Grand Island, NE, covering 16 total connections. Distances range from 26 to 119 miles.

The longest mapped route from Grand Island, NE covers 119 miles and takes approximately 2h 10m. Shorter options start at just 26 miles.

The average route from Grand Island, NE runs about 78 miles with a drive time of roughly 1h 31m. This includes both short day trips and longer multi-day drives.

The most popular road trip destinations from Grand Island, NE include Ashland, NE, Fairbury, NE, Schuyler, NE and Kearney, NE. Each route page has detailed drive times, fuel estimates, stop suggestions, and turn-by-turn directions.

Grand Island, NE by the Numbers

Recent demographic snapshot from the US Census Bureau's American Community Survey.

Population

52,761

Median Income

$62,439

Median Home Value

$202,600

Median Age

34.5

Source: US Census Bureau ACS 5-year (public domain). See our methodology for details.

Traveler Guide to Grand Island, NE

Grand Island is a city of 51,000 people (2019) in South Central Nebraska. Grand Island has been given the All-America City Award three times (1955, 1967, and 1981–82) by the National Civic League.

1 Stuhr Museum of the Prairie Pioneer (Stuhr Museum), 3133 W US Hwy 34 (at the corner of US Hwys 281 & 34, 5 minutes north of I-80 Exit 312), ☏ +1 308 385-5316. M-Sa 9AM-5PM, Su noon-5PM. A large scale indoor/outdoor museum dedicated to the Nebraska frontier and the pioneers who settled those lands. Exhibits include a replica 1800s plains town where visitors can interact with exhibits, walk inside the many buildings and houses on the campus and observe an 1800s train station along with older farm equipment used in the area. May-Sep: adult $8, senior $7, youth 6-12 $6, age 5 & under free; Oct-Apr: adult $6, senior $5, youth ages 6-12 $4, age 5 & under free. Townsley-Murdock Trail Site, Platte River Valley (1.5 miles south of Alda, Nebraska), ☏ +1 308-382-4400. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 5, 1998, this site contains one of the only remaining ruts on the Mormon Trail. The 2.4-acre site is west of and adjacent to the Wood River Crossing area. Upon leaving the Wood River Crossing, travelers were funneled onto a narrow ridge, which separated the winding Wood River from the wetlands of the Platte. Every traveler on this trail was forced onto this narrow pathway, creating the wide and shallow swale, which remains. The name of the site comes from the first settlers on the land, Marshal Townsley around 1860 and later Phineas and Catherine Murdock in 1866. Survey notes from 1866 note this tract of land contained the Murdock home, a sawmill and a telegraph line.

Art in the Park, Stolley Park. A juried summer art festival operating since 1982. Nebraska Danger Football, Heartland Events Center 700 East Stolley Park Rd.. The Nebraska Danger, central and western Nebraska's indoor professional football team and member of the IFL, was founded October 4, 2010 in Grand Island, Nebraska, by Charlie Bosselman and is owned and operated by the Bosselman Companies/Bosselman Entertainment, LLC.

Godfathers Pizza, 1916 S. Locust (Corner of so.Locust and Stolley Psrk Rd.), ☏ +1 308-384-9090. 11AM - 10PM. Dine-in, delivery, pick-up at drive-thru. Daily lunch buffet from 11AM-2PM. Wednesday night buffet from 5-8PM. In business for over 30 years. Tommy's Family Restaurant, 1325 S Locust St, ☏ +1 308-381-0440. Daily 6AM-8PM. Chicken fried steak, fried chicken, pie, etc.

The Chicken Coop, 120 E. 3rd St., ☏ +1 308-398-2500. M-Sa 11AM-midnight, Su noon-10PM.

Days Inn Grand Island, 2620 Diers Ave, ☏ +1 308-210-9541. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: 11AM. (updated Jun 2017) Comfort Inn, 3535 West State St, ☏ +1 308-381-7788. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 11AM. Motel 6, 7301 Bosselman Ave., ☏ +1 308 384-6666. Check-in: 2PM, check-out: noon. Ramada by Wyndham Midtown Grand Island, 2503 South Locust St (7 miles north of I-80), ☏ +1 308-384-1330. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: noon. Full service Holiday Inn with 13,800 square feet of meeting room space. Island Inn Motel, 2311 South Locust (I 80 Exit 314 north 5miles on Locust St.), ☏ +1 308-382-1815. Check-in: 1PM, check-out: 11AM. Independent AAA approved comfortable, clean, well-maintained inn. Super 8 by Wyndham Grand Island South, 3205 S Locust St, ☏ +1 308-594-1823. Check-in: 4PM, check-out: 11AM.

Interstate 80 (I-80) runs just south of Grand Island. Exits 312, 314 and 318 lead into the city. US Highway 30 cuts from the southwest corner to the northeast corner of town. US Highway 34 runs out of town to the east, paralleling I-80. NE Highway 2 runs out of the city to the northwest. US Highway 281 cuts through the city north to south. 1 Central Nebraska Regional Airport (GRI IATA). Served by American Eagle twice daily from Dallas/Fort Worth and Allegiant Air from Las Vegas and Phoenix/Mesa Arrow/Trailways Lines (+1-800-992-4618) Navigator Bus / Eppley Express provides limited shuttle service between Omaha and several Nebraska cities including Kearney, Grand Island, Hastings, Lincoln and York. Two pick-up/drop-off locations are available in Omaha: Eppley Airfield and Holiday Inn at 72nd & Grover just north of I-80. Service is limited to specific days and times depending upon your destination. Reservations available on-line. +1 308-234-6066.

Public shuttle service for the Greater Grand Island Area (308-385-5324) Action Cab & Courier (308-381-1010)

Travel tips adapted from Grand Island (Nebraska) on Wikivoyage, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Content summarized; visit the source for the full article. See our methodology for how we use it.