Origin
Ankeny, IA
Late night in Ankeny on Tuesday
Local time
5:41 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ankeny, IA to Pleasant Hill, IA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
15.1 mi
24 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Ankeny, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Pleasant Hill, IA
Tom Fisk
Trip Overview
Ankeny, IA to Pleasant Hill, IA is 15.1 miles and takes about 26 minutes via I 35 and John MacVicar Freeway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically within Iowa. It's a straightforward connection between two nearby communities, making it ideal for a quick errand or a brief commute. You'll find the drive to be quite manageable, with no need for overnight stays. Consider this a simple hop between towns rather than an extensive road trip.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 35 | 4.7 mi | 5m |
| John MacVicar Freeway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Dean Avenue | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| West 1st Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| East University Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Delaware Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East 30th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Fairview Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
I 35
— 4.7 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ankeny, IA and Pleasant Hill, IA.
1
Start on Southwest 3rd Street
48 ft
·
4 sec
·
Southwest 3rd Street
2
Turn right onto Southwest Walnut Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Southwest Walnut Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto West 1st Street
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
West 1st Street
4
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
30 sec
Toward I-35 south: Des Moines
5
Merge onto I 35
4.7 mi
·
5 min
·
I 35
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 235 West: Des Moines
7
Continue on John MacVicar Freeway
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
John MacVicar Freeway
Toward I 235 West: Des Moines
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 11
Toward Guthrie Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn right onto Guthrie Avenue
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
Guthrie Avenue
10
Turn left onto Delaware Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Delaware Avenue
11
Continue on East 21st Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
East 21st Street
12
Turn left onto IA 163
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East University Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto East 30th Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East 30th Street
14
Turn left onto Dean Avenue
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Dean Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Continue on Fairview Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Fairview Drive
16
Turn right onto North Pleasant Hill Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Pleasant Hill Boulevard
17
Turn left onto Doanes Park Road
62 ft
·
4 sec
·
Doanes Park Road
18
Arrive at destination
Doanes Park Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 9.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Southwest Walnut Street
Turn right onto Southwest Walnut Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West 1st Street
At end of road, turn right onto West 1st Street
Navigation decision point
5
1.9 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 35
Merge onto I 35
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
6.6 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 235 West: Des Moines
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward I 235 West: Des Moines
7
9.4 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward Guthrie Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 11
Toward Guthrie Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.36 one way
$4.72 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.59 | $5.18 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.91 | $5.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.33 | $6.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.59 | $0.72 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.32 | $0.60 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6 | 0 | $2.11 | $0.97 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Pleasant Hill, IA
Late night in Pleasant Hill on Tuesday
Local time
5:41 AM
CDT
Current temp
60°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
26m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This route features a mix of highway and surface roads, with 44% of the drive on highways. You'll experience a stretch of 4.7 miles on I 35 before transitioning to surface streets. Expect to encounter urban merging as you approach your destination. The drive is relatively short, so you won't be on any single type of road for an extended period.
44% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.7 mi on I 35.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Southwest Walnut Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 15.1 miles you will encounter 13 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 (Southwest Walnut Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (West 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Ankeny, IA
Full guide →Ankeny is a suburb of Des Moines in Central Iowa.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 26m. Total distance: 15.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4.7 miles on I 35. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Pleasant Hill, IA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Southwest Walnut Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (West 1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.9 miles (I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Pleasant Hill, IA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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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