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Trip from Apple Valley, MN to Champlin, MN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

52m

Distance

38.9 mi

63 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 48m ★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 1m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 56m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 50m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Dakota County, Minnesota, United States

Apple Valley, MN

Wikimedia Commons

city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States

Champlin, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Apple Valley, MN to Champlin, MN is 38.9 miles and takes about 52 minutes via MN 100 and Cedar Avenue, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Minnesota, connecting two points in the Midwest region. It's a straightforward drive that won't consume your entire day, making it ideal for a quick errand or a short excursion. You'll mostly be on well-traveled roads, so expect typical traffic patterns for the area.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
MN 100 12.2 mi 15m
Cedar Avenue 9.5 mi 11m
Bottineau Boulevard 5.3 mi 7m
US 169 5.2 mi 7m
I 494 5 mi 6m
Dean Avenue East 0.4 mi <1m
Independence Avenue North <0.1 mi <1m
County Road 81 <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: MN 100 — 12.2 mi, about 15m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Apple Valley, MN and Champlin, MN.

1

Start on CR 42

35 ft · 6 sec · County Road 42
2

Turn right onto CR 23

9.5 mi · 11 min · Cedar Avenue
Use the left lane.
3

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 25 sec
Toward I 494 West, MN 5 West Use the right lane.
4

Merge onto I 494; MN 5

5.0 mi · 6 min · I 494; MN 5
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Exit 7A Toward MN 100 Use the slight right lane.
6

Merge onto MN 100

12 mi · 15 min · MN 100
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Exit 12B Toward CR 81 North Use the straight / right lanes.
8

Merge onto CR 81

158 ft · 2 sec · County Road 81
9

Continue on CR 81

5.3 mi · 7 min · Bottineau Boulevard
Use the left lane.
10

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 48 sec
Toward US 169 North
11

Merge onto US 169

5.2 mi · 7 min · US 169
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Turn left onto Dean Avenue East

0.4 mi · 57 sec · Dean Avenue East
13

Turn right onto Independence Avenue North

398 ft · 19 sec · Independence Avenue North
14

Turn right onto Richardson Avenue East

30 ft · 1 sec · Richardson Avenue East
15

Arrive at destination

Richardson Avenue East

Where to Stop

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

solid material whose constituent atoms, molecules, or ions are arranged in an ordered lattice extending in all three spatial dimensions

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Crystal, MN

19 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

West Co on Rapids, MN

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 38.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Minnetonka Mills, MN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 19.4 miles from Apple Valley, MN, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

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

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 27.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CR 23 / Cedar Avenue

Turn right onto CR 23 / Cedar Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
7
9.5 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward I 494 West, MN 5 West

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

Use the right lane. Toward I 494 West, MN 5 West
5
9.7 mi into trip | ~12m in | I 494; MN 5

Merge onto I 494; MN 5

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
7
14.7 mi into trip | ~18m in

Take the exit toward MN 100

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 7A Toward MN 100
7
27.2 mi into trip | ~34m in

Take the exit toward CR 81 North

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes. Exit 12B Toward CR 81 North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.79 one way

$11.58 round trip

$3.78/gal 25.4 MPG avg 14 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.07 $6.24 $12.48
premium $4.53 $6.94 $13.88
diesel $5.61 $8.59 $17.18

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 13.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 11.7 0 $4.08 $1.87
Efficient EV 9.7 0 $3.40 $1.56
EV Truck/SUV 15.6 0 $5.45 $2.49

Gas CO2

14 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (64% 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 20, 2026

Origin

Apple Valley, MN

Morning in Apple Valley on Tuesday

Local time

7:00 AM

CDT

Current temp

28°F

Mostly Clear

ENE 0 to 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued April 19 at 9:07PM CDT until April 20 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Aberdeen SD

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued April 19 at 8:55PM CDT until April 20 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Destination

Champlin, MN

Morning in Champlin on Tuesday

Local time

7:00 AM

CDT

Current temp

29°F

Mostly Clear

0 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued April 19 at 9:07PM CDT until April 20 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Aberdeen SD

Fire Weather Watch

Fire Weather Watch issued April 19 at 8:55PM CDT until April 20 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

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

1 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

52m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

With 57% of this route on highways, you'll experience a good mix of faster driving and surface streets. The longest continuous stretch on a highway is 12.2 miles on MN 100. After this, you'll transition to surface roads for the remainder of your trip. Expect to navigate a series of exits and merges common to this type of urban and suburban roadway.

57% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.2 mi on MN 100.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 23 / Cedar Avenue.

Driving Effort 9/10

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 12 decision points packed into just 38.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 52m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 23 / Cedar Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.7 miles (I 494; MN 5): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

On the drive from Apple Valley, MN to Champlin, MN, road signs begin pointing toward Cr 81 North along the way.

Cr 81 North

27.2 mi in | ~34m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 52m. Total distance: 38.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

52m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (57%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 12.2 miles on MN 100. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 Champlin, MN 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 (CR 23 / Cedar Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.7 miles (I 494; MN 5): 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 Champlin, MN 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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