Origin
Arvada, CO
Late night in Arvada on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arvada, CO to Brighton, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
21.7 mi
35 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
6 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arvada, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Brighton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 21.7-mile drive from Arvada to Brighton, Colorado, will take you about 29 minutes to complete, making it a perfect day trip. You'll primarily travel on the Heartland Expressway, CanAm Highway, and Ralston Road. With a projected fuel cost of around $3, this route offers a budget-friendly excursion within the Mountain West region. It's a straightforward journey that doesn't require an overnight stay, allowing you to easily fit it into your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Expressway | 10.5 mi | 12m |
| CanAm Highway | 8.1 mi | 9m |
| Ralston Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Sheridan Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Main Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Bridge Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bush Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Allison Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Heartland Expressway
— 10.5 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arvada, CO and Brighton, CO.
1
Start on this road
41 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Ammons Street
58 ft
·
7 sec
·
Ammons Street
3
Turn left
313 ft
·
25 sec
4
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
172 ft
·
13 sec
·
Allison Street
5
Turn left onto Ralston Road
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Ralston Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
6
Turn right onto CO 95
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
Sheridan Boulevard
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
Toward I 76 East
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto I 76
11 mi
·
12 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85
8.1 mi
·
9 min
·
CanAm Highway
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward CO 7: Brighton
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Enter roundabout onto West Bridge Street
48 ft
·
0 sec
·
West Bridge Street
12
Continue on West Bridge Street
413 ft
·
14 sec
·
West Bridge Street
13
Turn right onto South Main Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Main Street
14
Turn left onto Bush Street
414 ft
·
11 sec
·
Bush Street
Use the left lane.
15
Arrive at destination
Bush Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 21.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Allison Street
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Ralston Road
Turn left onto Ralston Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
7
2.2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Turn left toward I 76 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 76 East
8
13.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
US 85 / CanAm Highway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85 / CanAm Highway toward US 85 North: Greeley
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
7
21.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
Bush Street
Turn left onto Bush Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.27 one way
$6.54 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.46 | $6.92 |
| premium | $4.39 | $3.75 | $7.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.79 | $9.58 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.90 | $0.87 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.7 | 0 | $3.04 | $1.39 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Brighton, CO
Late night in Brighton on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
44°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
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
29m 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?
Expect a mixed drive on this route, with 48% of it being highway. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 10.5 miles on the Heartland Expressway. This drive transitions between faster-paced highway sections and potentially more local road segments as you travel. You'll experience a varied driving experience that keeps things interesting without being overly demanding.
48% 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: 10.5 mi on Heartland Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 around 0.1 miles in near Allison Street.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 21.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Allison Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Arvada, CO
Full guide →Arvada is a city of about 125,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Colorado. A former farming community in Jefferson and Adams counties, the city is now a residential suburb of Denver. Olde Town Arvada lies 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the Colorado State Capitol and 9 miles (14 km) east of the Front Range foothills.
Arriving in Brighton, CO
Full guide →Brighton is a city of about 42,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of Adams County and also extending into adjacent Weld County, the city lies northeast of Denver along the South Platte River. A former farming community, Brighton is now a residential suburb of Denver.
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 29m. Total distance: 21.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (48%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.5 miles on Heartland Expressway. 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 Brighton, CO 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: at 0.1 miles (Allison Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Brighton, CO 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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