Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 10m
Distance
57.2 mi
92 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arvada, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Windsor, CO
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Arvada, CO to Windsor, CO covers 57.2 miles and takes about 1h 10m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, North Valley Highway, Heartland Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 34.3 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $9.65 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 34.3 mi | 34m |
| North Valley Highway | 10.5 mi | 12m |
| Heartland Expressway | 3 mi | 3m |
| East County Road 32 | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Ralston Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Main Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| Highway 392 | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Walnut Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,564 veh/hr typical
Quietest
1 AM
~381 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
12×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 104 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Arvada, CO and Windsor, CO.
Start on this road
Turn right onto Ammons Street
Turn left
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
Turn left onto Ralston Road
Turn right onto CO 95
Turn left
Merge onto I 76
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 25
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
Continue on I 25
Take the exit
Turn right onto CO 392
Continue on CO 392
Continue on CO 392
Turn right onto 7th Street
Turn slight left
Turn left onto Walnut Street
Turn right onto 4th Street
Turn left onto Elm Street
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 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.
A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 28.6 miles from Arvada, CO, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 5.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Turn left onto Ralston Road
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left toward I 76 East
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 25: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$9.65 one way
$19.30 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $10.19 | $20.37 |
| premium | $4.89 | $11.01 | $22.02 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $12.61 | $25.22 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 20 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.2 | 0 | $6.01 | $2.75 |
| Efficient EV | 14.3 | 0 | $5.01 | $2.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 22.9 | 0 | $8.01 | $3.66 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Arvada on Friday
Local time
4:02 AM
MDT
Current temp
94°F
Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Late night in Windsor on Friday
Local time
4:02 AM
MDT
Current temp
94°F
Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
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.
57.2 mi in 1h 10m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. 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.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 57.2 miles you will encounter 18 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: 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.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
Total Climb
419 ft
Total Descent
971 ft
Highest Point
5,444 ft
~12.3 mi in
Elevation Range
649 ft
Notable High Points
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Arvada, CO and Windsor, CO, road signs point toward Colorado Springs and Fort Collins.
Colorado Springs
Fort Collins
Founded 1859
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.
Top landmarks
Founded 1882
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 10m. Total distance: 57.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 10m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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