Spanning 156.5 miles through the heart of the Mountain West, this trip from Aspen to Colorado Springs is a straightforward journey that typically takes about 3 hours and 29 minutes. Because the drive is relatively short, you can comfortably complete it as a one-day excursion without needing an overnight stay. You should budget approximately $21 for fuel to cover the distance between these two Colorado cities. Navigating out of Aspen involves local streets like East Main, South Original, and East Cooper Avenue before you transition toward your destination. It is an excellent choice for travelers looking for a direct route that avoids the complexity of multi-day planning.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
78 miles from Aspen, CO
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h 22m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
US 24
111.3 mi
2h 19m
East Cooper Avenue
42.9 mi
1h 38m
West Colorado Avenue
0.7 mi
1m
East Colorado Avenue
0.3 mi
1m
East Main Street
0.2 mi
<1m
South 8th Street
0.2 mi
<1m
South Original Street
0.1 mi
<1m
South Weber Street
0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
US 24
— 111.3 mi, about 2h 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Aspen, CO and Colorado Springs, CO.
1
Start on this road
240 ft·19 sec·this road
2
Turn left onto CO 82
0.2 mi·37 sec·East Main Street
3
Continue on CO 82
0.1 mi·30 sec·South Original Street
4
Turn left onto CO 82
43 mi·1 hr 38 min·East Cooper Avenue
5
Turn right onto US 24
22 mi·25 min·US 24
6
Turn left onto US 24; US 285
14 mi·17 min·US 24; US 285
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto US 24
76 mi·1 hr 36 min·US 24
8
Take the exit
375 ft·11 sec
Toward 8th Street NorthUse the straight / slight left lanes.
9
Turn straight onto South 8th Street
0.2 mi·27 sec·South 8th Street
Use the left lane.
10
At end of road, turn right onto West Colorado Avenue
0.7 mi·1 min·West Colorado Avenue
11
Continue on East Colorado Avenue
0.3 mi·1 min·East Colorado Avenue
Use the left lane.
12
Turn left onto South Weber Street
0.1 mi·23 sec·South Weber Street
13
Turn left onto East Pikes Peak Avenue
422 ft·14 sec·East Pikes Peak Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
East Pikes Peak Avenue
Trip Plan
Since this is a compact 156.5-mile journey, you have plenty of flexibility in your schedule, though planning for at least one dedicated stop is recommended to break up the technical driving. Leaving early in the day allows you to navigate the local road segments before traffic patterns shift. Keep your eyes on the road, as the lack of highway miles means you will be navigating local intersections and turns for the duration of the trip. With a fuel budget of $21, make sure your tank is ready before you depart Aspen to avoid unnecessary stops. Taking advantage of the single planned stop will help you stay refreshed for the duration of the drive.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 78 miles from Aspen, CO, or about 2h 22m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 111.3 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 34 miles or 1h 18m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 78 miles or 2h 22m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 3h 25m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Colorado Springs, CO than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Aspen, CO so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Aspen, CO
This is one driving day of about 156 miles and 4h 3m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 34 miles from Aspen, CO.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on US 24 for about 111.3 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 9
5 decision points cluster between mile 64.9 and 156 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
64.9 mi into trip|~2h 4m in|US 24; US 285
Turn left onto US 24; US 285
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
154.6 mi into trip|~3h 58m in
Take the exit toward 8th Street North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward 8th Street North
5
154.8 mi into trip|~3h 59m in|West Colorado Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto West Colorado Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
155.9 mi into trip|~4h 2m in|South Weber Street
Turn left onto South Weber Street
Navigation decision point
5
156 mi into trip|~4h 3m in|East Pikes Peak Avenue
Turn left onto East Pikes Peak Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$23.50 one way
$47.01 round trip
$3.83/gal25.4 MPG avg55 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.05
$24.89
$49.77
premium
$4.39
$26.99
$53.97
diesel
$5.61
$34.44
$68.89
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$24
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$49–$74
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 54.6 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $16 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
46.8
0
$16.38
$7.49
Efficient EV
39
0
$13.65
$6.24
EV Truck/SUV
62.4
0
$21.84
$9.98
Gas CO2
55 kg
EV CO2
18 kg (67% 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
Aspen, CO
Late night
in Aspen on Tuesday
Local time
3:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Colorado Springs, CO
Late night
in Colorado Springs on Tuesday
Local time
3:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
33°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
28°F
Buena Vista, CO
78 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
15 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
4h 3m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument
National Monument
Beneath a grassy mountain valley in central Colorado lies one of the richest and most diverse fossil deposits in the world. Petrified redwood stumps up to 14 feet wide and thousands of detailed fossil...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate haul, as this route features 0% highway travel. Because the path relies on local roads, you will find that there is no long-distance, uninterrupted stretch; in fact, the longest segment is 0 miles on East Main Street. The road requires your full attention as you transition through the local infrastructure of the Mountain West. Driving this way offers a different experience than a high-speed interstate, emphasizing a slower, more deliberate pace behind the wheel. Prepare for frequent adjustments and turns rather than long, straight cruise-control stretches.
71% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 111.3 mi on US 24.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 24 and East Cooper Avenue. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 64.9 miles in near US 24; US 285.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 4h 3m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 64.9 miles (US 24; US 285): Lane positioning matters here; at 154.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 154.8 miles (West Colorado Avenue): Navigation decision point.
Aspen is a ski resort in the state of Colorado in the Rocky Mountains region of the United States of America. Its little sister is Snowmass Village, which is about 10 miles (16 km) from downtown Aspen.
Colorado Springs is a city of about 490,000 in the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of El Paso County, the city lies 63 miles (101 km) south of Denver at the foot of Pikes Peak in South Central Colorado.
The longest stretch is about 111.3 miles on US 24. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 64.9 miles (US 24; US 285): Lane positioning matters here; at 154.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 154.8 miles (West Colorado Avenue): Navigation decision point.
Yes — Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Possible but tiring. At 4.1 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 8.1 hours — manageable with a long break at Colorado Springs, CO, but most travelers stay overnight.
