Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 14m
Distance
57.6 mi
93 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Aurora, CO
Wikimedia Commons
La Salle, CO
Miguel Cuenca
The drive from Aurora, CO to La Salle, CO covers 57.6 miles and takes about 1h 14m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Heartland Expressway, County Road 49, Peña Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.4 miles on Heartland Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $9.72 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Expressway | 15.4 mi | 15m |
| County Road 49 | 14.1 mi | 16m |
| Peña Boulevard | 6.5 mi | 7m |
| E-470 | 6.4 mi | 6m |
| County Road 44 | 5 mi | 7m |
| County Road 39 | 2.3 mi | 5m |
| I 225 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.9 mi | 2m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
7 AM
~5,271 veh/hr typical · worst 6,438
Quietest
2 AM
~669 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
7.9×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 100 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Aurora, CO and La Salle, CO.
Start on North Vaughn Street
Turn right onto Toledo Street
Turn slight right onto East 10th Avenue
Turn left onto North Potomac Street
Continue on North Fitzsimons Parkway
Turn right onto East 17th Place
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 225
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 70
Keep slight right at fork onto Peña Boulevard
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight right at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto E470
Take the exit
Merge onto I 76
Take the exit
Turn left onto CR 49
Turn left onto County Road 44
Turn right onto County Road 39
Continue on Main 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 28.8 miles from Aurora, 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 1.2 and 11.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto East 17th Place
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork toward I 70 East: Limon
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto Peña Boulevard toward Denver International Airport
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward E470 Toll North: Fort Collins
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork toward E470 Toll North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$9.72 one way
$19.44 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $10.26 | $20.51 |
| premium | $4.89 | $11.08 | $22.17 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $12.70 | $25.39 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.77
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Tolls
$1
Total
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.2 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 | 17.3 | 0 | $6.05 | $2.76 |
| Efficient EV | 14.4 | 0 | $5.04 | $2.30 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23 | 0 | $8.06 | $3.69 |
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
Morning in Aurora on Wednesday
Local time
11:44 AM
MDT
Current temp
65°F
Partly Cloudy
Flash Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch issued August 24 at 2:18AM MDT until August 24 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO
Destination
Morning in La Salle on Wednesday
Local time
11:44 AM
MDT
Current temp
60°F
Partly Cloudy
Flash Flood Watch
Flash Flood Watch issued August 24 at 2:18AM MDT until August 24 at 9:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
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.
57.6 mi in 1h 14m 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 1.2 miles in near East 17th Place.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 57.6 miles you will encounter 19 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 1.2 miles (East 17th Place): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.1 miles (Peña Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
Total Climb
40 ft
Total Descent
765 ft
Highest Point
5,404 ft
Elevation Range
725 ft
Notable High Points
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Aurora, CO and La Salle, CO, road signs point toward Denver International Airport, E470 Toll: Fort Collins, E470 Toll North: Fort Collins and E470 Toll North.
Denver International Airport
E470 Toll: Fort Collins
E470 Toll North: Fort Collins
E470 Toll North
Founded 1891
Aurora is a city of about 400,000 of the Denver Metropolitan Area in the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies immediately east of Denver in Arapahoe, Adams, and Douglas counties. In 2008 it was named the "All American City."
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 14m. Total distance: 57.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 14m 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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