Origin
Aurora, CO
Morning in Aurora on Tuesday
Local time
11:09 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Aurora, CO to Loveland, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 11m
Distance
56.7 mi
91 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 6m
★
6 AM
1h 12m
8 AM
1h 23m
10 AM
1h 16m
12 PM
1h 15m
3 PM
1h 16m
5 PM
1h 23m
8 PM
1h 8m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Aurora, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Loveland, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Aurora, CO to Loveland, CO is 56.7 miles and takes about 1h 11m via Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within the Mountain West region, specifically within Colorado. Expect a local driving experience with frequent turns, rather than a long, straight highway trek. With a short duration and minimal stops recommended, this route is ideal for a quick, straightforward journey, making it easy to fit into a single day's plans.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 33.9 mi | 36m |
| North Valley Highway | 10.4 mi | 12m |
| 14th Street Southeast | 3.7 mi | 6m |
| Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| South Lincoln Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| I 225 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| East State Highway 402 | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North Potomac Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
— 33.9 mi, about 36m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Aurora, CO and Loveland, CO.
1
Start on North Vaughn Street
80 ft
·
5 sec
·
North Vaughn Street
2
Turn right onto Toledo Street
0.2 mi
·
49 sec
·
Toledo Street
3
Turn slight right onto East 10th Avenue
257 ft
·
16 sec
·
East 10th Avenue
4
Turn left onto North Potomac Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Potomac Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on North Fitzsimons Parkway
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
North Fitzsimons Parkway
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto East 17th Place
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
East 17th Place
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
Toward I 225 North
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto I 225
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
I 225
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Exit 12A
Toward I 70 West: Denver
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Toward I 70 West: Denver
11
Merge onto I 70
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway
Use the straight lane.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto I 270
6.6 mi
·
8 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Exit 279A
Toward I 270 West: Boulder
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
Use the slight right lane.
14
Merge onto I 25
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
North Valley Highway
15
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the slight right lane.
16
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
5.3 mi
·
5 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
17
Continue on I 25
27 mi
·
27 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 255
Toward SH 402: Loveland and Greeley Canal
19
Keep slight left at fork
214 ft
·
5 sec
Exit 255
Toward SH 402: Loveland and Greeley Canal
20
Enter roundabout onto CO 402
252 ft
·
14 sec
·
East State Highway 402
21
Continue on CO 402
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
East State Highway 402
22
Enter roundabout onto CO 402
144 ft
·
8 sec
·
East State Highway 402
23
Continue on CO 402
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
East State Highway 402
24
Continue on CO 402
3.7 mi
·
6 min
·
14th Street Southeast
25
Take the ramp
183 ft
·
5 sec
26
Merge onto US 287
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
South Lincoln Avenue
27
Turn left onto East 6th Street
501 ft
·
23 sec
·
East 6th Street
28
Arrive at destination
East 6th Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
28 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 28.3 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.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 195 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 50.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
1.2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
East 17th Place
Turn right onto East 17th Place
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 225 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 225 North
8
2.8 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 70 West: Denver
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 12A
Toward I 70 West: Denver
8
6 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 270 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 270 / Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway toward I 270 West: Boulder
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 279A
Toward I 270 West: Boulder
7
50.9 mi into trip
|
~1h in
Keep slight left at fork toward SH 402: Loveland and Greeley Canal
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 255
Toward SH 402: Loveland and Greeley Canal
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.54 one way
$17.09 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $9.05 | $18.09 |
| premium | $4.39 | $9.81 | $19.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.52 | $25.04 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 19.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17 | 0 | $5.95 | $2.72 |
| Efficient EV | 14.2 | 0 | $4.96 | $2.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 22.7 | 0 | $7.94 | $3.63 |
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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Loveland, CO
Morning in Loveland on Tuesday
Local time
11:09 AM
MDT
Current temp
33°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
3 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
1h 11m 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?
This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' suggesting you'll encounter numerous intersections and changes in direction. While it utilizes the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway for a significant portion, including the longest uninterrupted stretch of 33.9 miles, the overall profile indicates a more varied road experience. The highway share is moderate at 4, meaning you'll transition between faster highway driving and more intricate local road navigation. Be prepared for a dynamic drive where you'll be adjusting speed and making turns more frequently than on a pure interstate trip.
Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 33.9 mi on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
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.
Driving Effort
10/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 56.7 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 1.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
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 Aurora, CO to Loveland, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Sh 402: Loveland And Greeley Canal along the way.
Sh 402: Loveland And Greeley Canal
50.6 mi in
|
~1h
About the Cities
Starting in Aurora, CO
Full guide →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
- • DeLaney Barn
- • Blanche A. Wilson House — house
- • Plains Conservation Center — park in Colorado, United States of America
Arriving in Loveland, CO
Full guide →Loveland is a city in the region of Colorado. There is a large population of artists in Loveland, which has drawn three foundries, an art museum, and the annual sculpture shows in August. The city lies on the Big Thompson River in Larimer County 26 miles (42 km) east of Rocky Mountain National Park and 46 miles (74 km) north of Denver. In 2020, the population of the City of Loveland was 78,000. The city is a popular retirement haven and a major business center.
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 1h 11m. Total distance: 56.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 11m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 33.9 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. 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 Loveland, 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 1.2 miles (East 17th Place): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Loveland, 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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