Origin
Aurora, CO
Morning in Aurora on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Aurora, CO to Westminster, 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
26m
Distance
16.6 mi
27 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Aurora, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Westminster, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Aurora, CO to Westminster, CO is 16.6 miles and takes about 26m via Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Denver–Boulder Turnpike, and Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward drive within the Mountain West region, connecting two points in Colorado. Expect a local feel with frequent turns rather than a long, open highway experience. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick trip where flexibility is key, allowing you to depart and arrive at your leisure.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 6.6 mi | 8m |
| Denver–Boulder Turnpike | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| I 225 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| North Potomac Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West 80th Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Lowell Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| North Fitzsimons Parkway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
— 6.6 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Aurora, CO and Westminster, 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
Continue on US 36
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward US 287: Federal Boulevard
Use the slight right lane.
15
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward US 287 North: Federal Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Turn straight onto US 287
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Federal Boulevard
17
Turn left onto West 80th Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West 80th Avenue
Use the left lane.
18
Turn left onto Lowell Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
Lowell Boulevard
Use the left lane.
19
Turn right onto West 77th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
West 77th Avenue
20
Turn right onto Newton Street
114 ft
·
5 sec
·
Newton Street
21
Arrive at destination
Newton Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 15 — 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
8
15 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 287 North: Federal Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 287 North: Federal Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.50 one way
$5.00 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $2.65 | $5.30 |
| premium | $4.39 | $2.87 | $5.74 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.67 | $7.33 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.15
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
(2.1 mi)
$0.15
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5 | 0 | $1.74 | $0.80 |
| Efficient EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.45 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.32 | $1.06 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Westminster, CO
Morning in Westminster on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
26m 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 drive is characterized by its turn-heavy local nature, with only about 21% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a mix of road types, including segments on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, Denver–Boulder Turnpike, and Tuskegee Airmen Memorial Highway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.6 miles on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. As you progress, the route will feel more like navigating through local areas than a continuous interstate journey, requiring your attention for turns and traffic.
Only 21% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.6 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
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 16.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.
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.
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 Westminster, CO
Full guide →Founded 1859
Westminster is a city of about 115,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies northwest of Denver in Adams and Jefferson counties.
Top landmarks
- • Bowles House — listed on the NRHP in Colorado
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 26m. Total distance: 16.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m 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 6.6 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.15 in tolls one way, starting with Denver–Boulder Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Westminster, 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 Westminster, 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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