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Trip from Bloomington, MN to Excelsior, MN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

26m

Distance

17.8 mi

29 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 24m ★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 25m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
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Downtown Bloomington, MN, MN

Bloomington, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Excelsior, MN, MN

Excelsior, MN

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

The drive from Bloomington, MN to Excelsior, MN covers 17.8 miles and takes about 26m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on MN 5, I 494, Powers Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.3 miles on MN 5. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.91 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
MN 5 6.3 mi 8m
I 494 6.1 mi 7m
Powers Boulevard 2.1 mi 3m
Mill Street 0.9 mi 1m
I 35W 0.8 mi 1m
2nd Street 0.2 mi <1m
West 90th Street <0.1 mi <1m
Water Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: MN 5 — 6.3 mi, about 8m

Traffic on I-494

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 21 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

3 PM

~4,277 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~298 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

14.4×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 34 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bloomington, MN and Excelsior, MN.

1

Start on West 90th Street

163 ft · 10 sec · West 90th Street
2

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward I 35W North
3

Merge onto I 35W

0.8 mi · 1 min · I 35W
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Exit 8B-C Toward I 494 East, MN 5 East Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 1 min
Toward I 494 West, MN 5 West
6

Merge onto I 494; MN 5

5.8 mi · 7 min · I 494; MN 5
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork onto I 494; MN 5

0.3 mi · 25 sec · I 494; MN 5
8

Take the exit onto MN 5

1.8 mi · 2 min · MN 5
Exit 11C Toward MN 5 West, US 212 West Use the straight / right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto MN 5

4.5 mi · 6 min · MN 5
Use the slight right lane.
10

Turn right onto CR 17

2.1 mi · 3 min · Powers Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
11

Continue on CR 82

0.9 mi · 1 min · Mill Street
12

Turn left onto 2nd Street

0.2 mi · 47 sec · 2nd Street
13

Turn left onto Water Street

85 ft · 2 sec · Water Street
14

Arrive at destination

Water Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 10.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0 mi into trip | ~0m in

Take the ramp toward I 35W North

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

Toward I 35W North
8
1.1 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the exit toward I 494 East, MN 5 East

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 8B-C Toward I 494 East, MN 5 East
6
1.3 mi into trip | ~2m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 494 West, MN 5 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 494 West, MN 5 West
8
8.3 mi into trip | ~11m in | MN 5

Take the exit onto MN 5 toward MN 5 West, US 212 West

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / right lanes. Exit 11C Toward MN 5 West, US 212 West
6
10.1 mi into trip | ~14m in | MN 5

Keep slight right at fork onto MN 5

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.91 one way

$5.81 round trip

$4.15/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.46 $3.13 $6.25
premium $4.95 $3.47 $6.94
diesel $5.97 $4.18 $8.36

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.3 0 $1.87 $0.85
Efficient EV 4.5 0 $1.56 $0.71
EV Truck/SUV 7.1 0 $2.49 $1.14

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.

Forecast as of Sep 7, 2026

Origin

Bloomington, MN

Late night in Bloomington on Saturday

Local time

12:41 AM

CDT

Current temp

69°F

Mostly Cloudy

SE 5 mph 5% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued September 6 at 10:21PM CDT until September 7 at 12:30AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued September 6 at 7:57PM CDT until September 7 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Destination

Excelsior, MN

Late night in Excelsior on Saturday

Local time

12:41 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Mostly Cloudy

SE 5 to 10 mph 8% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued September 6 at 10:21PM CDT until September 7 at 12:30AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued September 6 at 7:57PM CDT until September 7 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

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

1 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

26m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

17.8 mi in 26m, mostly highway — 6.3 mi of that is on MN 5.

74% 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: 6.3 mi on MN 5.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on MN 5 and I 494. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.

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 11 decision points packed into just 17.8 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: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

995 ft 820 ft

Total Climb

224 ft

Total Descent

102 ft

Highest Point

995 ft

~15.3 mi in

Elevation Range

175 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Bloomington, MN

Full guide →

Founded 1843

Bloomington, Minnesota is a suburb of Minneapolis. It is near the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP IATA) and home to the Mall of America, the United States' largest shopping mall. Bloomington has a population of 89,000 people (as of 2021). Bloomington was established as a post–World War II housing boom suburb connected to Minneapolis's urban street grid, and is served by two major freeways: Interstate 35W and Interstate 494.

Top landmarks

  • • Nickelodeon Universe — amusement park inside Mall of America
  • • SpongeBob SquarePants Rock Bottom Plunge — amusement ride
  • • SEA LIFE Minnesota Aquarium

Arriving in Excelsior, MN

Full guide →

Founded 1877

Top landmarks

  • • Excelsior Amusement Park — located on Lake Minnetonka in the town of Excelsior, Minnesota

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: 17.8 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.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 6.3 miles on MN 5. 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 Excelsior, MN 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: near the start: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Excelsior, MN 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, 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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