Origin
Bloomington, MN
Late night in Bloomington on Tuesday
Local time
4:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bloomington, MN to Saint Paul, MN
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
22m
Distance
14.5 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bloomington, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Saint Paul, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Bloomington, MN to Saint Paul, MN is 14.5 miles and takes about 22 minutes via Shepard Road and I 494, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Midwest region and Minnesota, making it an easy, familiar drive. With a highway share of about 32%, you'll experience a mixed drive that's more local than interstate. It's a straightforward trip perfect for when you need to get from one point to another efficiently without a major time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Shepard Road | 5.1 mi | 8m |
| I 494 | 3.6 mi | 4m |
| John A. Johnson Memorial Highway | 2.2 mi | 2m |
| Fort Road | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| I 35W | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Kellogg Boulevard West | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Exchange Street South | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Eagle Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Shepard Road
— 5.1 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bloomington, MN and Saint Paul, 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 right at fork
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward I 494 East, MN 5 East
6
Merge onto I 494; MN 5
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
I 494; MN 5
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit onto MN 5
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
John A. Johnson Memorial Highway
Exit 1A
Toward MN 5: Terminal 1
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on MN 5
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Fort Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
197 ft
·
4 sec
Toward Edgcumbe Road, Shepard Road, River Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
223 ft
·
5 sec
Toward Shepard Road, River Boulevard
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto Gannon Road
285 ft
·
7 sec
·
Gannon Road
12
Turn left onto Shepard Road
5.1 mi
·
8 min
·
Shepard Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
13
Turn left onto Eagle Parkway
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Eagle Parkway
Use the straight lane.
14
Turn right onto Exchange Street South
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Exchange Street South
Use the right lane.
15
Turn straight onto Kellogg Boulevard West
0.2 mi
·
52 sec
·
Kellogg Boulevard West
16
Turn left onto Wabasha Street North
214 ft
·
9 sec
·
Wabasha Street North
Use the left lane.
17
Arrive at destination
Wabasha Street North
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.1 and 8.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
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
7
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 494 East, MN 5 East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 494 East, MN 5 East
7
5.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
MN 5 / John A. Johnson Memorial Highway
Take the exit onto MN 5 / John A. Johnson Memorial Highway toward MN 5: Terminal 1
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1A
Toward MN 5: Terminal 1
7
8.6 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward Edgcumbe Road, Shepard Road, River Boulevard
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.
Toward Edgcumbe Road, Shepard Road, River Boule...
9
8.6 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Shepard Road, River Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Shepard Road, River Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.16 one way
$4.32 round trip
$3.78/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.07 | $2.33 | $4.65 |
| premium | $4.53 | $2.59 | $5.17 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.20 | $6.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.52 | $0.70 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.27 | $0.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.03 | $0.93 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Saint Paul, MN
Late night in Saint Paul on Tuesday
Local time
4:38 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°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
1 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
22m 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 presents a mixed drive, with 32% of the journey utilizing highways. You'll encounter stretches on Shepard Road and I 494, including the John A. Johnson Memorial Highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is 5.1 miles on Shepard Road, offering a consistent pace before transitioning. Expect a blend of faster highway speeds and potentially more local traffic as you navigate between these two Minnesota cities. The drive generally flows well, allowing for a predictable travel time.
32% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.1 mi on Shepard Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.1 miles in.
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 13 decision points packed into just 14.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: 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; at 5.2 miles (MN 5 / John A. Johnson Memorial Highway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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
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 22m. Total distance: 14.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (32%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.1 miles on Shepard Road. 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 Saint Paul, 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: 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; at 5.2 miles (MN 5 / John A. Johnson Memorial Highway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Saint Paul, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Saint Paul, MN
More trips to Saint Paul, MN
Explore more options from Bloomington, MN or browse trips ending in Saint Paul, MN.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MN road trips.