Origin
Brighton, CO
Morning in Brighton on Tuesday
Local time
6:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
33°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brighton, CO to Denver, 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
32m
Distance
21.6 mi
35 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
6 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brighton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Denver, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 21.6-mile drive from Brighton, CO to Denver, CO is a quick 32-minute journey through the Mountain West region. It's perfectly suited as a single-day trip, requiring no overnight stays. With an estimated fuel cost of just $3, this route is very budget-friendly. You'll primarily navigate via the CanAm Highway, Heartland Expressway, and North Valley Highway, with about 29% of the drive on highways. Expect a route with frequent turns, making it more of a local navigation experience than a long-haul cruise. This is a straightforward connection, ideal for those looking for an efficient way to get between these two Colorado locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| CanAm Highway | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Heartland Expressway | 6.3 mi | 7m |
| North Valley Highway | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| North Broadway | 1 mi | 3m |
| Park Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Park Avenue West | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| West 22nd Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| West Bridge Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
CanAm Highway
— 8.2 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brighton, CO and Denver, CO.
1
Start on Bush Street
414 ft
·
14 sec
·
Bush Street
2
Turn right onto South Main Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
South Main Street
3
Turn left onto West Bridge Street
427 ft
·
8 sec
·
West Bridge Street
Use the left lane.
4
Enter roundabout onto CO 7
142 ft
·
2 sec
·
West Bridge Street
5
Continue on CO 7
266 ft
·
4 sec
·
West Bridge Street
6
Enter roundabout
304 ft
·
5 sec
Toward US 85 south
7
Continue
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward US 85 south
8
Merge onto US 85
8.2 mi
·
9 min
·
CanAm Highway
Use the left lane.
9
Merge onto I 76; US 6; US 85
6.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
Exit 5
Toward I 25 South: Denver
Use the slight right lane.
11
Continue on this road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
this road
Toward I 25 south: Denver
12
Merge onto I 25; US 87
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
Exit 213
Toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
Toward Park Avenue, Downtown
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
15
Continue on Park Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Park Avenue
16
Turn straight onto Park Avenue West
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Park Avenue West
17
Continue on West 22nd Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West 22nd Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Turn right onto North Broadway
1.0 mi
·
3 min
·
North Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
19
Turn left onto East 14th Avenue
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
East 14th Avenue
Use the left lane.
20
Turn left
358 ft
·
27 sec
Use the straight / left lanes.
21
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 21.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West Bridge Street
Turn left onto West Bridge Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
15.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward I 25 South: Denver
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 5
Toward I 25 South: Denver
8
18.5 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown
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 213
Toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown
9
18.8 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Park Avenue, Downtown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Park Avenue, Downtown
7
21.5 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Turn left
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.25 one way
$6.51 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.45 | $6.89 |
| premium | $4.39 | $3.74 | $7.47 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.77 | $9.54 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.27 | $1.04 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.89 | $0.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.02 | $1.38 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Denver, CO
Morning in Denver on Tuesday
Local time
6:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
35°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
2 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
32m 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?
The character of this drive is best described as a turn-heavy local experience. While 29% of the route utilizes highway sections, the majority involves navigating local roads with frequent directional changes. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 8.2 miles on the CanAm Highway. This means you'll be constantly engaged with the driving, making adjustments as you transition between different road types. It's less about vast, open vistas and more about a practical progression through the landscape, requiring your attention to follow the most direct path.
Only 29% 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: 8.2 mi on CanAm Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 0.2 miles in near West Bridge Street.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 21.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (West Bridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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 Brighton, CO to Denver, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Downtown along the way.
Downtown
18.5 mi in
|
~23m
About the Cities
Starting in Brighton, CO
Full guide →Founded 1887
Brighton is a city of about 42,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of Adams County and also extending into adjacent Weld County, the city lies northeast of Denver along the South Platte River. A former farming community, Brighton is now a residential suburb of Denver.
Arriving in Denver, CO
Full guide →“Mile High City” · Founded 1858
Denver is the capital of the western U.S. state of Colorado and the dominant city of the Rocky Mountain Region. Founded in 1858 as the placer gold mining camp known as the Cherry Creek Diggings, the "Mile-High City" is today the most populous city within a 560-mile (900 km) radius and the center of the Front Range Urban Corridor of more than five million residents. Denver embraces its cowboy and mining past but also looks toward the future with a vibrant arts and performing arts scene, dozens of great outdoor festivals, and distinct neighborhoods each offering a unique experience. You'll find everything a cosmopolitan city has to offer including a spectacular view of and easy access to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, which arise only 12 miles (19 km) west of the Colorado State Capitol.
Top landmarks
- • Denver Art Museum — museum in Denver, Colorado, United States
- • Denver Mint — United States Mint branch in Denver, Colorado
- • Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception — church in Colorado, United States
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 32m. Total distance: 21.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m 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 8.2 miles on CanAm 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 Denver, 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 0.2 miles (West Bridge Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 15.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Denver, 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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