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Trip from Broomfield, CO to Frederick, CO

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jun 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

26m

Distance

19.1 mi

31 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great 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 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.

Downtown Broomfield, CO, CO

Broomfield, CO

Owen.outdoors

town in Weld County, Colorado, United States

Frederick, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Broomfield to Frederick is 19.1 miles and takes about 26 minutes via Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway and US 287, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Colorado's Mountain West region. It's a straightforward trip, mostly on major roadways, making it an easy option if you're looking for a quick connection between these two points. Given the short distance and duration, you'll likely find this route convenient for a local commute or a brief leg of a larger trip.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway 6.6 mi 6m
Northwest Parkway 4.7 mi 4m
US 287 2.5 mi 3m
CO 52 1.9 mi 3m
Colorado Boulevard 0.7 mi 1m
West Dillon Road 0.3 mi <1m
5th Street 0.3 mi 1m
Nickel Street 0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway — 6.6 mi, about 6m

Traffic on I-25

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 2 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

4 PM

~4,780 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~277 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

17.3×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 52 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 Broomfield, CO and Frederick, CO.

1

Start on this road

192 ft · 16 sec · this road
2

At end of road, turn right onto West 3rd Avenue

273 ft · 14 sec · West 3rd Avenue
3

Turn right onto Nickel Street

0.1 mi · 26 sec · Nickel Street
4

Turn left onto West Midway Boulevard

0.1 mi · 20 sec · West Midway Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5

Turn right onto US 287

2.5 mi · 3 min · US 287
6

Turn right onto CR 68

0.3 mi · 48 sec · West Dillon Road
7

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 51 sec
Toward Northwest Parkway East
8

Merge onto NW

4.7 mi · 4 min · Northwest Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 24 sec
Exit 47 Toward I 25: Fort Collins, Denver Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 47 Toward I 25 North: Fort Collins Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11

Merge onto I 25

6.6 mi · 6 min · Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
12

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Exit 235 Toward CO 52: Dacono, Fort Lupton, Frederick, Niwot Use the slight right lane.
13

Turn right onto CO 52

1.9 mi · 3 min · CO 52
Use the left lane.
14

Turn left onto Colorado Boulevard

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Colorado Boulevard
Use the left lane.
15

Enter roundabout onto Colorado Boulevard

196 ft · 4 sec · Colorado Boulevard
16

Continue on Colorado Boulevard

0.5 mi · 51 sec · Colorado Boulevard
17

Enter roundabout onto 5th Street

15 ft · 0 sec · 5th Street
18

Continue on 5th Street

0.2 mi · 1 min · 5th Street
19

Turn left

90 ft · 7 sec
20

Turn right

108 ft · 10 sec
21

At end of road, turn right

46 ft · 3 sec
22

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.8 — 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 | West 3rd Avenue

At end of road, turn right onto West 3rd Avenue

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

6
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | West Midway Boulevard

Turn left onto West Midway Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
8
8.2 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward I 25: Fort Collins, Denver

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 47 Toward I 25: Fort Collins, Denver
8
8.5 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 25 North: Fort Collins

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Exit 47 Toward I 25 North: Fort Collins
8
15.8 mi into trip | ~19m in

Take the exit toward CO 52: Dacono, Fort Lupton, Frederick, Niwot

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 235 Toward CO 52: Dacono, Fort Lupton, Frederick, N...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.27 one way

$6.54 round trip

$4.35/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.59 $3.45 $6.90
premium $4.93 $3.71 $7.42
diesel $5.35 $4.02 $8.05

Estimated Tolls: $0.56

Northwest Parkway (4.7 mi) $0.56

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$1

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.7 0 $2.01 $0.92
Efficient EV 4.8 0 $1.67 $0.76
EV Truck/SUV 7.6 0 $2.67 $1.22

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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 Jun 3, 2026

Origin

Broomfield, CO

Afternoon in Broomfield on Wednesday

Local time

3:49 PM

MDT

Current temp

60°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Frederick, CO

Afternoon in Frederick on Wednesday

Local time

3:49 PM

MDT

Current temp

58°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 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

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 trip features a mixed highway and surface road profile, with 48% of the drive on highways. You'll encounter a stretch of 6.6 miles on the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway before transitioning to other roads. Expect to navigate both higher-speed highway sections and potentially slower surface streets as you approach your destination. The dense exit patterns common on highways will likely be a noticeable feature for a portion of this drive.

48% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
22 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?

8/10

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 early in the drive near West 3rd Avenue.

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 16 decision points packed into just 19.1 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 (West 3rd Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles (West Midway Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

High-altitude sections with notable climbs

5,397 ft 4,980 ft

Total Climb

155 ft

Total Descent

565 ft

Highest Point

5,397 ft

~1.4 mi in

Elevation Range

417 ft

Notable High Points

5,397 ft at ~1.4 miles +7 ft prominence
5,350 ft at ~6.8 miles +95 ft prominence
5,028 ft at ~17.8 miles +26 ft prominence

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Broomfield, CO and Frederick, CO, road signs point toward Northwest Parkway East, Denver, Fort Lupton and Niwot.

Northwest Parkway East

3.1 mi in | ~5m

Denver

8.2 mi in | ~11m

Fort Lupton

15.8 mi in | ~19m

Niwot

15.8 mi in | ~19m

About the Cities

Starting in Broomfield, CO

Full guide →

Founded 2001

Broomfield is a combined city and county of about 77,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. Broomfield lies 14 miles (23 km) northwest of Denver and 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Boulder. The only other combined city and county in Colorado is the City and County of Denver, the state capital.

Arriving in Frederick, CO

Full guide →

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: 19.1 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 (48%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

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 $0.56 in tolls one way, starting with Northwest Parkway. 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 Frederick, 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: near the start (West 3rd Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles (West Midway Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 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 Frederick, 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, 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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