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Trip from Carlisle, IA to Ottawa, IA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

38m

Distance

18.2 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 9 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m

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

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Carlisle, IA, IA

Carlisle, IA

Quang Nguyen Vinh

Downtown Ottawa, IA, IA

Ottawa, IA

RUIQING BI

Trip Overview

Carlisle to Ottawa is 18.2 miles and takes about 38 minutes via County Road S23 and IA 5, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Iowa's Midwest region, offering a straightforward connection between two points. Given its brief duration, this route is ideal for a quick errand, a short scenic detour, or extending a longer trip without significant time commitment. Expect mostly surface roads, making it a relaxed drive suitable for any day.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
County Road S23 8.6 mi 15m
IA 5 2.8 mi 3m
State Highway 92 2.5 mi 3m
168th Avenue 2 mi 8m
McKinley Street 1 mi 3m
158th Avenue 0.6 mi 2m
1st Street East 0.4 mi <1m
North 5th Street 0.3 mi 1m
Longest stretch: County Road S23 — 8.6 mi, about 15m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Carlisle, IA and Ottawa, IA.

1

Start on North 5th Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · North 5th Street
2

Turn left onto IA 5

2.8 mi · 3 min · IA 5
3

Turn right onto CR S23

7.6 mi · 13 min · County Road S23
4

At end of road, turn right onto IA 92

1.7 mi · 2 min · State Highway 92
5

Continue on IA 92

0.4 mi · 32 sec · 1st Street East
6

Continue on IA 92

0.9 mi · 1 min · State Highway 92
7

Turn left onto CR S23

0.9 mi · 1 min · County Road S23
8

Continue on 168th Avenue

2.0 mi · 8 min · 168th Avenue
9

Turn right onto McKinley Street

1.0 mi · 3 min · McKinley Street
10

Continue on 158th Avenue

0.6 mi · 2 min · 158th Avenue
11

Arrive at destination

158th Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 3.1 and 16.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
3.1 mi into trip | ~4m in | CR S23 / County Road S23

Turn right onto CR S23 / County Road S23

Navigation decision point

4
10.7 mi into trip | ~17m in | IA 92 / State Highway 92

At end of road, turn right onto IA 92 / State Highway 92

Navigation decision point

4
13.6 mi into trip | ~22m in | CR S23 / County Road S23

Turn left onto CR S23 / County Road S23

Navigation decision point

4
16.6 mi into trip | ~31m in | McKinley Street

Turn right onto McKinley Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.82 one way

$5.64 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $3.09 $6.19
premium $4.93 $3.53 $7.06
diesel $5.60 $4.01 $8.02

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

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

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.5 0 $1.91 $0.87
Efficient EV 4.6 0 $1.59 $0.73
EV Truck/SUV 7.3 0 $2.55 $1.16

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 Aug 13, 2026

Origin

Carlisle, IA

Morning in Carlisle on Friday

Local time

6:26 AM

CDT

Current temp

83°F

Showers And Thunderstorms then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

E 9 to 13 mph 89% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 13 at 8:52AM CDT until August 13 at 9:45AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 13 at 8:48AM CDT until August 13 at 9:30AM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

Destination

Ottawa, IA

Morning in Ottawa on Friday

Local time

6:26 AM

CDT

Current temp

84°F

Showers And Thunderstorms then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

E 9 to 13 mph 88% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 13 at 8:52AM CDT until August 13 at 9:45AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued August 13 at 8:48AM CDT until August 13 at 9:30AM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

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

38m 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?

Your drive will cover 18.2 miles, with 29% on highways and the rest on surface roads. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 8.6 miles on County Road S23. Expect to transition from highway cruising to navigating local roads relatively quickly. The profile is mostly surface roads, indicating a more rural or town-centric driving experience for a significant portion of your trip.

Only 29% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.6 mi on County Road S23.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 3.1 miles in near CR S23 / County Road S23.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.1 miles (CR S23 / County Road S23): Navigation decision point; at 10.7 miles (IA 92 / State Highway 92): Navigation decision point; at 13.6 miles (CR S23 / County Road S23): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

935 ft 789 ft

Total Climb

418 ft

Total Descent

450 ft

Highest Point

935 ft

~13 mi in

Elevation Range

146 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Carlisle, IA

Full guide →

Founded 1851

Carlisle is a small town outside of Des Moines in the state of Iowa. It has a nice swimming pool, a couple of parks and a good choice of shops.

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 38m. Total distance: 18.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (29%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 8.6 miles on County Road S23. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 3.1 miles (CR S23 / County Road S23): Navigation decision point; at 10.7 miles (IA 92 / State Highway 92): Navigation decision point; at 13.6 miles (CR S23 / County Road S23): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Ottawa, IA 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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