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Trip from Cedar Rapids, IA to Belle Plaine, IA

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

54m

Distance

41.7 mi

67 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Good

5 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 50m ★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 58m
12 PM
0h 57m
3 PM
0h 59m
5 PM
1h 3m
8 PM
0h 52m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Iowa, United States

Belle Plaine, IA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are looking for a straightforward trip through the Iowa landscape, the 41.7-mile journey from Cedar Rapids to Belle Plaine is a practical choice. You can easily complete this drive in about 54 minutes, making it a perfect one-day excursion that requires no overnight planning. Budgeting around $6 for fuel should cover your needs for the trip. Navigating this route involves a mix of local roads, specifically 73rd Street, Collins Road Northeast, and 15th Avenue. Since both towns reside within the Midwest, you will experience a consistent regional feel throughout the drive. This is an efficient way to travel between these two points without the complexity of major interstate congestion.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
73rd Street 21 mi 24m
Collins Road Northeast 8.2 mi 9m
15th Avenue 4.5 mi 7m
16th Avenue Southwest 2.4 mi 2m
13th Street 1.5 mi 2m
32nd Street Northeast 1.2 mi 2m
Avenue of the Saints 0.5 mi <1m
77th Street Drive 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: 73rd Street — 21 mi, about 24m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cedar Rapids, IA and Belle Plaine, IA.

1

Start on Tiperary Drive Northeast

0.1 mi · 32 sec · Tiperary Drive Northeast
2

Continue on Crystal Drive Northeast

184 ft · 13 sec · Crystal Drive Northeast
3

Turn left onto 32nd Street Northeast

1.2 mi · 2 min · 32nd Street Northeast
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 30 sec
5

Merge onto I 380; IA 27

0.5 mi · 40 sec · Avenue of the Saints
6

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Toward IA 100
7

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 20 sec
Toward I-380 north, IA 27 north, IA 100 west: Waterloo
8

Turn left

0.3 mi · 45 sec
Toward I-380 south, IA 27 south, IA 100 west: Iowa City
9

Merge onto IA 100

8.2 mi · 9 min · Collins Road Northeast
10

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Toward US 30 West, US 218 North: Tama, Marshalltown
11

Merge onto US 30; US 218

2.4 mi · 2 min · 16th Avenue Southwest
12

Continue on US 30; US 218

21 mi · 24 min · 73rd Street
13

Turn left onto 15th Avenue

4.5 mi · 7 min · 15th Avenue
14

At end of road, turn right onto 77th Street Drive

0.5 mi · 54 sec · 77th Street Drive
15

Continue on 13th Street

1.5 mi · 2 min · 13th Street
16

Turn left onto IA 21

45 ft · 0 sec · 7th Avenue
17

Arrive at destination

IA 21

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Palo, IA, IA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Palo, IA

21 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Marengo, IA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 41.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Atkins, IA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20.8 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.1 and 35.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
2.1 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward IA 100

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Toward IA 100
6
2.4 mi into trip | ~4m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I-380 north, IA 27 north, IA 100 west: Waterloo

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

Toward I-380 north, IA 27 north, IA 100 west: W...
5
2.6 mi into trip | ~5m in

Turn left toward I-380 south, IA 27 south, IA 100 west: Iowa City

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I-380 south, IA 27 south, IA 100 west: I...
5
11.1 mi into trip | ~15m in

Take the exit toward US 30 West, US 218 North: Tama, Marshalltown

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

Toward US 30 West, US 218 North: Tama, Marshall...
4
35.1 mi into trip | ~43m in | 15th Avenue

Turn left onto 15th Avenue

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.52 one way

$13.04 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $7.16 $14.32
premium $4.89 $8.02 $16.05
diesel $5.61 $9.21 $18.41

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.5 0 $4.38 $2.00
Efficient EV 10.4 0 $3.65 $1.67
EV Truck/SUV 16.7 0 $5.84 $2.67

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 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 Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Cedar Rapids, IA

Late night in Cedar Rapids on Sunday

Local time

3:06 AM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Sunny

S 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 12:02PM CDT until April 16 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Sioux Falls SD

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 11:30AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Destination

Belle Plaine, IA

Late night in Belle Plaine on Sunday

Local time

3:06 AM

CDT

Current temp

48°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

28 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

54m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate sprint, as this route contains no highway mileage. You will spend the most time on 73rd Street, which serves as the longest uninterrupted stretch at 21 miles. Because the path relies entirely on local roads, the pace remains steady and demands your full attention behind the wheel. The character of the drive shifts as you transition between the primary corridors of Collins Road Northeast and 15th Avenue. You won't find monotonous highway miles here, but instead a series of turns that keep the journey engaging from start to finish.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 21 mi on 73rd Street.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 13 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2.1 miles in.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 41.7 miles you will encounter 13 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

938 ft 758 ft

Total Climb

284 ft

Total Descent

263 ft

Highest Point

938 ft

~32.7 mi in

Elevation Range

180 ft

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 Cedar Rapids, IA to Belle Plaine, IA, road signs begin pointing toward Marshalltown along the way.

Marshalltown

11.1 mi in | ~15m

About the Cities

Starting in Cedar Rapids, IA

Full guide →

Cedar Rapids is a city in Eastern Iowa. In 2016, it was the second largest city in Iowa by population and is home to about 137,000 residents. Largely known as an industrial, working class city, Cedar Rapids has begun to grow and expand employment opportunities in the service sector, attracting new residents to the area. While out of the way of most major travel routes and destinations, a stop in Cedar Rapids may uncover a great taste of the Midwest. Typical Iowa hospitality is not lost here.

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 54m. Total distance: 41.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

54m 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 21 miles on 73rd Street. 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 Belle Plaine, IA 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 2.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 2.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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