Cedar Rapids to Fort Dodge is 149.9 miles and takes about 2h 55m via Avenue of the Saints, with a fuel budget near $23 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Iowa, moving you across the Midwest. It's a single-day trip that primarily uses surface roads, making it a straightforward and relatively quick connection between these two cities. Given the short duration and moderate fuel cost, it's a good option for a flexible day trip or a quick hop between locations.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
74.9 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 25m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Avenue of the Saints
142.8 mi
2h 41m
32nd Street Northeast
1.2 mi
2m
8th Avenue South
1 mi
2m
Mill Road
1 mi
1m
Quail Avenue
0.8 mi
1m
Paragon Avenue
0.7 mi
1m
Nelson Avenue
0.7 mi
1m
South 32nd Street
0.5 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
Avenue of the Saints
— 142.8 mi, about 2h 41m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Cedar Rapids, IA and Fort Dodge, 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
48 mi·52 min·Avenue of the Saints
6
Keep slight left at fork onto US 20; IA 27
94 mi·1 hr 49 min·Avenue of the Saints
7
Take the exit onto US 20 Business
0.3 mi·48 sec·US 20 Business
8
Turn right onto US 20 Business
0.7 mi·1 min·Nelson Avenue
9
Continue on US 20 Business
0.8 mi·1 min·Quail Avenue
10
Turn left onto 220th Street
0.5 mi·47 sec·220th Street
11
Continue on Mill Road
1.0 mi·1 min·Mill Road
12
Continue on Paragon Avenue
0.7 mi·1 min·Paragon Avenue
13
Continue on South 32nd Street
0.5 mi·1 min·South 32nd Street
14
Turn left onto 8th Avenue South
1.0 mi·2 min·8th Avenue South
15
Arrive at destination
8th Avenue South
Trip Plan
For this 149.9-mile trip, leaving Cedar Rapids in the morning will give you ample time to reach Fort Dodge well before evening. Since it's a single-day drive and primarily surface roads, you won't need to plan for overnight stops. With a total duration under 3 hours, you can easily make one brief stop for gas or a quick break. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, especially as the longest stretch without services could be significant on Avenue of the Saints.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 74.9 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA, or about 1h 25m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 142.8 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 33 miles or 37m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 74.9 miles or 1h 25m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h 20m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Fort Dodge, IA than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Cedar Rapids, IA so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Cedar Rapids, IA
This is one driving day of about 149.9 miles and 2h 55m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 33 miles from Cedar Rapids, IA.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on Avenue of the Saints for about 142.8 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 9
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 148.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|Crystal Drive Northeast
Continue onto Crystal Drive Northeast
Navigation decision point
3
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|32nd Street Northeast
Turn left onto 32nd Street Northeast
Navigation decision point
3
1.3 mi into trip|~2m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
4
49.9 mi into trip|~56m in|US 20; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints
Keep slight left at fork onto US 20; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
4
148.9 mi into trip|~2h 53m in|8th Avenue South
Turn left onto 8th Avenue South
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$23.44 one way
$46.87 round trip
$3.97/gal25.4 MPG avg52 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.36
$25.73
$51.46
premium
$4.89
$28.85
$57.69
diesel
$5.61
$33.10
$66.19
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$23
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$48–$73
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 52.4 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $16 in charging
· 0 stops
· 65% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
45
0
$15.74
$7.20
Efficient EV
37.5
0
$13.12
$6.00
EV Truck/SUV
60
0
$20.99
$9.59
Gas CO2
52 kg
EV CO2
18 kg (65% 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 20, 2026
Origin
Cedar Rapids, IA
Late night
in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday
Local time
5:43 AM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Fort Dodge, IA
Late night
in Fort Dodge on Tuesday
Local time
5:43 AM
CDT
Current temp
59°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
59°F
Waterloo, IA
75 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
3 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
2h 55m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This route involves a significant stretch of surface roads, with 0% highway driving. You'll cover 142.8 miles on Avenue of the Saints, experiencing consistent surface road conditions for the majority of your trip. Expect a steady pace without the frequent acceleration and braking associated with major highways. The constant surface road nature means you'll likely notice more local traffic and intersections throughout the drive.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 142.8 mi on Avenue of the Saints.
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 0.1 miles in near Crystal Drive Northeast.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 2h 55m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Crystal Drive Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (32nd Street Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 1.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
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.
Fort Dodge is a city of 25,000 people (2020) in North Central Iowa on the Des Moines River. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Central and Northwest Iowa.
The longest stretch is about 142.8 miles on Avenue of the Saints. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 7 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Crystal Drive Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (32nd Street Northeast): Navigation decision point; at 1.3 miles: Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Fort Dodge, IA before heading back.
