Origin
Centennial, CO
Late night in Centennial on Tuesday
Local time
2:53 AM
MDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Centennial, CO to Columbine Valley, 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
23m
Distance
12.2 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 22m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Centennial, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Columbine Valley, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion within Colorado’s Mountain West, the 12.2-mile journey from Centennial to Columbine Valley is a straightforward local transit. Expect to spend about 23 minutes behind the wheel, making this a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. With a fuel budget of just $2, it is an incredibly economical route to navigate. Since the entire drive takes place within the same region, you will find consistent infrastructure throughout your commute. This is a practical, no-fuss connection that allows you to reach your destination quickly without the need for an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Belleview Avenue | 4.7 mi | 8m |
| South Valley Highway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| West Belleview Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| West Bowles Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Santa Fe Drive | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| South Middlefield Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| East Dry Creek Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Niblick Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East Belleview Avenue
— 4.7 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Centennial, CO and Columbine Valley, CO.
1
Start on this road
495 ft
·
41 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left
118 ft
·
10 sec
3
Turn right onto East Panorama Circle
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
East Panorama Circle
4
Turn right onto South Chester Street
384 ft
·
14 sec
·
South Chester Street
5
Turn right onto CR 46
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
East Dry Creek Road
6
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward I 25 North
Use the left lane.
7
Merge onto I 25
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
South Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 199
Toward CO 88 West: Belleview Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn left onto CO 88
4.7 mi
·
8 min
·
East Belleview Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
10
Continue on CO 88
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
West Belleview Avenue
Use the left lane.
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
Toward US 85
Use the left lane.
12
Merge onto US 85
0.6 mi
·
44 sec
·
South Santa Fe Drive
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
13
Turn right onto West Bowles Avenue
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West Bowles Avenue
14
Turn left onto South Middlefield Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
South Middlefield Road
15
Turn left onto Niblick Lane
0.2 mi
·
53 sec
·
Niblick Lane
16
Arrive at destination
Niblick Lane
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 10.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn left toward I 25 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 25 North
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 25 / South Valley Highway
Merge onto I 25 / South Valley Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
3.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Take the exit toward CO 88 West: Belleview Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 199
Toward CO 88 West: Belleview Avenue
5
9.9 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the ramp toward US 85
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward US 85
5
10.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
US 85 / South Santa Fe Drive
Merge onto US 85 / South Santa Fe Drive
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.84 one way
$3.68 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $1.95 | $3.89 |
| premium | $4.39 | $2.11 | $4.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.69 | $5.39 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.28 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.07 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.71 | $0.78 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Columbine Valley, CO
Late night in Columbine Valley on Tuesday
Local time
2:53 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
23 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
23m 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 is defined as a turn-heavy local drive, favoring surface streets over high-speed interstate travel. You will spend 0% of your time on major highways, relying instead on East Belleview Avenue, South Valley Highway, and West Belleview Avenue. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is 4.7 miles along East Belleview Avenue. Because the route avoids highway driving, you should be prepared for frequent stops and turns as you navigate through the local landscape. It is a steady, hands-on driving experience rather than a monotonous interstate cruise.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.7 mi on East Belleview Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 0.6 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 12.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (I 25 / South Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Centennial, CO
Full guide →Founded 2001
Centennial is a suburban city of about 106,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies in Arapahoe County southeast of Denver.
Top landmarks
- • Seventeen Mile House — historic site in Centennial, Colorado
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 23m. Total distance: 12.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m 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 4.7 miles on East Belleview Avenue. 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 Columbine Valley, 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (I 25 / South Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Columbine Valley, 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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