Origin
Centennial, CO
Morning in Centennial on Tuesday
Local time
8:13 AM
MDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Centennial, CO to Derby, 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
34m
Distance
19.7 mi
32 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 40m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 40m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Centennial, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Derby, CO
@coldbeer
Trip Overview
This 19.7-mile drive from Centennial to Derby, Colorado, is a quick trip that should take around 34 minutes to complete. Since it's a short, straightforward journey within the Mountain West region, it's perfectly suited for a single day trip. You'll primarily navigate local roads, with no highway driving involved, making for a relaxed pace. The estimated fuel cost for this route is about $3, which is quite budget-friendly. Given the short duration, you have plenty of flexibility to depart when you please and don't need to worry about overnight stops.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Valley Highway | 7.2 mi | 8m |
| North Colorado Boulevard | 4.8 mi | 10m |
| North Vasquez Boulevard | 3 mi | 3m |
| South Colorado Boulevard | 2.9 mi | 6m |
| East Dry Creek Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Kimberly Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| East 77th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Panorama Circle | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South Valley Highway
— 7.2 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Centennial, CO and Derby, 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
7.2 mi
·
8 min
·
South Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 204
Toward CO 2: Colorado Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward CO 2: South Colorado Boulevard
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
335 ft
·
10 sec
Toward CO 2 North: Colorado Boulevard
11
Turn straight onto CO 2
2.9 mi
·
6 min
·
South Colorado Boulevard
Use the right lane.
12
Continue on CO 2
4.8 mi
·
10 min
·
North Colorado Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
13
Merge onto US 6; US 85; CO 2
3.0 mi
·
3 min
·
North Vasquez Boulevard
14
Turn right onto East 77th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
East 77th Avenue
Use the right lane.
15
Turn left onto Kimberly Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Kimberly Street
16
Arrive at destination
Kimberly Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 8.5 — 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
8 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward CO 2: Colorado Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 204
Toward CO 2: Colorado Boulevard
7
8.4 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CO 2: South Colorado Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward CO 2: South Colorado Boulevard
6
8.5 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CO 2 North: Colorado Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward CO 2 North: Colorado Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.97 one way
$5.94 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.14 | $6.29 |
| premium | $4.39 | $3.41 | $6.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.35 | $8.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
| Efficient EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
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.
Destination
Derby, CO
Morning in Derby on Tuesday
Local time
8:13 AM
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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
34m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with a 0% highway share. The most significant uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.2 miles along South Valley Highway. You'll be traveling on a mix of South Valley Highway, North Colorado Boulevard, and North Vasquez Boulevard. This journey is characterized by frequent intersections and transitions between different local road segments, rather than long, open stretches. It's a route that keeps you engaged with the immediate surroundings as you navigate through urban and suburban landscapes.
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: 7.2 mi on South Valley Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 19.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.
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 8 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 34m. Total distance: 19.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 7.2 miles on South Valley Highway. 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 Derby, 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 8 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 Derby, 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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