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Trip from Eagan, MN to Lake Elmo, MN

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 7, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

35m

Distance

24.6 mi

40 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 32m ★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m

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

Best Time
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city in Minnesota, United States

Eagan, MN

Wikimedia Commons

city in Washington County, Minnesota

Lake Elmo, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Eagan, MN to Lake Elmo, MN covers 24.6 miles and takes about 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 494, I 694, Stillwater Boulevard North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.1 miles on I 494. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.90 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 494 12.1 mi 15m
I 694 3.2 mi 3m
Stillwater Boulevard North 2.3 mi 4m
I 35E 1.7 mi 1m
34th Street North 1.7 mi 2m
Pilot Knob Road 1.7 mi 2m
Lake Elmo Avenue North 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: I 494 — 12.1 mi, about 15m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Eagan, MN and Lake Elmo, MN.

1

Start on CR 31

1.7 mi · 2 min · Pilot Knob Road
Use the left lane.
2

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Toward I 35E North Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3

Merge onto I 35E

1.7 mi · 1 min · I 35E
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 99A-B Toward I 494 West, I 494 East
5

Keep slight right at fork

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 99A Toward I 494 East Use the slight right lane.
6

Merge onto I 494

12 mi · 15 min · I 494
Use the straight / right lanes.
7

Continue on I 694

3.2 mi · 3 min · I 694
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 55 Toward CH 14 Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Turn right onto CH 14

1.7 mi · 2 min · 34th Street North
Use the right lane.
10

Enter roundabout onto CH 14

149 ft · 3 sec · Stillwater Boulevard North
11

Continue on CH 14

2.2 mi · 4 min · Stillwater Boulevard North
12

Turn right onto CH 17

0.4 mi · 1 min · Lake Elmo Avenue North
13

Arrive at destination

CH 17

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.7 and 20 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
1.7 mi into trip | ~2m in

Take the ramp toward I 35E North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 35E North
5
2.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 35E

Merge onto I 35E

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
3.8 mi into trip | ~5m in

Take the exit toward I 494 West, I 494 East

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

Exit 99A-B Toward I 494 West, I 494 East
8
4.1 mi into trip | ~6m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 494 East

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 99A Toward I 494 East
7
20 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward CH 14

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 55 Toward CH 14

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.90 one way

$7.79 round trip

$4.02/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.28 $4.15 $8.30
premium $4.85 $4.70 $9.39
diesel $5.60 $5.42 $10.85

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.58 $1.18
Efficient EV 6.2 0 $2.15 $0.98
EV Truck/SUV 9.8 0 $3.44 $1.57

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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 Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Eagan, MN

Evening in Eagan on Monday

Local time

6:43 PM

CDT

Current temp

66°F

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Showers And Thunderstorms Likely

NE 0 to 5 mph 67% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 10:56PM CDT until September 1 at 11:30PM CDT by NWS Twin Cities/Chanha...

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued September 1 at 10:49PM CDT until September 2 at 5:00AM CDT by NWS Twin Cities/Chanhasse...

Destination

Lake Elmo, MN

Evening in Lake Elmo on Monday

Local time

6:43 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Mostly Cloudy then Showers And Thunderstorms

ENE 0 to 5 mph 79% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 10:56PM CDT until September 1 at 11:30PM CDT by NWS Twin Cities/Chanha...

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued September 1 at 10:49PM CDT until September 2 at 5:00AM CDT by NWS Twin Cities/Chanhasse...

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

2 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

35m 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?

24.6 mi in 35m, mostly highway — 12.1 mi of that is on I 494.

69% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.1 mi on I 494.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 494 and I 694. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.7 miles in.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 24.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 35E): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,058 ft 736 ft

Total Climb

376 ft

Total Descent

415 ft

Highest Point

1,058 ft

~17.6 mi in

Elevation Range

322 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 Eagan, MN to Lake Elmo, MN, road signs begin pointing toward Ch 14 along the way.

Ch 14

20 mi in | ~26m

About the Cities

Starting in Eagan, MN

Full guide →

Founded 1860

Eagan is a city of 69,000 people (2021) in Minnesota on the south bank of the Minnesota River, upstream from the confluence with the Mississippi River. It is a suburb in the southern part of the Twin Cities region.

Arriving in Lake Elmo, MN

Full guide →

Founded 1852

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 35m. Total distance: 24.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

35m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (69%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 12.1 miles on I 494. 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 Lake Elmo, MN 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 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 35E): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lake Elmo, MN 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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