Origin
Fort Carson, CO
Late night in Fort Carson on Sunday
Local time
1:58 AM
MDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fort Carson, CO to Castle Rock, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
58m
Distance
48.2 mi
78 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 54m
★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 56m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fort Carson, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Castle Rock, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion from Fort Carson to Castle Rock, you are looking at a 48.2-mile journey through Colorado's Mountain West. Expect to spend about 58 minutes behind the wheel, making this a straightforward day trip that does not require an overnight stay. With a fuel budget of approximately $7, the trip is quite economical for a solo driver or a small group. You will primarily navigate via the Ronald Reagan Highway, the Monument Valley Freeway, and CO 115. Because the entire route remains within the same region, you will experience a consistent high-altitude landscape throughout the drive.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Highway | 32.5 mi | 33m |
| Monument Valley Freeway | 7.7 mi | 8m |
| CO 115 | 4.4 mi | 7m |
| Chiles Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| O'Connell Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Wilcox Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Wilcox Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 3rd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Ronald Reagan Highway
— 32.5 mi, about 33m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fort Carson, CO and Castle Rock, CO.
1
Start on Prussman Avenue
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Prussman Avenue
2
Turn right onto Chiles Avenue
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Chiles Avenue
3
Turn left onto O'Connell Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
O'Connell Boulevard
4
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
5
Merge onto CO 115
4.4 mi
·
7 min
·
CO 115
Use the straight lane.
6
Turn left
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
Toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Merge onto I 25; US 24
7.7 mi
·
8 min
·
Monument Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 25
33 mi
·
33 min
·
Ronald Reagan Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
Exit 181
Toward Plum Creek Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Turn right onto West Plum Creek Parkway
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
West Plum Creek Parkway
12
Turn left onto South Wilcox Street
0.3 mi
·
49 sec
·
South Wilcox Street
13
Enter roundabout onto North Wilcox Street
54 ft
·
0 sec
·
North Wilcox Street
14
Continue on North Wilcox Street
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
North Wilcox Street
15
Turn right onto 3rd Street
346 ft
·
10 sec
·
3rd Street
16
Continue on 3rd Street
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
3rd Street
17
Turn right onto North Cantril Street
90 ft
·
3 sec
·
North Cantril Street
18
Arrive at destination
North Cantril Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
24 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 24.1 miles from Fort Carson, CO, 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 145 decision points cluster between mile 6.3 and 48.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
6.3 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Turn left toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
7
6.4 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the ramp toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward I 25 North, US 24 West: Denver
7
47 mi into trip
|
~54m in
Take the exit toward Plum Creek Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 181
Toward Plum Creek Parkway
6
47.8 mi into trip
|
~57m in
|
North Wilcox Street
Enter roundabout onto North Wilcox Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
48.1 mi into trip
|
~57m in
|
3rd Street
Enter roundabout onto 3rd Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.26 one way
$14.52 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
17 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $7.69 | $15.38 |
| premium | $4.39 | $8.34 | $16.68 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.64 | $21.28 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 14.5 | 0 | $5.06 | $2.31 |
| Efficient EV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.22 | $1.93 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 19.3 | 0 | $6.75 | $3.08 |
Gas CO2
17 kg
EV CO2
6 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.
Destination
Castle Rock, CO
Late night in Castle Rock on Sunday
Local time
1:58 AM
MDT
Current temp
73°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
58m 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 that demands your full attention rather than a mindless cruise. While roughly 25% of the trip consists of highway driving, the route transitions frequently between different road types as you make your way north. Your longest uninterrupted stretch covers 32.5 miles on the Ronald Reagan Highway, providing the most consistent pace of the entire journey. The remaining mileage is characterized by local road segments that break up the faster highway sections. Stay alert for these shifts in road personality, as the driving environment changes significantly from the open highway to more technical local stretches.
Only 25% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 32.5 mi on Ronald Reagan Highway.
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 6.3 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 14 decision points packed into just 48.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 6.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 47 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Fort Carson, CO
Full guide →Colorado Springs is a city of about 490,000 in the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of El Paso County, the city lies 63 miles (101 km) south of Denver at the foot of Pikes Peak in South Central 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 58m. Total distance: 48.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
58m 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 32.5 miles on Ronald Reagan 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 Castle Rock, 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 6.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 47 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 Castle Rock, 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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