Origin
Fort Collins, CO
Late night in Fort Collins on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fort Collins, CO to Loveland, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
13.5 mi
22 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fort Collins, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Loveland, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick excursion between Fort Collins and Loveland, you are looking at a brief 13.5-mile journey within the Mountain West. Clocking in at approximately 25 minutes, this trip is ideal for a spontaneous day outing rather than an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via South College Avenue, North Garfield Avenue, and North Cleveland Avenue to reach your destination. Budgeting just $2 for fuel makes this one of the most economical trips you can take in Colorado. Since there are no required stops, you have the freedom to complete the drive in one efficient go. It is a straightforward, practical connection between two neighboring cities that requires very little logistical planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South College Avenue | 7 mi | 12m |
| North Garfield Avenue | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| North Cleveland Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| South Highway 287 | 1 mi | 1m |
| North Lincoln Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Buchanan Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| West Mulberry Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Sherwood Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South College Avenue
— 7 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fort Collins, CO and Loveland, CO.
1
Start on South Sherwood Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
South Sherwood Street
2
Continue on West Magnolia Street
476 ft
·
20 sec
·
West Magnolia Street
3
Turn right onto South Meldrum Street
499 ft
·
29 sec
·
South Meldrum Street
4
Turn left onto West Mulberry Street
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
West Mulberry Street
5
Turn right onto US 287
7.0 mi
·
12 min
·
South College Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Continue on US 287
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
South Highway 287
7
Continue on US 287
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
North Garfield Avenue
8
Continue on US 287
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
Buchanan Avenue
9
Continue on US 287
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
North Lincoln Avenue
10
Continue on US 287
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North Cleveland Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
11
Turn right onto East 6th Street
131 ft
·
5 sec
·
East 6th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Arrive at destination
East 6th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 13.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
South Meldrum Street
Turn right onto South Meldrum Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Mulberry Street
Turn left onto West Mulberry Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 287 / South College Avenue
Turn right onto US 287 / South College Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
13.4 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
East 6th Street
Turn right onto East 6th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.03 one way
$4.07 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $2.15 | $4.31 |
| premium | $4.39 | $2.34 | $4.67 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.98 | $5.96 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.42 | $0.65 |
| Efficient EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.18 | $0.54 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.89 | $0.86 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Loveland, CO
Late night in Loveland on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
MDT
Current temp
44°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
25m 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 keeps you engaged behind the wheel rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. While about 7 miles of the trip—roughly half the total distance—utilize highway-style roads, the majority of your time is spent navigating local thoroughfares. Your longest uninterrupted stretch is a 7-mile segment along South College Avenue, which serves as the backbone of your journey. As you transition between these main roads, the character of the drive shifts from busy urban corridors to more localized navigation. Be prepared for frequent turns as you move through the Mountain West landscape, as this route emphasizes stop-and-go local transit over high-speed highway travel.
Only 7% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7 mi on South College Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
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 0.2 miles in near South Meldrum Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (South Meldrum Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Mulberry Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (US 287 / South College Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Fort Collins, CO
Full guide →Fort Collins is a city of about 170,000 in north central region of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of Larimer County, the city lies 59 miles (95 km) north of Denver on the Cache La Poudre River at the eastern edge of the Front Range foothills. Fort Collins is the home of Colorado State University and is a major research center.
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 25m. Total distance: 13.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (7%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7 miles on South College Avenue. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.2 miles (South Meldrum Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Mulberry Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (US 287 / South College Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Loveland, 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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