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Trip from Fort Dodge, KS to Garden City, KS

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 16m

Distance

57.2 mi

92 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 10m ★
6 AM
1h 16m
8 AM
1h 28m
10 AM
1h 21m
12 PM
1h 19m
3 PM
1h 21m
5 PM
1h 28m
8 PM
1h 13m

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 and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States

Fort Dodge, KS

Wikimedia Commons

city in and the county seat of Finney County, Kansas, United States

Garden City, KS

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Fort Dodge, KS to Garden City, KS covers 57.2 miles and takes about 1h 16m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on US 50, US 400, West Wyatt Earp Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 49.3 miles on US 50. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.87 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
US 50 49.3 mi 1h 2m
US 400 5.5 mi 9m
West Wyatt Earp Boulevard 1.8 mi 3m
North Main Street 0.4 mi <1m
North 14th Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
West Walnut Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: US 50 — 49.3 mi, about 1h 2m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Fort Dodge, KS and Garden City, KS.

1

Start on this road

343 ft · 19 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto US 400

5.5 mi · 9 min · US 400
3

Turn right onto North 14th Avenue

515 ft · 17 sec · North 14th Avenue
4

Turn left onto West Wyatt Earp Boulevard

1.8 mi · 3 min · West Wyatt Earp Boulevard
5

Continue on US 50

49 mi · 1 hr 2 min · US 50
6

Turn right onto US 50 Business; US 83 Business

0.4 mi · 51 sec · North Main Street
7

Turn left onto West Walnut Street

58 ft · 1 sec · West Walnut Street
8

Arrive at destination

West Walnut Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown Cimarron, KS, KS

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Cimarron, KS

29 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

Dodge City, KS

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Cimarron, KS

Meal break

The midpoint is around 28.6 miles from Fort Dodge, KS, 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 5

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 57.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 400

Turn left onto US 400

Navigation decision point

3
5.6 mi into trip | ~9m in | North 14th Avenue

Turn right onto North 14th Avenue

Navigation decision point

3
5.7 mi into trip | ~9m in | West Wyatt Earp Boulevard

Turn left onto West Wyatt Earp Boulevard

Navigation decision point

4
56.8 mi into trip | ~1h 15m in | US 50 Business; US 83 Business / North Main Street

Turn right onto US 50 Business; US 83 Business / North Main Street

Navigation decision point

4
57.2 mi into trip | ~1h 16m in | West Walnut Street

Turn left onto West Walnut Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.87 one way

$17.74 round trip

$3.94/gal 25.4 MPG avg 20 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.32 $9.72 $19.45
premium $4.93 $11.10 $22.20
diesel $5.60 $12.61 $25.22

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 20 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 17.2 0 $6.01 $2.75
Efficient EV 14.3 0 $5.01 $2.29
EV Truck/SUV 22.9 0 $8.01 $3.66

Gas CO2

20 kg

EV CO2

7 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.

Forecast as of Sep 1, 2026

Origin

Fort Dodge, KS

Afternoon in Fort Dodge on Friday

Local time

4:39 PM

CDT

Current temp

73°F

Mostly Clear

S 12 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 9:25PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 1:01PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Springfield MO

Destination

Garden City, KS

Afternoon in Garden City on Friday

Local time

4:39 PM

CDT

Current temp

70°F

Clear

SSW 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 9:25PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Kansas City/Pleasant Hill MO

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued August 31 at 1:01PM CDT until September 4 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Springfield MO

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

3 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

1h 16m 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?

57.2 mi in 1h 16m, mostly highway — 49.3 mi of that is on US 50.

96% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 49.3 mi on US 50.

How Hard Is This Drive?

1/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 50 and US 400. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near US 400.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Fort Dodge, KS to Garden City, KS is easy. At 1h 16m with 96% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (US 400): Navigation decision point; at 5.6 miles (North 14th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (West Wyatt Earp Boulevard): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

2,902 ft 2,464 ft

Total Climb

519 ft

Total Descent

144 ft

Highest Point

2,902 ft

~49.1 mi in

Elevation Range

439 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Fort Dodge, KS

Full guide →

Arriving in Garden City, KS

Full guide →

Founded 1878

Garden City is a town in Western region of Kansas.

Top landmarks

  • • Windsor Hotel — former Hotel in Garden City, Kansas
  • • Bungalow Historic District — historic district in Garden City, Kansas
  • • Little Finnup House — historic house in Kansas, United States

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 1h 16m. Total distance: 57.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 16m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (96%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 49.3 miles on US 50. 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 0.1 miles (US 400): Navigation decision point; at 5.6 miles (North 14th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (West Wyatt Earp Boulevard): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Garden City, KS 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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