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Trip from Greeley, CO to Denver, CO

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 19m

Distance

62.7 mi

101 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great 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 14m ★
6 AM
1h 20m
8 AM
1h 32m
10 AM
1h 24m
12 PM
1h 23m
3 PM
1h 25m
5 PM
1h 32m
8 PM
1h 16m

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

city in and county seat of Wetd County, Colorado, United States

Greeley, CO

Wikimedia Commons

consolidated city-county and capital of Colorado, United States

Denver, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Greeley to Denver is 62.7 miles and takes about 1h 19m via I 76 and County Road 49, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Colorado, connecting two points in the Mountain West region. The route offers a mixed highway and surface road experience, suitable for a single-day excursion. You'll find this drive straightforward, with a relatively short duration that makes it easy to fit into your schedule without needing an overnight stop.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 76 28.3 mi 29m
County Road 49 21.9 mi 25m
18th Street 2.7 mi 4m
North Valley Highway 2.3 mi 3m
10th Street 1.1 mi 1m
East 18th Street 1 mi 1m
North Broadway 1 mi 3m
8th Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Longest stretch: I 76 — 28.3 mi, about 29m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Greeley, CO and Denver, CO.

1

Start on 19th Avenue

262 ft · 18 sec · 19th Avenue
2

Turn left onto US 34 Business

0.1 mi · 16 sec · 9th Street
3

Turn left onto 21st Avenue

495 ft · 29 sec · 21st Avenue
4

Turn left onto US 34 Business

1.1 mi · 1 min · 10th Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
5

Turn right onto US 34 Business; US 85 Business

0.9 mi · 1 min · 8th Avenue
Use the right lane.
6

Turn left onto US 34 Business

2.7 mi · 4 min · 18th Street
Use the left lane.
7

Keep slight left at fork onto East 18th Street

0.2 mi · 12 sec · East 18th Street
8

Continue on East 18th Street

0.9 mi · 1 min · East 18th Street
9

Turn right onto CR 49

22 mi · 25 min · County Road 49
Use the straight / right lanes.
10

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward I 76 West
11

Merge onto I 76

28 mi · 29 min · I 76
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 12 sec
Exit 5 Toward I 25 South: Denver Use the slight right lane.
13

Continue on this road

0.9 mi · 1 min · this road
Toward I 25 south: Denver
14

Merge onto I 25; US 87

2.3 mi · 3 min · North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 28 sec
Exit 213 Toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 11 sec
Toward Park Avenue, Downtown Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17

Continue on Park Avenue

0.6 mi · 1 min · Park Avenue
18

Turn straight onto Park Avenue West

0.5 mi · 1 min · Park Avenue West
19

Continue on West 22nd Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · West 22nd Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
20

Turn right onto North Broadway

1.0 mi · 3 min · North Broadway
Use the straight / right lanes.
21

Turn left onto East 14th Avenue

0.1 mi · 29 sec · East 14th Avenue
Use the left lane.
22

Turn left

358 ft · 27 sec
Use the straight / left lanes.
23

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

city in and county seat of Adams County, Colorado, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Brighton, CO

31 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.

Popular next leg

Brighton, CO to Denver, CO

21.6 mi · 32m

Pacing Suggestions

Kersey, CO

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Hudson, CO

Meal break

The midpoint is around 31.3 miles from Greeley, 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 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 62.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | US 34 Business / 10th Street

Turn left onto US 34 Business / 10th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.
7
56.2 mi into trip | ~1h 5m in

Take the exit toward I 25 South: Denver

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 5 Toward I 25 South: Denver
8
59.6 mi into trip | ~1h 11m in

Take the exit toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 213 Toward 38th Avenue, Park Avenue, Downtown
9
59.9 mi into trip | ~1h 11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward Park Avenue, Downtown

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward Park Avenue, Downtown
7
62.6 mi into trip | ~1h 19m in

Turn left

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$9.45 one way

$18.89 round trip

$3.83/gal 25.4 MPG avg 22 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.05 $10.00 $20.00
premium $4.39 $10.85 $21.69
diesel $5.61 $13.84 $27.69

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 21.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 18.8 0 $6.58 $3.01
Efficient EV 15.7 0 $5.49 $2.51
EV Truck/SUV 25.1 0 $8.78 $4.01

Gas CO2

22 kg

EV CO2

7 kg (68% 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 Apr 20, 2026

Origin

Greeley, CO

Late night in Greeley on Tuesday

Local time

4:39 AM

MDT

Current temp

58°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Denver, CO

Late night in Denver on Tuesday

Local time

4:39 AM

MDT

Current temp

35°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

33°F

Brighton, CO

31 mi in

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

23 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 19m 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?

This drive is a blend of interstate cruising and surface road travel. About 45% of the route is on highways, including a significant stretch of 28.3 miles on I 76. You'll transition from higher-speed highway driving to more local roads, likely noticing more frequent intersections as you get closer to Denver. The profile is mixed highway & surface, so expect a change in driving pace.

45% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 28.3 mi on I 76.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near US 34 Business / 10th Street.

Driving Effort 9/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 62.7 miles you will encounter 16 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 34 Business / 10th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 56.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 59.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

About the Cities

Starting in Greeley, CO

Full guide →

Greeley is a city of about 110,000 in the north central region of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of Weld County, the city lies 49 miles (79 km) north-northeast of Denver on the South Platte River, the historic route of the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1858-1861. The city was founded in 1870 by Nathan Meeker, who named it for Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune and promoter of the Union Colony of Colorado. Greeley is the home of the University of Northern Colorado. The most well-known event in the town is the annual Greeley Independence Stampede, which attracts an estimated 400,000 attendees every summer.

Arriving in Denver, CO

Full guide →

“Mile High City” · Founded 1858

Denver is the capital of the western U.S. state of Colorado and the dominant city of the Rocky Mountain Region. Founded in 1858 as the placer gold mining camp known as the Cherry Creek Diggings, the "Mile-High City" is today the most populous city within a 560-mile (900 km) radius and the center of the Front Range Urban Corridor of more than five million residents. Denver embraces its cowboy and mining past but also looks toward the future with a vibrant arts and performing arts scene, dozens of great outdoor festivals, and distinct neighborhoods each offering a unique experience. You'll find everything a cosmopolitan city has to offer including a spectacular view of and easy access to the beautiful Rocky Mountains, which arise only 12 miles (19 km) west of the Colorado State Capitol.

Top landmarks

  • Denver Art Museum — museum in Denver, Colorado, United States
  • Denver Mint — United States Mint branch in Denver, Colorado
  • Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception — church in Colorado, 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 19m. Total distance: 62.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 19m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (45%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 28.3 miles on I 76. 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 Denver, 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 0.3 miles (US 34 Business / 10th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 56.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 59.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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