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Trip from Gresham, NE to McCool Junction, NE

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

36m

Distance

29.9 mi

48 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 34m ★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m

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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Downtown Gresham, NE, NE

Gresham, NE

Gaby Lopez

Downtown McCool Junction, NE, NE

McCool Junction, NE

Jan van der Wolf

Trip Overview

This short 29.9-mile drive from Gresham to McCool Junction, Nebraska, is perfect for a single-day trip, taking about 36 minutes to complete. You'll primarily be on Highway 69 and I-80, with a brief stint on South Lincoln Avenue. With a fuel cost estimated at $5, this is an economical journey. The route stays within the Great Plains region, offering a consistent landscape. Given its brevity, there are no planned stops, and you can easily fit this into any schedule. It's a straightforward drive, ideal for a quick transit or a short scenic excursion within the state.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Highway 69 8.7 mi 10m
I 80 6.4 mi 6m
South Lincoln Avenue 5.1 mi 5m
Road S 4.8 mi 6m
Highway 34 3 mi 3m
Strickler Street 0.5 mi 1m
S-93F 0.4 mi 1m
Elm Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Highway 69 — 8.7 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Gresham, NE and McCool Junction, NE.

1

Start on Elm Street

0.2 mi · 54 sec · Elm Street
2

At end of road, turn left onto N-69

8.7 mi · 10 min · Highway 69
3

Turn right onto US 34; I 80 Alt

3.0 mi · 3 min · Highway 34
4

Turn left onto L-93B; I 80 Alt

231 ft · 6 sec · Road S
5

Continue on L-93B; I 80 Alt

0.5 mi · 1 min · Strickler Street
6

Continue on L-93B; I 80 Alt

4.8 mi · 6 min · Road S
7

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Toward NE 93B Link: Waco
8

Merge onto I 80

6.4 mi · 6 min · I 80
9

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Toward US 81: York, Geneva
10

Turn left onto US 81; I 80 Alternate

5.1 mi · 5 min · South Lincoln Avenue
11

Turn left onto S-93F

0.4 mi · 1 min · S-93F
12

Turn right onto West M Street

21 ft · 0 sec · West M Street
13

Arrive at destination

West M Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 29.9 — 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 | ~0m in | N-69 / Highway 69

At end of road, turn left onto N-69 / Highway 69

Navigation decision point

3
9 mi into trip | ~11m in | US 34; I 80 Alt / Highway 34

Turn right onto US 34; I 80 Alt / Highway 34

Navigation decision point

4
17.3 mi into trip | ~21m in

Take the ramp toward NE 93B Link: Waco

Navigation decision point

Toward NE 93B Link: Waco
5
24 mi into trip | ~29m in

Take the exit toward US 81: York, Geneva

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

Toward US 81: York, Geneva
4
29.9 mi into trip | ~36m in | West M Street

Turn right onto West M Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.42 one way

$8.83 round trip

$3.75/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.14 $4.87 $9.75
premium $4.72 $5.55 $11.10
diesel $4.80 $5.65 $11.29

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9 0 $3.14 $1.44
Efficient EV 7.5 0 $2.62 $1.20
EV Truck/SUV 12 0 $4.19 $1.91

Gas CO2

10 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (70% 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 Jul 13, 2026

Origin

Gresham, NE

Afternoon in Gresham on Sunday

Local time

12:39 PM

CDT

Current temp

64°F

Mostly Clear

SSE 5 to 10 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued July 12 at 12:49PM MDT until July 13 at 8:00PM MDT by NWS Cheyenne WY

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 12 at 12:47PM MDT until July 15 at 12:00AM MDT by NWS Cheyenne WY

Destination

McCool Junction, NE

Afternoon in McCool Junction on Sunday

Local time

12:39 PM

CDT

Current temp

63°F

Clear

SSE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued July 12 at 12:49PM MDT until July 13 at 8:00PM MDT by NWS Cheyenne WY

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued July 12 at 12:47PM MDT until July 15 at 12:00AM MDT by NWS Cheyenne WY

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

1 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

36m 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?

Expect a highway-focused drive for this 29.9-mile journey, with 61% of the route utilizing major roadways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 8.7 miles on Highway 69, offering a chance to settle into a steady pace. While the majority is on highways, including I-80, the inclusion of South Lincoln Avenue suggests a brief transition to a more local road feel as you approach your destination. This mix provides a dynamic driving experience without being overly complex, keeping your travel time to a brisk 36 minutes.

61% 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: 8.7 mi on Highway 69.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Highway 69 and I 80. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near N-69 / Highway 69.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 36m drive. You will face about 7 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 (N-69 / Highway 69): Navigation decision point; at 9 miles (US 34; I 80 Alt / Highway 34): Navigation decision point; at 17.3 miles: Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,647 ft 1,556 ft

Total Climb

103 ft

Total Descent

164 ft

Highest Point

1,647 ft

~25.6 mi in

Elevation Range

91 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 Gresham, NE to McCool Junction, NE, road signs begin pointing toward Geneva along the way.

Geneva

24 mi in | ~29m

About the Cities

Starting in Gresham, NE

Full guide →

Top landmarks

  • • Clem's Opera House — opera house in Gresham, United States of America

Arriving in McCool Junction, NE

Full guide →

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 36m. Total distance: 29.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (61%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 8.7 miles on Highway 69. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through NE can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (N-69 / Highway 69): Navigation decision point; at 9 miles (US 34; I 80 Alt / Highway 34): Navigation decision point; at 17.3 miles: Navigation decision point.

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