Origin
Helena, MT
Late night in Helena on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Helena, MT to Lincoln, MT
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 9m
Distance
56.2 mi
90 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Fair
4 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 4m
★
6 AM
1h 9m
8 AM
1h 20m
10 AM
1h 13m
12 PM
1h 12m
3 PM
1h 13m
5 PM
1h 20m
8 PM
1h 6m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Helena, MT
Wikimedia Commons
Lincoln, MT
Ramon Perucho
Trip Overview
This 56.2-mile journey from Helena to Lincoln, Montana, is easily manageable as a 1-day trip, taking approximately 1 hour and 9 minutes to complete. You'll primarily navigate on Lincoln Road West, MT 200, and Montana Highway 279. With a projected fuel cost of around $9, this drive offers a straightforward and budget-friendly experience. The route traverses the Mountain West region, providing a consistent feel throughout its relatively short distance. It’s a practical option for a quick excursion or a smooth transfer between these two Montana locales.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Road West | 28.1 mi | 31m |
| MT 200 | 11.5 mi | 13m |
| Montana Highway 279 | 8.4 mi | 9m |
| Green Meadow Drive | 6.2 mi | 8m |
| North Benton Avenue | 1.5 mi | 4m |
| West Custer Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Neill Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cruse Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Lincoln Road West
— 28.1 mi, about 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Helena, MT and Lincoln, MT.
1
Start on I 15 Business
102 ft
·
6 sec
·
Cruse Avenue
2
Turn slight left onto Neill Avenue
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Neill Avenue
3
Turn straight
222 ft
·
9 sec
4
Continue on North Benton Avenue
1.5 mi
·
4 min
·
North Benton Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Turn left onto West Custer Avenue
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
West Custer Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Turn right onto S 231
6.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Green Meadow Drive
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Enter roundabout onto S 279
217 ft
·
3 sec
·
Lincoln Road West
8
Continue on S 279
28 mi
·
31 min
·
Lincoln Road West
9
Continue on S 279
8.4 mi
·
9 min
·
Montana Highway 279
10
At end of road, turn left onto MT 200
11 mi
·
13 min
·
MT 200
11
Turn left onto Stemple Pass Road
62 ft
·
2 sec
·
Stemple Pass Road
12
Arrive at destination
Stemple Pass Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.8 and 56.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
1.8 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
West Custer Avenue
Turn left onto West Custer Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
2.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
S 231 / Green Meadow Drive
Turn right onto S 231 / Green Meadow Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
8.2 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
S 279 / Lincoln Road West
Enter roundabout onto S 279 / Lincoln Road West
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
44.7 mi into trip
|
~55m in
|
MT 200
At end of road, turn left onto MT 200
Navigation decision point
4
56.2 mi into trip
|
~1h 9m in
|
Stemple Pass Road
Turn left onto Stemple Pass Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.91 one way
$17.81 round trip
$4.03/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $9.33 | $18.67 |
| premium | $4.53 | $10.03 | $20.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.41 | $24.82 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 19.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16.9 | 0 | $5.90 | $2.70 |
| Efficient EV | 14.1 | 0 | $4.92 | $2.25 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 22.5 | 0 | $7.87 | $3.60 |
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.
Destination
Lincoln, MT
Late night in Lincoln on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
60°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
2 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 9m 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 mixed driving experience on this route, with about 35% of the journey on highways. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 28.1 miles on Lincoln Road West, offering a solid period of uninterrupted travel. This section combines faster highway segments with more local road sections, giving you a dynamic feel behind the wheel. As you progress, the road character will shift, moving between these different driving environments. It's not a monotonous drive, but rather one that offers some variety in its pacing.
35% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 28.1 mi on Lincoln Road West.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.8 miles in near West Custer Avenue.
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 1h 9m 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 1.8 miles (West Custer Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (S 231 / Green Meadow Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles (S 279 / Lincoln Road West): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
About the Cities
Starting in Helena, MT
Full guide →Helena is the state capital of Montana, in the Western Central part of the state. Visitors come to see Helena’s historic Last Chance Gulch, and its mansion district once home to Helena’s gold mining millionaires. The city has running or biking 75 mi (121 km) of trails and opportunities for rafting the mighty Missouri River or fly-fishing.
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 9m. Total distance: 56.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 9m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (35%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 28.1 miles on Lincoln Road West. 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through MT 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 1.8 miles (West Custer Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (S 231 / Green Meadow Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles (S 279 / Lincoln Road West): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lincoln, MT 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
More trips to Lincoln, MT
Explore more options from Helena, MT or browse trips ending in Lincoln, MT.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MT road trips.