Origin
Highlands Ranch, CO
Evening in Highlands Ranch on Saturday
Local time
7:18 PM
MDT
Current temp
35°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Highlands Ranch, CO to Longmont, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 12m
Distance
52.2 mi
84 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 7m
★
6 AM
1h 13m
8 AM
1h 24m
10 AM
1h 17m
12 PM
1h 16m
3 PM
1h 17m
5 PM
1h 24m
8 PM
1h 9m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Highlands Ranch, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Longmont, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Highlands Ranch to Longmont is 52.2 miles and takes about 1 hour 12 minutes via South Valley Highway and Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Colorado, connecting two points in the Mountain West region. Expect a drive primarily on surface roads, making it a straightforward and manageable excursion. Given its short duration, this route is ideal for a single-day trip, allowing for plenty of flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South Valley Highway | 12.7 mi | 17m |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 12.2 mi | 12m |
| North Valley Highway | 9.6 mi | 11m |
| South University Boulevard | 9.2 mi | 16m |
| Highway 119 | 3.1 mi | 3m |
| East 3rd Avenue | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| East Ken Pratt Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 1m |
| Venneford Ranch Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
South Valley Highway
— 12.7 mi, about 17m
Traffic on I-25
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 10 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
7 AM
~5,915 veh/hr typical
Quietest
1 AM
~523 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Highlands Ranch, CO and Longmont, CO.
1
Start on South Wild Iris Run
351 ft
·
18 sec
·
South Wild Iris Run
2
Turn right onto East Thistle Ridge Road
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
East Thistle Ridge Road
3
Turn left onto Venneford Ranch Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Venneford Ranch Road
4
Turn left onto South University Boulevard
9.2 mi
·
16 min
·
South University Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto I 25
13 mi
·
17 min
·
South Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the slight right lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
5.3 mi
·
5 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Continue on I 25
12 mi
·
12 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
18 sec
Exit 240
Toward CO 119 West: Firestone Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
290 ft
·
7 sec
Toward CO 119 West: Longmont
12
Turn left onto CO 119
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Highway 119
Use the left / straight lanes.
13
Continue on CO 119
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East Ken Pratt Boulevard
14
Take the exit
226 ft
·
6 sec
15
Turn right onto East 3rd Avenue
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
East 3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
16
Turn right onto Kimbark Street
0.2 mi
·
55 sec
·
Kimbark Street
17
Turn left
186 ft
·
15 sec
18
Turn right
109 ft
·
7 sec
19
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
26 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 26.1 miles from Highlands Ranch, 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 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 45.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Thistle Ridge Road
Turn right onto East Thistle Ridge Road
Navigation decision point
6
23.2 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
I 25 / North Valley Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25 / North Valley Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
6
27.5 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
I 25 / North Valley Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25 / North Valley Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
45 mi into trip
|
~1h 1m in
Take the exit toward CO 119 West: Firestone Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 240
Toward CO 119 West: Firestone Boulevard
6
45.2 mi into trip
|
~1h 1m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CO 119 West: Longmont
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward CO 119 West: Longmont
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.14 one way
$16.29 round trip
$3.96/gal
25.4 MPG avg
18 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $8.67 | $17.34 |
| premium | $4.54 | $9.32 | $18.65 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $11.10 | $22.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.7 | 0 | $5.48 | $2.51 |
| Efficient EV | 13.1 | 0 | $4.57 | $2.09 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 20.9 | 0 | $7.31 | $3.34 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (67% 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
Longmont, CO
Evening in Longmont on Saturday
Local time
7:18 PM
MDT
Current temp
35°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
1h 12m 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 consists mostly of surface roads, with only about 17% of the total mileage on highways (a 6% highway share). You'll experience a longest stretch of 12.7 miles on South Valley Highway before transitioning to Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. Expect a significant amount of time on local roads, which means you'll likely encounter more varied traffic patterns and potentially more frequent intersections compared to a pure interstate cruise.
Only 6% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.7 mi on South Valley Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near East Thistle Ridge Road.
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 52.2 miles you will encounter 15 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 0.1 miles (East Thistle Ridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 23.2 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.5 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Highlands Ranch, CO
Full guide →Highlands Ranch is an unincorporated community of about 105,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Colorado. The residential suburb lies south of Denver in Douglas County.
Arriving in Longmont, CO
Full guide →Longmont is a city of about 100,000 in North Central Colorado. The city lies in Boulder and Weld counties 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of the Denver.
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 12m. Total distance: 52.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 12m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.7 miles on South Valley Highway. 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 Longmont, 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 0.1 miles (East Thistle Ridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 23.2 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 27.5 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Longmont, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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