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Trip from Houghton, IA to New Boston, IA

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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

24m

Distance

18.9 mi

30 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 23m ★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m

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

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Houghton, IA, IA

Houghton, IA

Quang Nguyen Vinh

Downtown New Boston, IA, IA

New Boston, IA

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

Houghton, IA to New Boston, IA is 18.9 miles and takes about 24 minutes via Avenue of the Saints, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short Midwest drive connects two points within Iowa, making it a convenient option for a quick trip. Expect a straightforward route with minimal time commitment. The short distance means you can easily add this to a larger itinerary or complete it without feeling rushed.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Avenue of the Saints 11.5 mi 13m
US 218 5.2 mi 8m
State Highway 16 1.9 mi 2m
Main Street 0.1 mi <1m
Denning Road <0.1 mi <1m
277th Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Avenue of the Saints — 11.5 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Houghton, IA and New Boston, IA.

1

Start on CR W55

376 ft · 12 sec · Denning Road
2

Turn right onto IA 16

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Main Street
3

Continue on IA 16

1.9 mi · 2 min · State Highway 16
4

Turn right onto US 218; IA 27

12 mi · 13 min · Avenue of the Saints
5

Take the exit onto US 218

0.4 mi · 52 sec · US 218
Toward US 218 South: Keokuk
6

Turn left onto US 218

4.8 mi · 7 min · US 218
7

Turn left onto 277th Street

281 ft · 12 sec · 277th Street
8

Arrive at destination

277th Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 5

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 18.8 — 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 | IA 16 / Main Street

Turn right onto IA 16 / Main Street

Navigation decision point

3
2.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints

Turn right onto US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints

Navigation decision point

4
13.6 mi into trip | ~16m in | US 218

Take the exit onto US 218 toward US 218 South: Keokuk

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Toward US 218 South: Keokuk
3
14 mi into trip | ~17m in | US 218

Turn left onto US 218

Navigation decision point

4
18.8 mi into trip | ~24m in | 277th Street

Turn left onto 277th Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.79 one way

$5.58 round trip

$3.75/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.14 $3.08 $6.16
premium $4.72 $3.51 $7.02
diesel $4.80 $3.57 $7.14

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.7 0 $1.98 $0.91
Efficient EV 4.7 0 $1.65 $0.76
EV Truck/SUV 7.6 0 $2.65 $1.21

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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 5, 2026

Origin

Houghton, IA

Afternoon in Houghton on Sunday

Local time

12:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

83°F

Partly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

N 5 mph 27% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 5 at 9:50AM CDT until July 7 at 4:12PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 5 at 9:26AM CDT until July 5 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

Destination

New Boston, IA

Afternoon in New Boston on Sunday

Local time

12:44 PM

CDT

Current temp

83°F

Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

N 5 mph 25% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 5 at 9:50AM CDT until July 7 at 4:12PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 5 at 9:26AM CDT until July 5 at 7:00PM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

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

24m 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?

This drive is about 38% highway, with the longest continuous stretch on Avenue of the Saints spanning 11.5 miles. You'll transition from highway cruising to surface roads partway through your trip. The mixed highway and surface road profile means you'll experience both faster-paced driving and more local road conditions.

38% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.5 mi on Avenue of the Saints.

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 0.1 miles in near IA 16 / Main Street.

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 24m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (IA 16 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints): Navigation decision point; at 13.6 miles (US 218): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

726 ft 676 ft

Total Climb

117 ft

Total Descent

138 ft

Highest Point

726 ft

~12.1 mi in

Elevation Range

50 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Houghton, IA

Full guide →

Arriving in New Boston, IA

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 24m. Total distance: 18.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

24m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (38%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 11.5 miles on Avenue of the Saints. 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 (IA 16 / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (US 218; IA 27 / Avenue of the Saints): Navigation decision point; at 13.6 miles (US 218): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.

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