Origin
Iowa, LA
Late night in Iowa on Tuesday
Local time
5:46 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Iowa, LA to Lake Charles, LA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18m
Distance
14.4 mi
23 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 22m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 20m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Iowa, LA
Gera Cejas
Lake Charles, LA
Liisbet Luup
Trip Overview
Driving from Iowa, Louisiana, to Lake Charles is a quick, straightforward trip covering just 14.4 miles. You can easily complete this journey in about 18 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day excursion. With an estimated fuel cost of only $2, it is a highly economical route that requires zero planned stops. Because both locations are situated within the Southeast region of the state, you will find the transition between them seamless. Whether you are commuting or heading out for a short getaway, this drive offers a practical and efficient connection between these two Louisiana communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 10 | 11.3 mi | 12m |
| Enterprise Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| North Thomson Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| State Route 383 | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 1st Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 10
— 11.3 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Iowa, LA and Lake Charles, LA.
1
Start on West 1st Street
46 ft
·
7 sec
·
West 1st Street
2
Turn left onto LA 383
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
North Thomson Avenue
3
Continue on LA 383
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
State Route 383
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
5
Merge onto I 10
11 mi
·
12 min
·
I 10
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
7
Turn straight onto US 90 Bus
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Enterprise Boulevard
8
Continue on Enterprise Boulevard
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Enterprise Boulevard
9
Arrive at destination
Enterprise Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 12.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
LA 383 / North Thomson Avenue
Turn left onto LA 383 / North Thomson Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
3
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 10
Merge onto I 10
Merge point - match speed before joining
3
12.5 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.17 one way
$4.35 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.21 | $2.39 | $4.77 |
| premium | $4.56 | $2.58 | $5.17 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.18 | $6.36 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Lake Charles, LA
Late night in Lake Charles on Tuesday
Local time
5:46 AM
CDT
Current temp
83°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
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
18m 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 18-minute journey is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 79% of your time spent on main thoroughfares. You will navigate a mix of I-10, Enterprise Boulevard, and North Thomson Avenue to complete the transit. The longest uninterrupted stretch occurs on I-10, where you will cover 11.3 miles of the total distance. Expect a fast-paced experience as you transition from the interstate onto local roads to reach your destination. It is a functional, no-nonsense route designed to get you from point A to point B as quickly as possible.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.3 mi on I 10.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 10 and Enterprise Boulevard. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near LA 383 / North Thomson 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 18m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (LA 383 / North Thomson Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (I 10): Merge point - match speed before joining.
About the Cities
Starting in Iowa, LA
Full guide →Iowa, a state with gently rolling green hills in the Midwest region of the United States, was admitted to the Union in 1846 as the 29th state. The people are very friendly, enjoy good food, and enjoy being in the political hotbed every four years when the Caucuses roll through the state. The state is quite rural, with plenty of fields of corn and soybeans and hog farms, although some cities, namely Des Moines, have a strong metropolitan feel.
Arriving in Lake Charles, LA
Full guide →Lake Charles is the second-largest city in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, with 87,000 residents in 2022. It is well known for gaming and the great outdoors, culinary delights and rhythm and blues. There are over 75 annual festivals from the splendor of Mardi Gras to the swashbuckling days of the Contraband Days Pirate Festival, there is something going on nearly every weekend.
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 18m. Total distance: 14.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.3 miles on I 10. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza 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.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (LA 383 / North Thomson Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (I 10): Merge point - match speed before joining.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lake Charles, LA 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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