Origin
Junction City, KS
Late night in Junction City on Sunday
Local time
3:10 AM
CDT
Current temp
76°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Junction City, KS to Riley County, KS
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
30.8 mi
50 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Junction City, KS
Wikimedia Commons
Riley County, KS
David Guerrero
Trip Overview
This 30.8-mile drive from Junction City, KS to Riley County, KS will take you about 44 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. You'll primarily travel on KS 18 and Tuttle Creek Boulevard, with a portion on South Seth Child Road. With only 37% of the drive on highways, expect a more local feel. The estimated fuel cost is around $5, which is quite manageable. Since it's a short distance, you have plenty of flexibility for when you want to depart and how you structure your time. This route stays within the Great Plains region, offering a consistent landscape throughout your journey.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| KS 18 | 11.3 mi | 12m |
| Tuttle Creek Boulevard | 7 mi | 8m |
| South Seth Child Road | 5.6 mi | 8m |
| Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway | 3.5 mi | 3m |
| West 6th Street | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| J Hill Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Jefferson Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
KS 18
— 11.3 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Junction City, KS and Riley County, KS.
1
Start on North Jefferson Street
130 ft
·
11 sec
·
North Jefferson Street
2
Turn left onto West 6th Street
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
West 6th Street
3
Turn right onto J Hill Road
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
J Hill Road
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward I-70 East, US 40 East, KS 18 East: Topeka
5
Merge onto I 70; US 40; KS 18
3.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway
6
Take the exit onto KS 18
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
KS 18
Toward KS 18 East: Manhattan
7
Turn left onto KS 18
11 mi
·
12 min
·
KS 18
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward KS 113
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on K-113
5.6 mi
·
8 min
·
South Seth Child Road
11
Enter roundabout onto US 24
339 ft
·
3 sec
·
Tuttle Creek Boulevard
12
Continue on US 24
7.0 mi
·
8 min
·
Tuttle Creek Boulevard
13
Turn right
0.9 mi
·
6 min
14
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 22.8 — 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
|
West 6th Street
Turn left onto West 6th Street
Navigation decision point
7
1.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward I-70 East, US 40 East, KS 18 East: Topeka
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I-70 East, US 40 East, KS 18 East: Topek...
4
5.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
KS 18
Take the exit onto KS 18 toward KS 18 East: Manhattan
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward KS 18 East: Manhattan
7
17.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
22.8 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
US 24 / Tuttle Creek Boulevard
Enter roundabout onto US 24 / Tuttle Creek Boulevard
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.82 one way
$9.63 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.29 | $10.57 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.93 | $11.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.80 | $13.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.23 | $1.48 |
| Efficient EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.70 | $1.23 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.3 | 0 | $4.31 | $1.97 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Riley County, KS
Late night in Riley County on Sunday
Local time
3:10 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
7 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
44m 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?
The character of this drive is a mixed bag, with just over a third of it being highway driving. You'll encounter stretches of faster travel on KS 18, including the longest uninterrupted segment of 11.3 miles. As you transition to Tuttle Creek Boulevard and South Seth Child Road, expect a change in pace, likely involving more local traffic and potentially lower speed limits. This blend means you won't be stuck in a monotonous interstate crawl, but rather experience a dynamic shift in road conditions as you near your destination.
37% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.3 mi on KS 18.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West 6th Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 30.8 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (West 6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.6 miles (KS 18): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
About the Cities
Starting in Junction City, KS
Full guide →Junction City is the seat of Geary County, in the Flint Hills region of Kansas. It is a small city of around 23,000 people.
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 44m. Total distance: 30.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (37%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.3 miles on KS 18. 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: near the start (West 6th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.6 miles (KS 18): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Riley County, KS 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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