Origin
Lakeville, MN
Afternoon in Lakeville on Sunday
Local time
4:55 PM
CDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakeville, MN to Minneapolis, MN
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
35m
Distance
25.3 mi
41 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 33m
★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakeville, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to travel from Lakeville to Minneapolis, you are looking at a straightforward 25.3-mile trip through the heart of the Midwest. Expect to spend about 35 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. With a fuel budget of approximately $4, the route is both efficient and budget-friendly. You will primarily utilize I-35W and I-35 to navigate between these two Minnesota cities. Because the drive is short, you have plenty of flexibility to plan your departure around your personal schedule rather than worrying about lengthy travel logistics.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 35W | 16.4 mi | 20m |
| I 35 | 2.6 mi | 2m |
| Kenwood Trail /Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Kenwood Trail | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| MN 65 | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Kenwood Trail / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| 5th Avenue South | 0.6 mi | 2m |
| 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 35W
— 16.4 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lakeville, MN and Minneapolis, MN.
1
Start on 207th Street West
22 ft
·
5 sec
·
207th Street West
2
Turn right onto Holyoke Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Holyoke Avenue
3
Enter roundabout onto CR 50
198 ft
·
3 sec
·
202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
4
Continue on CR 50
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
5
Continue on CR 5
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Kenwood Trail / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
6
Continue on CR 5
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Kenwood Trail /Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
7
Enter roundabout onto CR 5
125 ft
·
2 sec
·
Kenwood Trail
8
Continue on CR 5
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Kenwood Trail
Use the right lane.
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Toward I 35 North
Use the right lane.
10
Merge onto I 35
2.6 mi
·
2 min
·
I 35
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork onto I 35W
16 mi
·
20 min
·
I 35W
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork onto MN 65
0.5 mi
·
32 sec
·
MN 65
Toward I 94 West
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto MN 65
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
MN 65
Toward 5th Avenue South
14
Continue on 5th Avenue South
0.6 mi
·
2 min
·
5th Avenue South
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
15
Turn left onto CR 152
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
Washington Avenue South
Use the left / straight lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
CR 152
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 23.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 50 / 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
Enter roundabout onto CR 50 / 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
4.5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp toward I 35 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 35 North
5
4.7 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 35
Merge onto I 35
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
7.3 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 35W
Keep slight left at fork onto I 35W
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
23.7 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
MN 65
Keep slight left at fork onto MN 65 toward I 94 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 94 West
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.77 one way
$7.53 round trip
$3.78/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.07 | $4.06 | $8.11 |
| premium | $4.53 | $4.51 | $9.03 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.59 | $11.17 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.21 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.21 | $1.01 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.54 | $1.62 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Minneapolis, MN
Afternoon in Minneapolis on Sunday
Local time
4:55 PM
CDT
Current temp
67°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
22 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
35m 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 highway-focused drive is defined by its efficiency, with 79% of the journey taking place on major thoroughfares. You will start by transitioning onto Kenwood Trail before merging onto the interstate for the majority of the trip. The experience is primarily an interstate cruise, highlighted by a 16.4-mile stretch on I-35W that allows for consistent speeds. As you move from the suburban setting of Lakeville toward the urban core of Minneapolis, the road environment shifts from local lanes to high-capacity highway infrastructure. It is a functional, no-frills route designed to get you to your destination quickly.
79% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.4 mi on I 35W.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 35W and I 35. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near CR 50 / 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 25.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (CR 50 / 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 4.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.7 miles (I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Minneapolis, MN
Full guide →Minneapolis is a city of about 430,000 people (2019) and the largest city in Minnesota. Along with neighboring Saint Paul, it forms the urban core of the Twin Cities region, the third largest metropolitan area in the Midwest after Chicago and Detroit.
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 35m. Total distance: 25.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
35m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (79%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.4 miles on I 35W. 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 Minneapolis, MN 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 0.4 miles (CR 50 / 202nd Street West / Richard J. Ames Memorial Highway): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 4.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.7 miles (I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Minneapolis, MN 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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