Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
28.7 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Castle Pines, CO
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Lakewood, CO to Castle Pines, CO covers 28.7 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Valley Highway, West 6th Avenue Freeway, South Wadsworth Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 21.5 miles on North Valley Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.84 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 21.5 mi | 24m |
| West 6th Avenue Freeway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Chase Lane | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| US 6 | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Lagae Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Country Club Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Happy Canyon Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 10 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
7 AM
~6,532 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~384 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
17×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 104 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, CO and Castle Pines, CO.
Start on CO 121
Take the ramp
Merge onto US 6
Take the exit onto US 6
Take the exit
Merge onto I 25
Take the exit
Turn right onto CR 33
Enter roundabout onto Lagae Road
Continue on Lagae Road
Turn left onto Chase Lane
Continue on Lagae Road
At end of road, turn right onto Country Club Drive
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.3 and 27.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the ramp toward US 6 East: Denver
Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto US 6 / West 6th Avenue Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit onto US 6 toward I 25: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward Happy Canyon Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto Chase Lane
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.84 one way
$9.69 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $5.11 | $10.22 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.52 | $11.05 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $6.33 | $12.65 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.01 | $1.38 |
| Efficient EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.51 | $1.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.5 | 0 | $4.02 | $1.84 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Lakewood on Saturday
Local time
1:25 AM
MDT
Current temp
94°F
Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Late night in Castle Pines on Saturday
Local time
1:25 AM
MDT
Current temp
90°F
Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
28.7 mi in 39m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
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 1.3 miles in.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 28.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (US 6 / West 6th Avenue Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles (US 6): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
Total Climb
1,343 ft
Total Descent
305 ft
Highest Point
6,558 ft
~28.7 mi in
Elevation Range
1,343 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Lakewood, CO to Castle Pines, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Colorado Springs along the way.
Colorado Springs
Founded 1889
Lakewood is a city of about 160,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies in Jefferson County, immediately west of Denver and east of the Front Range foothills.
Top landmarks
Founded 2007
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 28.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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