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Trip from Lakewood, CO to Fort Lupton, CO

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

47m

Distance

33.6 mi

54 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Good

6 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

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

Best Time
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city in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States

Lakewood, CO

Wikimedia Commons

city in Weld County, Colorado, United States of America

Fort Lupton, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Lakewood, CO to Fort Lupton, CO covers 33.6 miles and takes about 47m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on CanAm Highway, Heartland Expressway, South Wadsworth Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.5 miles on CanAm Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.67 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
CanAm Highway 14.5 mi 19m
Heartland Expressway 11.9 mi 13m
South Wadsworth Boulevard 5.4 mi 10m
1st Street 0.3 mi <1m
Mc Kinley Avenue 0.3 mi 1m
US 85 Business 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: CanAm Highway — 14.5 mi, about 19m

Traffic on I-76

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

4 PM

~3,535 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~212 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

16.7×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 103 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, CO and Fort Lupton, CO.

1

Start on CO 121

5.4 mi · 10 min · South Wadsworth Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
2

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 34 sec
Toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morgan Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan Use the left / right lanes.
4

Merge onto I 76

12 mi · 13 min · Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Keep slight left at fork onto US 85

15 mi · 19 min · CanAm Highway
Exit 12 Toward US 85 North: Greeley Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit onto US 85 Business

0.3 mi · 44 sec · US 85 Business
7

Turn right onto US 85 Business; CO 52

0.3 mi · 56 sec · 1st Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
8

Turn left onto Mc Kinley Avenue

0.3 mi · 1 min · Mc Kinley Avenue
Use the left lane.
9

Arrive at destination

Mc Kinley Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

city in Adams and Weld counties in Colorado, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Thornton, CO

17 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Lochbuie, CO

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 33.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Thornton, CO

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16.8 miles from Lakewood, CO, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 5.4 and 33.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
5.4 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the ramp toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morgan

Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morga...
7
5.7 mi into trip | ~11m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / right lanes. Toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan
5
6.3 mi into trip | ~12m in | I 76 / Heartland Expressway

Merge onto I 76 / Heartland Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
18.2 mi into trip | ~25m in | US 85 / CanAm Highway

Keep slight left at fork onto US 85 / CanAm Highway toward US 85 North: Greeley

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Exit 12 Toward US 85 North: Greeley
6
33.3 mi into trip | ~46m in | Mc Kinley Avenue

Turn left onto Mc Kinley Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.67 one way

$11.34 round trip

$4.29/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $5.98 $11.97
premium $4.89 $6.47 $12.93
diesel $5.60 $7.41 $14.81

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.1 0 $3.53 $1.61
Efficient EV 8.4 0 $2.94 $1.34
EV Truck/SUV 13.4 0 $4.70 $2.15

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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.

Forecast as of Aug 25, 2026

Origin

Lakewood, CO

Night in Lakewood on Wednesday

Local time

9:04 PM

MDT

Current temp

88°F

Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

ENE 2 to 8 mph 45% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Watch

Flash Flood Watch issued August 25 at 2:51AM MDT until August 25 at 8:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO

Destination

Fort Lupton, CO

Night in Fort Lupton on Wednesday

Local time

9:04 PM

MDT

Current temp

90°F

Mostly Sunny then Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

NNE 2 to 9 mph 45% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Watch

Flash Flood Watch issued August 25 at 2:51AM MDT until August 25 at 8:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO

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

2 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

47m 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?

33.6 mi in 47m — 36% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: CanAm Highway.

36% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.5 mi on CanAm Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 5.4 miles in.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 33.6 miles you will encounter 7 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: at 5.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles (I 76 / Heartland Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

High-altitude sections with notable climbs

5,520 ft 4,907 ft

Total Climb

7 ft

Total Descent

620 ft

Highest Point

5,520 ft

Elevation Range

613 ft

Notable High Points

5,106 ft at ~16.8 miles +7 ft prominence

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Lakewood, CO to Fort Lupton, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Morgan along the way.

Fort Morgan

5.4 mi in | ~10m

About the Cities

Starting in Lakewood, CO

Full guide →

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

  • • Lakewood Cultural Center — museum in Colorado, United States

Arriving in Fort Lupton, CO

Full guide →

Top landmarks

  • • Vintage Aero Flying Museum — museum in Colorado, United States

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 47m. Total distance: 33.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

47m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (36%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 14.5 miles on CanAm Highway. 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 Fort Lupton, CO 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 5.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.3 miles (I 76 / Heartland Expressway): 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 Fort Lupton, CO 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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