Origin
Lakewood, CO
Late night in Lakewood on Saturday
Local time
5:49 AM
MDT
Current temp
60°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakewood, CO to Louisville, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
21.7 mi
35 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great 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 38m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Louisville, CO
Arian Fernandez
Trip Overview
Lakewood to Louisville is 21.7 miles and takes about 36m via Denver–Boulder Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Colorado's Mountain West region, connecting two suburban areas just northwest of Denver. The drive is primarily on well-maintained roads, making it a straightforward option for commuting or a quick hop between towns. You'll likely find it a convenient way to travel between these two communities without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Denver–Boulder Turnpike | 5.8 mi | 6m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | 5.4 mi | 10m |
| Sheridan Boulevard | 4.6 mi | 7m |
| 96th Street | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Northwest Parkway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Heartland Expressway | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Courtesy Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Pine Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
— 5.8 mi, about 6m
Traffic on I-70
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,333 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~230 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
18.8×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 98 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 Louisville, 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
0.6 mi
·
44 sec
·
Heartland Expressway
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Exit 1B
Toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn left onto CO 95
4.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Sheridan Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
7
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward US 36 West: Boulder
Use the left lane.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Toward US 36 West
9
Merge onto US 36
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
10
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
30 sec
Toward Interlocken Loop, Northwest Parkway
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
403 ft
·
9 sec
Toward Northwest Parkway, Louisville
Use the straight / left / slight right lanes.
15
Merge onto NW
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Northwest Parkway
Use the left lane.
16
Turn left onto 96th Street
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
96th Street
Use the left lane.
17
Continue on CO 42
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
·
Courtesy Road
18
Turn left onto Pine Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Pine Street
Use the left lane.
19
Turn right onto Front Street
345 ft
·
14 sec
·
Front Street
20
Turn left onto Spruce Street
322 ft
·
14 sec
·
Spruce Street
21
Arrive at destination
Spruce Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 185 decision points cluster between mile 5.4 and 18.4 — 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
7
6.9 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
7
18.1 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Interlocken Loop, Northwest Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Interlocken Loop, Northwest Parkway
9
18.4 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Northwest Parkway, Louisville
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / left / slight right lanes.
Toward Northwest Parkway, Louisville
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.66 one way
$7.32 round trip
$4.29/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $3.86 | $7.73 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.18 | $8.35 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.78 | $9.57 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.51
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
(5.8 mi)
$0.40
Northwest Parkway
(0.9 mi)
$0.11
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$1
Total
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.28 | $1.04 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.90 | $0.87 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.7 | 0 | $3.04 | $1.39 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Louisville, CO
Late night in Louisville on Saturday
Local time
5:49 AM
MDT
Current temp
60°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
36m 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 route features a 34% highway share, with the longest continuous stretch on the Denver–Boulder Turnpike covering 5.8 miles. Expect to transition from highway driving to surface streets as you approach your destination. The mix of highway and surface roads means you'll encounter varying traffic patterns, including urban merging and potentially denser exit sequences as you get closer to Louisville. Be prepared for the change in road type and speed limits.
34% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.8 mi on Denver–Boulder Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 18 decision points packed into just 21.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
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 6.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
5,520 ft
5,296 ft
Total Climb
346 ft
Total Descent
529 ft
Highest Point
5,520 ft
Elevation Range
224 ft
Notable High Points
5,468 ft at ~3.1 miles
+34 ft prominence
5,468 ft at ~12.4 miles
+75 ft prominence
5,429 ft at ~15.5 miles
+19 ft prominence
5,362 ft at ~20.1 miles
+14 ft prominence
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Louisville, 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 Louisville, CO
Full guide →Founded 1877
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 36m. Total distance: 21.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (34%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.8 miles on Denver–Boulder Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.51 in tolls one way, starting with Denver–Boulder Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Louisville, 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 6.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Louisville, 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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