Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
27.6 mi
44 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
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
Parker, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Spanning 27.6 miles, this trip from Lakewood to Parker is a straightforward commute that typically takes about 37 minutes to complete. Because the travel time is so brief, you can easily handle this as a single-day excursion without needing any overnight stops. Your route will utilize the North Valley Highway, E-470, and the West 6th Avenue Freeway to navigate the Mountain West region. Budgeting approximately $4 for fuel makes this an incredibly affordable transit between these two Colorado hubs. It is a practical, no-nonsense drive that serves as an efficient link for your travel plans.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 13.9 mi | 16m |
| E-470 | 4.4 mi | 4m |
| West 6th Avenue Freeway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| South Parker Road | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| US 6 | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| East Mainstreet | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Pikes Peak Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, CO and Parker, 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
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto E470
Take the exit
Turn slight right
Merge onto CO 83
Turn left onto East Mainstreet
Turn left onto South Pikes Peak Drive
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.3 and 24.7 — 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
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 E-470 North, CO 470 West: Limon, Grand Junction
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward E-470 North: Limon
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward CO 83
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.16 one way
$8.32 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $4.40 | $8.81 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.77 | $9.55 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.09 | $12.19 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.53
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
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.90 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.42 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.86 | $1.77 |
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 Tuesday
Local time
4:35 AM
MDT
Current temp
73°F
Partly Sunny
Destination
Late night in Parker on Tuesday
Local time
4:35 AM
MDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
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.
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that balances faster highway segments with more technical maneuvers. Only 12 miles of this 27.6-mile journey are spent on highways, meaning you will spend a significant portion of your time navigating local road patterns. You will encounter a longest stretch of 13.9 miles while traveling on the North Valley Highway, which offers a brief period of consistent speed. As you transition between the West 6th Avenue Freeway and the E-470, the road's personality shifts from freeway efficiency to the more localized, turn-focused environment that defines this route.
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 - 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 12 decision points packed into just 27.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.3 miles: 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; at 19.3 miles: 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
763 ft
Total Descent
412 ft
Highest Point
5,924 ft
~19.7 mi in
Elevation Range
695 ft
Notable High Points
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Lakewood, CO and Parker, CO, road signs point toward Colorado Springs, E-470 North, Grand Junction and E-470 North: Limon.
Colorado Springs
E-470 North
Grand Junction
E-470 North: Limon
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.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 27.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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