Origin
Maple Grove, MN
Late night in Maple Grove on Wednesday
Local time
3:03 AM
CDT
Current temp
80°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Maple Grove, MN to Lauderdale, MN
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
21.6 mi
35 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Maple Grove, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Lauderdale, MN
Tom Fisk
Trip Overview
The drive from Maple Grove, MN to Lauderdale, MN covers 21.6 miles and takes about 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on I 94, I 694, I 35W for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.3 miles on I 94. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.42 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 94 | 6.3 mi | 7m |
| I 694 | 6.2 mi | 6m |
| I 35W | 3.5 mi | 4m |
| MN 280 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| I 494 | 1 mi | 1m |
| Bass Lake Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East Hennepin Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 94
— 6.3 mi, about 7m
Traffic on I-94
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,681 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~293 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
16×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 40 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 Maple Grove, MN and Lauderdale, MN.
1
Start on CR 10
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Bass Lake Road
2
Turn left
316 ft
·
9 sec
Toward I 494 North
Use the left lane.
3
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Toward I 494 North
4
Merge onto I 494
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
I 494
5
Keep slight right at fork
0.5 mi
·
35 sec
Toward I 94 East, I 694 East
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 94; I 694
6.3 mi
·
7 min
·
I 94; I 694
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 694
6.2 mi
·
6 min
·
I 694
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
Exit 41A
Toward I 35W South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto I 35W
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
I 35W
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Exit 22A
Toward MN 280 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on MN 280
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
MN 280
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward Larpenteur Avenue, Hennepin Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn left onto CH 30
333 ft
·
18 sec
·
East Hennepin Avenue
Use the left lane.
14
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward MN 280 North
Use the left lane.
15
Merge onto MN 280
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
MN 280
16
Arrive at destination
MN 280
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 21.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Turn left toward I 494 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 494 North
8
2 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 94 East, I 694 East
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward I 94 East, I 694 East
7
14.9 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward I 35W South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 41A
Toward I 35W South
7
18.8 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward MN 280 South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 22A
Toward MN 280 South
8
21.1 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the ramp toward MN 280 North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward MN 280 North
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.42 one way
$6.84 round trip
$4.02/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.28 | $3.64 | $7.28 |
| premium | $4.85 | $4.12 | $8.25 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.76 | $9.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
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 | $2.27 | $1.04 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.89 | $0.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.02 | $1.38 |
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
Lauderdale, MN
Late night in Lauderdale on Wednesday
Local time
3:03 AM
CDT
Current temp
82°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
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
28m 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?
21.6 mi in 28m, mostly highway — 6.3 mi of that is on I 94.
85% 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: 6.3 mi on I 94.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 94 and I 694. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 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 13 decision points packed into just 21.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 28m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
952 ft
840 ft
Total Climb
201 ft
Total Descent
194 ft
Highest Point
952 ft
~21.6 mi in
Elevation Range
113 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Maple Grove, MN
Full guide →Founded 1858
Maple Grove is a suburban city in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
Arriving in Lauderdale, MN
Full guide →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 28m. Total distance: 21.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.3 miles on I 94. 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 Lauderdale, 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 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 14.9 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 Lauderdale, 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, 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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