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Trip from Melbourne, IA to Ferguson, IA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

26m

Distance

14.8 mi

24 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 24m ★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m

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

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Melbourne, IA, IA

Melbourne, IA

Kaiser Concha

Downtown Ferguson, IA, IA

Ferguson, IA

Baset Alhasan

Trip Overview

Melbourne, IA to Ferguson, IA is 14.8 miles and takes about 26 minutes via 290th Street, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest and Iowa, offering a straightforward local drive. Given its brief duration, it's ideal for a spontaneous outing or an easy addition to a longer journey. You'll be navigating primarily on local roads, so expect a pace that's more relaxed than highway travel. This route is best suited for those who appreciate the quiet charm of rural Iowa.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
290th Street 6.6 mi 11m
280th Street 5.2 mi 9m
Reed Avenue 1 mi 1m
Lafayette Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Hart Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
4th Street 0.3 mi <1m
Main Street 0.2 mi <1m
County Highway E63 <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: 290th Street — 6.6 mi, about 11m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Melbourne, IA and Ferguson, IA.

1

Start on Main Street

59 ft · 6 sec · Main Street
2

Turn left onto 4th Street

0.3 mi · 51 sec · 4th Street
3

At end of road, turn right onto S62

0.4 mi · 38 sec · Hart Avenue
4

Turn left onto E63

4.0 mi · 7 min · 290th Street
5

Turn left onto E63

0.9 mi · 1 min · Lafayette Avenue
6

Keep slight right at fork onto E63

490 ft · 10 sec · County Highway E63
7

Continue on E63

5.2 mi · 9 min · 280th Street
8

At end of road, turn right onto IA 14

1.0 mi · 1 min · Reed Avenue
9

Turn left onto E63

2.6 mi · 4 min · 290th Street
10

Turn left onto Main Street

0.1 mi · 49 sec · Main Street
11

Turn left onto 2nd Street

31 ft · 1 sec · 2nd Street
12

Arrive at destination

2nd Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 14.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.4 mi into trip | ~0m in | S62 / Hart Avenue

At end of road, turn right onto S62 / Hart Avenue

Navigation decision point

4
0.8 mi into trip | ~1m in | E63 / 290th Street

Turn left onto E63 / 290th Street

Navigation decision point

4
5.7 mi into trip | ~10m in | E63 / County Highway E63

Keep slight right at fork onto E63 / County Highway E63

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

4
11 mi into trip | ~19m in | IA 14 / Reed Avenue

At end of road, turn right onto IA 14 / Reed Avenue

Navigation decision point

5
14.8 mi into trip | ~26m in | 2nd Street

Turn left onto 2nd Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.19 one way

$4.37 round trip

$3.75/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.14 $2.41 $4.83
premium $4.72 $2.75 $5.50
diesel $4.80 $2.79 $5.59

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71
Efficient EV 3.7 0 $1.30 $0.59
EV Truck/SUV 5.9 0 $2.07 $0.95

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 Jul 12, 2026

Origin

Melbourne, IA

Afternoon in Melbourne on Sunday

Local time

1:51 PM

CDT

Current temp

62°F

Clear

E 2 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued July 11 at 8:08PM CDT until July 17 at 5:24AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 11 at 7:52PM CDT until July 14 at 2:38AM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

Destination

Ferguson, IA

Afternoon in Ferguson on Sunday

Local time

1:51 PM

CDT

Current temp

61°F

Clear

E 1 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued July 11 at 8:08PM CDT until July 17 at 5:24AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 11 at 7:52PM CDT until July 14 at 2:38AM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

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

1 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

26m 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?

This route is a turn-heavy local drive with no highway mileage, meaning you'll be on smaller, well-maintained county roads for the entire 14.8 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.6 miles along 290th Street. You'll be making several turns onto roads like 280th Street and Reed Avenue. The road character remains consistent throughout, focusing on connecting rural communities rather than high-speed transit. It's a drive where you'll be more aware of your surroundings and the turns ahead.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.6 mi on 290th Street.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near S62 / Hart Avenue.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 14.8 miles you will encounter 9 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 0.4 miles (S62 / Hart Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (E63 / 290th Street): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (E63 / County Highway E63): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,053 ft 911 ft

Total Climb

100 ft

Total Descent

212 ft

Highest Point

1,053 ft

~4.2 mi in

Elevation Range

142 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Melbourne, IA

Full guide →

Founded 1882

Arriving in Ferguson, IA

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 26m. Total distance: 14.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

26m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 6.6 miles on 290th Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 0.4 miles (S62 / Hart Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (E63 / 290th Street): Navigation decision point; at 5.7 miles (E63 / County Highway E63): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Ferguson, IA 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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