Origin
Minneapolis, MN
Late night in Minneapolis on Tuesday
Local time
5:51 AM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Minneapolis, MN to Tonka Bay, MN
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
19.7 mi
32 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Minneapolis, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Tonka Bay, MN
Tom Fisk
Trip Overview
Minneapolis, MN to Tonka Bay, MN is 19.7 miles and takes about 30 minutes via Minnesota State Highway 7 and I 394, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Midwest region, specifically Minnesota, making it a convenient local excursion. Given the minimal distance and duration, it's an easy drive for a quick getaway or an errand. You'll be on the road for less than an hour, so planning for extensive stops isn't necessary.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State Highway 7 | 11.3 mi | 16m |
| I 394 | 3.3 mi | 4m |
| MN 100 | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Smithtown Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Manitou Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Oak Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Washington Avenue South | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| North 1st Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Minnesota State Highway 7
— 11.3 mi, about 16m
Traffic on I-394
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 24 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,755 veh/hr typical
Quietest
3 AM
~163 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
29.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 84 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 Minneapolis, MN and Tonka Bay, MN.
1
Start on CR 152
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Washington Avenue South
2
Turn left onto North 1st Avenue
426 ft
·
18 sec
·
North 1st Avenue
Use the left lane.
3
Turn right onto North 3rd Street
418 ft
·
16 sec
·
North 3rd Street
4
Turn straight onto I 394
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
I 394
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
11 sec
Exit 5B-A
Toward MN 100 South, MN 100 North: Park Place-Xenia
Use the slight right lane.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Toward MN 100 South: Park Place-Xenia
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
Toward MN 100 South
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
402 ft
·
9 sec
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward MN 100 South
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward MN 100 South
Use the slight left lane.
11
Merge onto MN 100
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
MN 100
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward MN 7 West
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Merge onto MN 7
11 mi
·
16 min
·
Minnesota State Highway 7
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Turn right onto CR 19
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
Oak Street
15
Continue on CR 19
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Smithtown Road
16
Turn straight onto CR 19
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Manitou Road
Use the straight lane.
17
Arrive at destination
CR 19
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 3.8 and 5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
3.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward MN 100 South, MN 100 North: Park Place-Xenia
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 5B-A
Toward MN 100 South, MN 100 North: Park Place-X...
7
4.3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MN 100 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Toward MN 100 South
7
4.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
4.6 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MN 100 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward MN 100 South
7
5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MN 100 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward MN 100 South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.12 one way
$6.24 round trip
$4.02/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.28 | $3.32 | $6.64 |
| premium | $4.85 | $3.76 | $7.52 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.34 | $8.69 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
| Efficient EV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Tonka Bay, MN
Late night in Tonka Bay on Tuesday
Local time
5:51 AM
CDT
Current temp
69°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
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
30m 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 is mostly highway, with 80% of the drive on roads like Minnesota State Highway 7 and I 394. You'll experience an 11.3-mile stretch on Minnesota State Highway 7. Expect a relatively smooth drive with concentrated exits as you transition from highway to surface roads closer to Tonka Bay.
80% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.3 mi on Minnesota State Highway 7.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Minnesota State Highway 7 and I 394. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 3.8 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 14 decision points packed into just 19.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
1,051 ft
830 ft
Total Climb
291 ft
Total Descent
176 ft
Highest Point
1,051 ft
~12.7 mi in
Elevation Range
221 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Minneapolis, MN
Full guide →Founded 1850
Minneapolis is a city of about 430,000 people (2019) and the largest city in Minnesota. Along with neighboring Saint Paul, it forms the urban core of the Twin Cities region, the third largest metropolitan area in the Midwest after Chicago and Detroit.
Top landmarks
- • Minneapolis Institute of Art — art museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota
- • Walker Art Center — contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
- • Weisman Art Museum — art museum in Minneapolis, Minnesota
Arriving in Tonka Bay, 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 30m. Total distance: 19.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (80%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.3 miles on Minnesota State Highway 7. 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 Tonka Bay, 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 3.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Tonka Bay, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Tonka Bay, MN
More trips to Tonka Bay, MN
Explore more options from Minneapolis, MN or browse trips ending in Tonka Bay, MN.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MN road trips.