Origin
Palmer Lake, CO
Morning in Palmer Lake on Tuesday
Local time
8:43 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Palmer Lake, CO to Colorado Springs, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
23.6 mi
38 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 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Palmer Lake, CO
PIE
Trip Overview
Palmer Lake to Colorado Springs is 23.6 miles and takes about 31 minutes via Ronald Reagan Highway, Monument Valley Freeway, and CO 105, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within Colorado and the Mountain West region, offering a straightforward connection between two nearby communities. You'll find this drive is a quick commute rather than an epic journey, perfect for a same-day trip. Expect a mixed driving experience as you transition from more highway-like roads to local approaches.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Ronald Reagan Highway | 12 mi | 12m |
| Monument Valley Freeway | 5.9 mi | 6m |
| CO 105 | 3.6 mi | 6m |
| East Kiowa Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| West Kiowa Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Bijou Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Pie Corner | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Weber Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Ronald Reagan Highway
— 12 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Palmer Lake, CO and Colorado Springs, CO.
1
Start on Upper Glenway
223 ft
·
11 sec
·
Upper Glenway
2
Turn right onto Pie Corner
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Pie Corner
3
At end of road, turn right onto CO 105
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
CO 105
4
Take the ramp
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 25: I 25 South
Use the straight lane.
5
Merge onto I 25
12 mi
·
12 min
·
Ronald Reagan Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on I 25
5.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Monument Valley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 142
Toward Bijou Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
495 ft
·
14 sec
Toward I 25: Downtown
Use the straight / left lanes.
9
Turn left onto West Bijou Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
West Bijou Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
10
Continue on West Kiowa Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
West Kiowa Street
11
Continue on East Kiowa Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
East Kiowa Street
12
Turn right onto North Weber Street
490 ft
·
17 sec
·
North Weber Street
13
Turn right onto East Pikes Peak Avenue
422 ft
·
14 sec
·
East Pikes Peak Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
East Pikes Peak Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 3.8 and 22.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
3.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp toward I 25: I 25 South
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward I 25: I 25 South
5
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 25 / Ronald Reagan Highway
Merge onto I 25 / Ronald Reagan Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
22.4 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Bijou Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 142
Toward Bijou Street
8
22.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 25: Downtown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward I 25: Downtown
5
22.7 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
West Bijou Street
Turn left onto West Bijou Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.56 one way
$7.11 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.76 | $7.53 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.08 | $8.17 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.21 | $10.42 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.48 | $1.13 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.30 | $1.51 |
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
Colorado Springs, CO
Morning in Colorado Springs on Tuesday
Local time
8:43 AM
MDT
Current temp
21°F
Clear
NNW 5 mph
0% chance
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
25 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
31m 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 presents a mixed drive, with 41% of it on faster highway sections. You'll encounter stretches of Ronald Reagan Highway and Monument Valley Freeway before transitioning to CO 105. The longest uninterrupted stretch is about 12 miles on Ronald Reagan Highway, providing a consistent pace before the road network becomes more varied. As you get closer to Colorado Springs, the character of the drive will likely shift to more urban or suburban road conditions.
41% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12 mi on Ronald Reagan Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 3.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 23.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 25 / Ronald Reagan Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Colorado Springs, CO
Full guide →Colorado Springs is a city of about 490,000 in the western U.S. state of Colorado. The seat of El Paso County, the city lies 63 miles (101 km) south of Denver at the foot of Pikes Peak in South Central Colorado.
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 31m. Total distance: 23.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (41%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12 miles on Ronald Reagan Highway. 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 Colorado Springs, 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 3.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 25 / Ronald Reagan Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.4 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 Colorado Springs, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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