Pierre to Garretson is 238.7 miles and takes about 3h 57m via I 90 and South US Highway 83, with a fuel budget near $36 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the vast Great Plains region, traversing South Dakota's landscape. Expect a straightforward drive with a high percentage of highway miles, making it a quick connection between these two points. It's a practical route for getting from point A to point B efficiently.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
119.3 miles from Pierre, SD
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 2h into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 90
193 mi
3h 2m
South US Highway 83
30.9 mi
35m
482nd Avenue
6.4 mi
8m
254th Street
2.8 mi
3m
North 1st Street
1 mi
1m
West Sioux Avenue
0.9 mi
1m
North Deadwood Street
0.7 mi
<1m
River Avenue
0.6 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
I 90
— 193 mi, about 3h 2m
Traffic on I-90
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 34 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~343 veh/hr typical
· worst 625
Quietest
2 AM
~22 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.6×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
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Averaged across 99 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 Pierre, SD and Garretson, SD.
1
Start on SD 1889
0.1 mi·15 sec·South Euclid Avenue
2
Turn left onto SD 1889
0.1 mi·13 sec·South Pierre Street
3
Turn right onto US 14; US 83; SD 34
0.9 mi·1 min·West Sioux Avenue
4
Continue on US 14; US 83; SD 34
0.5 mi·35 sec·North Highway 83
5
Continue on US 83
0.7 mi·45 sec·North Deadwood Street
6
Continue on US 83; SD 1806
1.0 mi·1 min·North 1st Street
7
Continue on US 83; SD 1806
31 mi·35 min·South US Highway 83
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi·42 sec
9
Merge onto I 90
193 mi·3 hr 2 min·I 90
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi·26 sec
Toward SD 11: Corson, Brandon
11
Keep slight left at fork
193 ft·4 sec
12
Turn straight onto SD 11
475 ft·11 sec·North Splitrock Boulevard
13
Continue on SD 11
6.4 mi·8 min·482nd Avenue
14
Continue on SD 11
2.8 mi·3 min·254th Street
15
Continue on SD 11
0.4 mi·43 sec·485th Avenue
16
Continue on SD 11
0.6 mi·1 min·River Avenue
17
Turn right onto 5th Street
0.4 mi·1 min·5th Street
18
Turn right onto North Main Avenue
292 ft·7 sec·North Main Avenue
19
Arrive at destination
North Main Avenue
Trip Plan
Given the roughly 4-hour drive time, departing Pierre in the morning allows ample time to reach Garretson before evening. With only one recommended stop, you have flexibility in pacing your breaks. The majority of your travel will be on I 90, so keep an eye on fuel levels, as services can be spread out on long highway stretches. Plan to refuel before you hit the 193-mile segment on I 90 to ensure a smooth arrival.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 119.3 miles from Pierre, SD, or about 2h into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 193 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 53 miles or 57m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 119.3 miles or 2h in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 3h 12m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Garretson, SD than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Pierre, SD so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Pierre, SD
This is one driving day of about 238.7 miles and 3h 57m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 53 miles from Pierre, SD.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 90 for about 193 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 8
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 227.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.1 mi into trip|~0m in|SD 1889 / South Pierre Street
Turn left onto SD 1889 / South Pierre Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.2 mi into trip|~0m in|US 14; US 83; SD 34 / West Sioux Avenue
Turn right onto US 14; US 83; SD 34 / West Sioux Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
34.5 mi into trip|~40m in|I 90
Merge onto I 90
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
227.5 mi into trip|~3h 42m in
Take the exit toward SD 11: Corson, Brandon
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward SD 11: Corson, Brandon
5
227.8 mi into trip|~3h 43m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$37.01 one way
$74.02 round trip
$3.94/gal25.4 MPG avg84 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.32
$40.58
$81.16
premium
$4.93
$46.31
$92.62
diesel
$5.60
$52.62
$105.23
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$37
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$62–$87
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 83.5 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $25 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
71.6
0
$25.06
$11.46
Efficient EV
59.7
0
$20.89
$9.55
EV Truck/SUV
95.5
1
$33.42
$15.28
Gas CO2
84 kg
EV CO2
28 kg (67% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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 Aug 23, 2026
Origin
Pierre, SD
Late night
in Pierre on Wednesday
Local time
12:09 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°F
Mostly Cloudy then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
ESE 13 mph15% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Garretson, SD
Late night
in Garretson on Wednesday
Local time
12:09 AM
CDT
Current temp
54°F
Partly Cloudy
E 0 to 5 mph0% chanceLive forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
9 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
3h 57m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
You'll spend 94% of this 238.7-mile drive on highways, with the longest continuous stretch covering 193 miles on I 90. This means you'll experience mostly high-speed cruising for the bulk of your travel. The transition to surface roads, specifically 482nd Avenue, will occur later in the trip. Be prepared for extended periods of rural highway driving.
94% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 193 mi on I 90.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 90 and South US Highway 83. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near SD 1889 / South Pierre Street.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 3h 57m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (SD 1889 / South Pierre Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 14; US 83; SD 34 / West Sioux Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 34.5 miles (I 90): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The longest stretch is about 193 miles on I 90. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 12 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through SD can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (SD 1889 / South Pierre Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (US 14; US 83; SD 34 / West Sioux Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 34.5 miles (I 90): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Possible but tiring. At 4.0 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 7.9 hours — manageable with a long break at Garretson, SD, but most travelers stay overnight.
