Origin
Pleasant Hill, IA
Afternoon in Pleasant Hill on Sunday
Local time
3:23 PM
CDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Pleasant Hill, IA to West Des Moines, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Hill, IA
Tom Fisk
West Des Moines, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 12.3-mile drive from Pleasant Hill to West Des Moines in Iowa takes about 22 minutes and is easily manageable as a single-day trip. With a modest fuel cost of around $2, it's a budget-friendly option for getting between these two Midwest locations. The route primarily utilizes major roads like John MacVicar Freeway, Dean Avenue, and East University Avenue, offering a mixed driving experience. Given its brevity, you won't need to worry about overnight stops or splitting the journey; it's a straightforward hop within the same state.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| John MacVicar Freeway | 5.5 mi | 7m |
| Dean Avenue | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| East University Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| 63rd Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| East 30th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Fairview Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Pleasant Hill Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Vine Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
John MacVicar Freeway
— 5.5 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Pleasant Hill, IA and West Des Moines, IA.
1
Start on Doanes Park Road
62 ft
·
6 sec
·
Doanes Park Road
2
Turn right onto South Pleasant Hill Boulevard
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
South Pleasant Hill Boulevard
3
Turn left onto Fairview Drive
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Fairview Drive
4
Continue on Dean Avenue
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Dean Avenue
5
Turn right onto East 30th Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East 30th Street
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto IA 163
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
East University Avenue
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I-235 west
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto I 235
5.5 mi
·
7 min
·
John MacVicar Freeway
Use the slight right lane.
9
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 4
Toward IA 28: 63rd Street, Windsor Heights
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn left onto IA 28
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
63rd Street
11
Turn right onto Vine Street
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
Vine Street
12
Arrive at destination
Vine Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 2.4 and 10.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
East 30th Street
Turn right onto East 30th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
3.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
IA 163 / East University Avenue
Turn left onto IA 163 / East University Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
4.3 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the ramp toward I-235 west
Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I-235 west
5
5 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway
Merge onto I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
8
10.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward IA 28: 63rd Street, Windsor Heights
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 4
Toward IA 28: 63rd Street, Windsor Heights
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.92 one way
$3.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.11 | $4.22 |
| premium | $4.89 | $2.37 | $4.73 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
West Des Moines, IA
Afternoon in West Des Moines on Sunday
Local time
3:23 PM
CDT
Current temp
52°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
22m 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?
The drive presents a mixed profile, with 45% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a 5.5-mile stretch on the John MacVicar Freeway, which provides a taste of faster travel. The remainder of the route incorporates surface streets, offering a more varied driving experience as you navigate through urban and suburban landscapes. Expect a blend of steady highway cruising and more stop-and-go conditions as you transition between these road types.
45% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.5 mi on John MacVicar Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2.4 miles in near East 30th Street.
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 12.3 miles you will encounter 8 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 2.4 miles (East 30th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (IA 163 / East University Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Pleasant Hill, IA to West Des Moines, IA, road signs begin pointing toward Windsor Heights along the way.
Windsor Heights
10.5 mi in
|
~18m
About the Cities
Arriving in West Des Moines, IA
Full guide →West Des Moines is a small city in Central Iowa, the largest suburb of Des Moines.
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 22m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (45%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.5 miles on John MacVicar Freeway. 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 2.4 miles (East 30th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (IA 163 / East University Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at West Des Moines, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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