Origin
Polson, MT
Late night in Polson on Friday
Local time
1:48 AM
MDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Polson, MT to Columbia Falls, MT
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 27m
Distance
58.5 mi
94 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Fair
3 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 21m
★
6 AM
1h 28m
8 AM
1h 41m
10 AM
1h 33m
12 PM
1h 31m
3 PM
1h 33m
5 PM
1h 41m
8 PM
1h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Polson, MT
Wikimedia Commons
Columbia Falls, MT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Polson, MT to Columbia Falls, MT covers 58.5 miles and takes about 1h 27m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on MT 35, MT 206, 2nd Avenue East for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 45 miles on MT 35. At current regular gas prices, budget about $10.15 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MT 35 | 45 mi | 1h 7m |
| MT 206 | 9.7 mi | 12m |
| 2nd Avenue East | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| US 2 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| 9th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Nucleus Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 7th Street West | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
MT 35
— 45 mi, about 1h 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Polson, MT and Columbia Falls, MT.
1
Start on S-354
310 ft
·
10 sec
·
Main Street
2
Turn right onto US 93
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
2nd Avenue East
3
Turn left onto MT 35
45 mi
·
1 hr 7 min
·
MT 35
Use the straight lane.
4
Continue on MT 35
200 ft
·
6 sec
·
MT 35
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn right onto MT 206
9.7 mi
·
12 min
·
MT 206
Use the right lane.
6
At end of road, turn left onto US 2
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
US 2
7
Continue on US 2
0.3 mi
·
52 sec
·
9th Street
8
Turn right onto MT 486
0.1 mi
·
32 sec
·
Nucleus Avenue
9
Turn left onto 7th Street West
102 ft
·
4 sec
·
7th Street West
10
Arrive at destination
7th Street West
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 29.3 miles from Polson, MT, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 58.5 — 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
|
US 93 / 2nd Avenue East
Turn right onto US 93 / 2nd Avenue East
Navigation decision point
5
2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
MT 35
Turn left onto MT 35
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
47 mi into trip
|
~1h 12m in
|
MT 206
Turn right onto MT 206
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
4
56.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 24m in
|
US 2
At end of road, turn left onto US 2
Navigation decision point
5
58.5 mi into trip
|
~1h 27m in
|
7th Street West
Turn left onto 7th Street West
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$10.15 one way
$20.29 round trip
$4.41/gal
25.4 MPG avg
21 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $10.61 | $21.22 |
| premium | $4.95 | $11.40 | $22.80 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $12.90 | $25.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 20.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.6 | 0 | $6.14 | $2.81 |
| Efficient EV | 14.6 | 0 | $5.12 | $2.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 23.4 | 0 | $8.19 | $3.74 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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
Columbia Falls, MT
Late night in Columbia Falls on Friday
Local time
1:48 AM
MDT
Current temp
43°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 27m 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?
58.5 mi in 1h 27m, mostly highway — 45 mi of that is on MT 35.
96% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 45 mi on MT 35.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on MT 35 and MT 206. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near US 93 / 2nd Avenue East.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 27m drive. You will face about 6 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 (US 93 / 2nd Avenue East): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (MT 35): Lane positioning matters here; at 47 miles (MT 206): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
3,080 ft
2,926 ft
Total Climb
345 ft
Total Descent
190 ft
Highest Point
3,080 ft
~58.6 mi in
Elevation Range
154 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Polson, MT
Full guide →Polson is a town of 5,100 people (2020) in Montana.
Arriving in Columbia Falls, MT
Full guide →Columbia Falls is a town in northwest Montana. About 5,300 people lived there in 2020.
Top landmarks
- • St. Richard's Church — historic church in Montana, United States
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 1h 27m. Total distance: 58.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (96%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 45 miles on MT 35. 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through MT 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 (US 93 / 2nd Avenue East): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (MT 35): Lane positioning matters here; at 47 miles (MT 206): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Glacier National Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Columbia Falls, MT 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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