Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Rice Lake, MN to Alida, MN

Pin this trip

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Oct 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

30m

Distance

16.2 mi

26 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
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 35m
8 PM
0h 29m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Rice Lake, MN, MN

Rice Lake, MN

Tom Fisk

Downtown Alida, MN, MN

Alida, MN

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

Rice Lake to Alida is 16.2 miles and takes about 30 minutes via Upper Rice Lake Road and County Highway 35, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Minnesota, connecting two points in the Midwest region. You'll experience a mix of highway driving and surface roads, making it a straightforward trip. Given its brief duration, it's ideal for a quick errand or as a segment of a larger journey without requiring an overnight stay.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Upper Rice Lake Road 7.9 mi 10m
County Highway 35 7.3 mi 17m
Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway 1 mi 1m
Lower Rice Lake Road <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Upper Rice Lake Road — 7.9 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rice Lake, MN and Alida, MN.

1

Start on CR 35

76 ft · 4 sec · Lower Rice Lake Road
2

Turn right onto CR 35

1.4 mi · 3 min · County Highway 35
3

Continue on CR 35

5.9 mi · 14 min · County Highway 35
4

At end of road, turn right onto MN 92

1.0 mi · 1 min · Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway
5

Turn left onto Upper Rice Lake Road

7.9 mi · 10 min · Upper Rice Lake Road
6

Turn left

24 ft · 1 sec
7

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

4 of 4

4 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 16.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CR 35 / County Highway 35

Turn right onto CR 35 / County Highway 35

Navigation decision point

5
7.3 mi into trip | ~17m in | MN 92 / Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway

At end of road, turn right onto MN 92 / Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway

Navigation decision point

3
8.3 mi into trip | ~19m in | Upper Rice Lake Road

Turn left onto Upper Rice Lake Road

Navigation decision point

3
16.2 mi into trip | ~30m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.73 one way

$5.45 round trip

$4.28/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.75 $3.03 $6.05
premium $5.29 $3.37 $6.74
diesel $6.18 $3.94 $7.88

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.7 kg one way.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.9 0 $1.70 $0.78
Efficient EV 4.1 0 $1.42 $0.65
EV Truck/SUV 6.5 0 $2.27 $1.04

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (67% 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.

Forecast as of Oct 15, 2026

Origin

Rice Lake, MN

Night in Rice Lake on Sunday

Local time

9:57 PM

CDT

Current temp

48°F

Mostly Cloudy

WNW 16 mph 8% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued October 15 at 2:19PM CDT until October 16 at 6:00AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued October 15 at 1:53PM CDT until October 17 at 9:00AM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI

Destination

Alida, MN

Night in Alida on Sunday

Local time

9:57 PM

CDT

Current temp

49°F

Mostly Cloudy

WNW 17 mph 12% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued October 15 at 2:19PM CDT until October 16 at 6:00AM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued October 15 at 1:53PM CDT until October 17 at 9:00AM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI

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

30m 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 is about 45% highway, with the longest uninterrupted stretch being 7.9 miles on Upper Rice Lake Road. You'll transition from highway cruising to surface roads as you progress. The profile is mixed, indicating you'll encounter both higher-speed sections and potentially slower-paced driving on county roads.

45% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.9 mi on Upper Rice Lake Road.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 35 / County Highway 35.

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 30m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 35 / County Highway 35): Navigation decision point; at 7.3 miles (MN 92 / Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway): Navigation decision point; at 8.3 miles (Upper Rice Lake Road): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,594 ft 1,469 ft

Total Climb

199 ft

Total Descent

158 ft

Highest Point

1,594 ft

~4.6 mi in

Elevation Range

126 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Rice Lake, MN

Full guide →

Founded 1870

Arriving in Alida, 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: 16.2 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 (45%). Straightforward navigation.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.9 miles on Upper Rice Lake Road. 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: near the start (CR 35 / County Highway 35): Navigation decision point; at 7.3 miles (MN 92 / Clearwater County Veterans Memorial Highway): Navigation decision point; at 8.3 miles (Upper Rice Lake Road): Navigation decision point.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Alida, 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Continue From Alida, MN

Leonard, MN 20.7 mi · 29m

More trips to Alida, MN

Gonvick, MN 35.8 mi
Escape planner: Rice Lake, MN Scenic drives in MN

Explore more options from Rice Lake, MN or browse trips ending in Alida, MN.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MN road trips.