Origin
Rockville, MN
Afternoon in Rockville on Sunday
Local time
12:29 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Rockville, MN to Saint Cloud, MN
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
12.1 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 18m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint Cloud, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Rockville to Saint Cloud is 12.1 miles and takes about 19 minutes via MN 23, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short journey stays within Minnesota, connecting two points in the Midwest. It's a quick trip that won't eat up your day, making it ideal for a brief excursion or a simple point-to-point drive. You'll encounter a mixed driving profile, so expect a bit of everything as you make your way to Saint Cloud.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MN 23 | 7.1 mi | 8m |
| 3rd Street Northeast | 2 mi | 3m |
| West Broadway Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Division Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 2nd Street North | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 44th Avenue North | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| 10th Avenue South | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 16th Avenue North | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
MN 23
— 7.1 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Rockville, MN and Saint Cloud, MN.
1
Start on CR 82
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
West Broadway Street
2
At end of road, turn left onto MN 23
7.1 mi
·
8 min
·
MN 23
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn left onto 10th Avenue South
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
10th Avenue South
4
Turn right onto CR 75
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Division Street
5
Turn left onto 44th Avenue North
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
44th Avenue North
6
Turn right onto 3rd Street Northeast
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
3rd Street Northeast
7
Turn right onto 16th Avenue North
407 ft
·
16 sec
·
16th Avenue North
8
Turn left onto 2nd Street North
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
2nd Street North
9
Turn right onto 8th Avenue North
253 ft
·
16 sec
·
8th Avenue North
10
Turn left onto Courthouse Square
7 ft
·
0 sec
·
Courthouse Square
11
Arrive at destination
Courthouse Square
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 1.1 and 11.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
MN 23
At end of road, turn left onto MN 23
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
8.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
10th Avenue South
Turn left onto 10th Avenue South
Navigation decision point
4
9.2 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
44th Avenue North
Turn left onto 44th Avenue North
Navigation decision point
4
9.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
3rd Street Northeast
Turn right onto 3rd Street Northeast
Navigation decision point
4
11.6 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
2nd Street North
Turn left onto 2nd Street North
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.80 one way
$3.60 round trip
$3.78/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.07 | $1.94 | $3.88 |
| premium | $4.53 | $2.16 | $4.32 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.67 | $5.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 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 | 3.6 | 0 | $1.27 | $0.58 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.06 | $0.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.69 | $0.77 |
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
Saint Cloud, MN
Afternoon in Saint Cloud on Sunday
Local time
12:29 PM
CDT
Current temp
27°F
Partly Cloudy
WNW 10 to 15 mph
7% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 17 at 7:32PM CDT until April 18 at 1:00AM CDT by NWS Duluth MN
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
41 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
19m 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 drive offers a mixed bag, with 58% of it being on highways. You'll experience about 7.1 miles on MN 23, which is the longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter. The route transitions between different road types, meaning you'll go from faster highway driving to more local street navigation. Expect the road to change character as you move from the open highway feel to more urban approaches.
58% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.1 mi on MN 23.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
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 around 1.1 miles in near MN 23.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 19m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (MN 23): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles (10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 9.2 miles (44th Avenue North): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Saint Cloud, MN
Full guide →Saint Cloud is a city in Central Minnesota with a population of 68,000 (2018). Although it may have few attractions to draw the tourist, it is a nexus of medical advances, particularly in orthopedics (St. Cloud Orthopedics Associates, for example). It is also a college town as it is home to St. Cloud State University and St Cloud Technical College. The College of St. Benedict and St. John's University are nearby.
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 19m. Total distance: 12.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (58%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.1 miles on MN 23. 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 1.1 miles (MN 23): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles (10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 9.2 miles (44th Avenue North): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Saint Cloud, 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 EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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