Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
27.4 mi
44 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint Paul, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Excelsior, MN
Tom Fisk
Saint Paul to Excelsior is 27.4 miles and takes about 42m via Minnesota State Highway 7, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within Minnesota, moving from the Midwest region to the same region. It's a short hop, making it ideal for a quick excursion or an easy commute. You'll primarily be on state highways and interstates, so expect a straightforward drive. This route is a practical choice for getting from the Twin Cities metro area to the western suburbs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Minnesota State Highway 7 | 10.6 mi | 15m |
| Purple Heart Memorial Highway | 9.9 mi | 13m |
| I 394 | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| MN 100 | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| Wabasha Street North | 0.6 mi | 2m |
| 2nd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Water Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 28 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~5,170 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~335 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 100 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Saint Paul, MN and Excelsior, MN.
Start on Wabasha Street North
Take the ramp
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto I 94
Take the exit
Merge onto I 394
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight right at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto MN 100
Take the exit
Merge onto MN 7
Turn slight right
Keep slight left at fork
Continue on CR 82
Turn left onto Water Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 14.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight right at fork toward I 94 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 394 West, US 12 West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward MN 100 South, MN 100 North: Park Place-Xenia
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward MN 100 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.47 one way
$8.94 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.46 | $4.81 | $9.63 |
| premium | $4.95 | $5.34 | $10.69 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $6.44 | $12.87 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.84 | $1.75 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Saint Paul on Saturday
Local time
12:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
81°F
Partly Sunny
Destination
Late night in Excelsior on Saturday
Local time
12:42 AM
CDT
Current temp
80°F
Partly Sunny
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
About half of this drive is on highways, with the longest continuous stretch on Minnesota State Highway 7 covering 10.6 miles. You'll experience a mix of highway cruising and surface road driving as you transition between these environments. Expect to notice frequent exits and entrances as you navigate the urban and suburban landscape.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in.
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 27.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
383 ft
Total Descent
224 ft
Highest Point
1,015 ft
~21.5 mi in
Elevation Range
226 ft
Founded 1854
Saint Paul (or St. Paul) is the capital city and the second largest city of the US state of Minnesota. Along with the slightly larger Minneapolis it forms the urban core of the Twin Cities region, the third largest metropolis in the Midwest.
Top landmarks
Founded 1877
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 27.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (50%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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