Origin
Shelley, ID
Evening in Shelley on Saturday
Local time
8:48 PM
MDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Shelley, ID to Pocatello, ID
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
47m
Distance
42.9 mi
69 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Good
5 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 43m
★
6 AM
0h 47m
8 AM
0h 55m
10 AM
0h 50m
12 PM
0h 49m
3 PM
0h 50m
5 PM
0h 55m
8 PM
0h 45m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Shelley, ID
Wikimedia Commons
Pocatello, ID
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are planning to travel from Shelley to Pocatello, you are looking at a straightforward 42.9-mile trip through the Mountain West. Expect to spend about 47 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal candidate for a quick day trip that does not require an overnight stay. Your travel budget for fuel should be around $7, keeping this an affordable transit between these two Idaho locations. You will primarily navigate via Veterans Memorial Highway, supplemented by East 1250 North and East 1275 North. Because the entire journey is well under an hour, it offers plenty of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veterans Memorial Highway | 36.5 mi | 34m |
| East 1250 North | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| East 1275 North | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Jefferson Avenue | 1 mi | 1m |
| I 15 BUS | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North State Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| East Bridger Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| West Fir Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Veterans Memorial Highway
— 36.5 mi, about 34m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Shelley, ID and Pocatello, ID.
1
Start on East Center Street
31 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Center Street
2
Turn left onto US 91
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North State Street
3
Turn right onto West Fir Street
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
West Fir Street
4
Continue on East 1275 North
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
East 1275 North
5
Continue on East 1250 North
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
East 1250 North
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
7
Merge onto I 15; US 26
36 mi
·
34 min
·
Veterans Memorial Highway
8
Take the exit onto I 15 BUS
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
I 15 BUS
Exit 71
Toward Pocatello Creek Road
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 15 BUS
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
I 15 BUS
Exit 71
10
Turn left onto Jefferson Avenue
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Jefferson Avenue
11
At end of road, turn right onto East Oak Street
332 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Oak Street
12
Turn left onto North 12th Avenue
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
North 12th Avenue
13
Turn right onto East Bridger Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
East Bridger Street
14
Turn left onto North 7th Avenue
495 ft
·
21 sec
·
North 7th Avenue
15
Arrive at destination
North 7th Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 42.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.5 miles from Shelley, ID, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 3.8 and 42.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
3.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the ramp
Navigation decision point
5
40.6 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
I 15 BUS
Take the exit onto I 15 BUS toward Pocatello Creek Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 71
Toward Pocatello Creek Road
5
40.8 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
I 15 BUS
Keep slight right at fork onto I 15 BUS
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 71
5
42.3 mi into trip
|
~44m in
|
East Oak Street
At end of road, turn right onto East Oak Street
Navigation decision point
5
42.4 mi into trip
|
~45m in
|
North 12th Avenue
Turn left onto North 12th Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.80 one way
$13.60 round trip
$4.03/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $7.13 | $14.25 |
| premium | $4.53 | $7.65 | $15.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.47 | $18.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 15 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.9 | 0 | $4.50 | $2.06 |
| Efficient EV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.75 | $1.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 17.2 | 0 | $6.01 | $2.75 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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.
Destination
Pocatello, ID
Evening in Pocatello on Saturday
Local time
8:48 PM
MDT
Current temp
42°F
Mostly Cloudy
SE 6 mph
5% chance
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
22 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
47m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that demands your full attention rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. While you will spend 36.5 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway, the route only features about 2% highway driving, meaning you will spend the bulk of your time navigating local roads. The character of the drive shifts as you transition from the main highway onto the side roads like East 1250 North and East 1275 North. Be prepared for a more technical driving experience than a typical high-speed corridor. This short trek effectively balances distance and local connectivity as you move through the region.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 36.5 mi on Veterans Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 3.8 miles in.
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 42.9 miles you will encounter 11 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 3.8 miles: Navigation decision point; at 40.6 miles (I 15 BUS): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 40.8 miles (I 15 BUS): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
4,649 ft
4,434 ft
Total Climb
60 ft
Total Descent
226 ft
Highest Point
4,649 ft
~7.2 mi in
Elevation Range
216 ft
Notable High Points
4,649 ft at ~7.2 miles
+0 ft prominence
4,504 ft at ~19.7 miles
+10 ft prominence
About the Cities
Starting in Shelley, ID
Full guide →Shelley is a town of 4,700 people (2019) in Southeastern Idaho known for its Spud Day festival.
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 47m. Total distance: 42.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
47m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (2%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 36.5 miles on Veterans Memorial Highway. 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 ID 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 3.8 miles: Navigation decision point; at 40.6 miles (I 15 BUS): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 40.8 miles (I 15 BUS): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Pocatello, ID 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, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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