Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 2, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
8h 5m
Distance
406.7 mi
655 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$63
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Soldier, KS
Wikimedia Commons
Elkhart, KS
Tien Nguyen
Soldier, KS to Elkhart, KS is 406.7 miles and takes about 8h 5m via US 56, KS 156, and Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, with a fuel budget near $64 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip primarily traverses the Great Plains, offering a consistent, open-road feel. While it's possible to complete in one day, the recommended two days allow for a more relaxed pace. Consider this route if you're looking for a straightforward drive across Kansas with a substantial portion on major highways.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
203.4 miles from Soldier, KS
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 57m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 56 | 136.9 mi | 2h 46m |
| KS 156 | 51.8 mi | 1h 2m |
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 49.4 mi | 49m |
| East 10th Street | 31.3 mi | 36m |
| KS 16 | 27.9 mi | 35m |
| Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway | 27.7 mi | 27m |
| Northeast Trail Street | 24.3 mi | 29m |
| K-13 | 14.6 mi | 18m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 8 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~727 veh/hr typical · worst 987
Quietest
1 AM
~64 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 103 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Soldier, KS and Elkhart, KS.
Start on Jackson Street
Turn slight right onto KS 62
Continue on KS 62
Turn right onto KS 16
Turn right onto KS 63
Turn left onto KS 16
At end of road, turn left onto KS 16; KS 99
Turn right onto KS 16
Continue on K-13
Enter roundabout onto US 24
Continue on US 24
Enter roundabout onto K-113
Continue on K-113
Take the ramp
Merge onto KS 18
Take the exit onto KS 18
Merge onto I 70; US 40; KS 18
Continue on I 70; US 40
Take the exit
Turn left onto KS 156
Take the ramp onto KS 156
Turn left onto US 281
Turn right onto Railroad Avenue
Turn left onto Railroad Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto US 56; KS 156
Turn left onto US 56
Turn right onto US 56
Turn left onto US 183
Turn right onto US 50
Turn left onto US 56; US 283
Turn left onto US 56; US 283
Keep slight right at fork onto US 56; US 283; US 400
Turn straight onto US 56; US 400
Turn right onto US 56; KS 25; KS 51
Continue on US 56; KS 51
Turn right onto North Street
Turn left onto Rankin Road
Arrive at destination
Given the 8-hour estimated drive time, splitting this trip over two days is highly recommended. Aim to depart Soldier, KS in the morning to make good progress. Plan for your overnight stop roughly halfway through the drive, around the 200-mile mark, to break up the driving. Keep an eye on your fuel levels, especially during the 136.9-mile stretch on US 56, as services might be less frequent. This route has two recommended stops, so use them to stretch your legs and refuel.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 89 miles or 1h 50m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 203.4 miles or 3h 57m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 203.4 miles or 3h 57m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 52m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Elkhart, KS than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Soldier, KS so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Soldier, KS
Aim for roughly 203 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Elkhart, KS
Aim for roughly 203 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
203 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Great Bend, KSNight 1
203 mi · about 4h in
A practical overnight split lands near Great Bend, KS after about 203 miles or 4 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 89 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 203.4 miles from Soldier, KS, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before US 56 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 136.9 miles.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 203 miles or 4 hours on the road.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 31.5 and 149.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn left onto KS 16; KS 99
Navigation decision point
Take the ramp toward KS 18 West: Fort Riley Boulevard West
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit onto KS 18 toward I-70 West, Salina
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Merge onto I 70; US 40; KS 18 / Truman/Eisenhower Presidential Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward KS 156, Ellsworth, Great Bend
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$63.05 one way
$126.11 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.32 | $69.14 | $138.28 |
| premium | $4.93 | $78.91 | $157.81 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $89.65 | $179.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$63
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$193–$303
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 142.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $43 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 122 | 1 | $42.70 | $19.52 |
| Efficient EV | 101.7 | 1 | $35.59 | $16.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 162.7 | 2 | $56.94 | $26.03 |
Gas CO2
142 kg
EV CO2
48 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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 Soldier on Wednesday
Local time
12:56 AM
CDT
Current temp
64°F
Mostly Clear
Destination
Late night in Elkhart on Wednesday
Local time
12:56 AM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Partly Cloudy
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
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
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
You'll spend about 54% of your 406.7 miles on highways. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 136.9 miles on US 56, which is a significant portion of the drive. Expect a mix of highway cruising and surface road driving, particularly as you transition between major routes. The profile indicates a blend of high-speed travel and more rural, potentially slower-paced sections.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 26 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 31.5 miles in near KS 16; KS 99.
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 406.7 miles you will encounter 26 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 31.5 miles (KS 16; KS 99): Navigation decision point; at 61.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 72.4 miles (KS 18): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
2,740 ft
Total Descent
372 ft
Highest Point
3,589 ft
~406.7 mi in
Elevation Range
2,437 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Soldier, KS and Elkhart, KS, road signs point toward Salina, Ellsworth and Great Bend.
Salina
Ellsworth
Great Bend
Founded 1913
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
8h 5m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). 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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