Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 3, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
36.9 mi
59 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Thornton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Berthoud, CO
ThisIsEngineering
The drive from Thornton, CO to Berthoud, CO covers 36.9 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, North Valley Highway, East Highway 56 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 22.2 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.23 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 22.2 mi | 22m |
| North Valley Highway | 6.4 mi | 7m |
| East Highway 56 | 4.1 mi | 5m |
| East County Road 8 | 1 mi | 1m |
| Washington Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| East 104th Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Thornton Parkway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Mountain Avenue | 0.3 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,819 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~278 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
17.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 102 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Thornton, CO and Berthoud, CO.
Start on this road
Turn left onto Dorothy Boulevard
At end of road, turn left onto Thornton Parkway
Turn right onto Washington Street
Turn left onto East 104th Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 25
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25
Continue on I 25
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Enter roundabout onto CO 56
Continue on CO 56
Enter roundabout onto CO 56
Continue on CO 56
Continue on CO 56
Enter roundabout onto CO 56
Continue on CO 56
Turn right onto North 4th Street
Turn left onto Lake Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 31.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Dorothy Boulevard
Navigation decision point
At end of road, turn left onto Thornton Parkway
Navigation decision point
Turn right onto Washington Street
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 25 / North Valley Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork toward CO 56 West: Berthound
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Regular Gas
$6.23 one way
$12.45 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $6.57 | $13.14 |
| premium | $4.89 | $7.10 | $14.20 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $8.13 | $16.27 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.1 | 0 | $3.87 | $1.77 |
| Efficient EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.23 | $1.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.8 | 0 | $5.17 | $2.36 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Night in Thornton on Wednesday
Local time
10:41 PM
MDT
Current temp
87°F
Partly Sunny
Destination
Night in Berthoud on Wednesday
Local time
10:41 PM
MDT
Current temp
87°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
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.
36.9 mi in 44m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Dorothy Boulevard.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 36.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Dorothy Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Thornton Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Washington Street): Lane positioning matters here.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
Total Climb
436 ft
Total Descent
749 ft
Highest Point
5,371 ft
~2.6 mi in
Elevation Range
501 ft
Notable High Points
Founded 1956
Thornton is a city of about 144,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies northwest of Denver in Adams and Weld counties. It is a diverse community with a strong commitment to quality of life and environmental issues.
Berthoud is a city in the Front Range region of Colorado. Berthoud is a small town (less than 5000 residents) located just south of Loveland.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 36.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
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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