Origin
Welby, CO
Morning in Welby on Tuesday
Local time
7:23 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Welby, CO to Arvada, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
9.8 mi
16 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 14m
★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 16m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 14m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Welby, CO
Janusz Mitura
Arvada, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 9.8-mile drive from Welby to Arvada in Colorado's Mountain West region takes about 15 minutes. With a fuel cost estimated at just $1, it's an incredibly budget-friendly trip. It functions perfectly as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. The route primarily uses Heartland Expressway, Ralston Road, and East 74th Avenue, offering a mixed driving experience. Consider this a straightforward, quick hop between two points in the Denver metro area.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Expressway | 5.8 mi | 6m |
| Ralston Road | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| East 74th Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North York Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Sheridan Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Ammons Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Heartland Expressway
— 5.8 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Welby, CO and Arvada, CO.
1
Start on North York Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North York Street
2
Turn left onto CO 224
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East 74th Avenue
3
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Toward I 76 West: Denver
4
Merge onto I 76
5.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 1B
Toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn right onto CO 95
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
Sheridan Boulevard
7
Turn left onto Ralston Road
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Ralston Road
Use the left lane.
8
Turn right onto Ammons Street
227 ft
·
13 sec
·
Ammons Street
9
Turn left
41 ft
·
3 sec
10
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 9.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 76 / Heartland Expressway
Merge onto I 76 / Heartland Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
7.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the exit toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 1B
Toward CO 95: Sheridan Boulevard
5
7.8 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
Ralston Road
Turn left onto Ralston Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
9.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
Ammons Street
Turn right onto Ammons Street
Navigation decision point
5
9.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.48 one way
$2.95 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $1.56 | $3.13 |
| premium | $4.39 | $1.70 | $3.39 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.16 | $4.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.03 | $0.47 |
| Efficient EV | 2.5 | 0 | $0.86 | $0.39 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.63 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
Arvada, CO
Morning in Arvada on Tuesday
Local time
7:23 AM
MDT
Current temp
35°F
Unavailable
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
1 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
15m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
The drive is characterized as a "Mixed drive," with 59% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a 5.8-mile stretch on the Heartland Expressway, which forms the longest uninterrupted segment. As you transition from the expressway to Ralston Road and East 74th Avenue, expect the road conditions to change, likely involving more local traffic and intersections. This route offers a blend of faster highway travel and more typical urban road navigation, keeping you engaged without being overly demanding.
59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.8 mi on Heartland Expressway.
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 1.6 miles in near I 76 / Heartland Expressway.
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 15m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (I 76 / Heartland Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Arvada, CO
Full guide →Founded 1859
Arvada is a city of about 125,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the U.S. state of Colorado. A former farming community in Jefferson and Adams counties, the city is now a residential suburb of Denver. Olde Town Arvada lies 7 miles (11 km) northwest of the Colorado State Capitol and 9 miles (14 km) east of the Front Range foothills.
Top landmarks
- • Arvada Flour Mill — historic mill in Arvada, Colorado, USA
- • Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities — art center in Arvada, Colorado
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 15m. Total distance: 9.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (59%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 5.8 miles on Heartland Expressway. 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 1.6 miles (I 76 / Heartland Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 7.8 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Arvada, CO 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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