Origin
Welby, CO
Late night in Welby on Tuesday
Local time
4:17 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Welby, CO to Centennial, 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
32m
Distance
23.1 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Welby, CO
Janusz Mitura
Centennial, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 23.1-mile drive from Welby to Centennial, Colorado, should take you about 32 minutes to complete. With no highway driving, it’s a straightforward local road journey. The estimated fuel cost is a low $3, making it an economical option for a quick trip. Given its brevity, this route is perfectly suited as a single-day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You'll be navigating primarily on North Valley Highway, East 70th Avenue, and North York Street as you travel within the Mountain West region.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 19.9 mi | 25m |
| East 70th Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| North York Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Dry Creek Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Panorama Circle | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Chester Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 19.9 mi, about 25m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Welby, CO and Centennial, CO.
1
Start on North York Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
North York Street
2
Turn right onto CO 224
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East 70th Avenue
3
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
48 sec
Toward I 25 south: Denver
Use the left lane.
4
Merge onto I 25; US 87
20 mi
·
25 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 196
Toward Dry Creek Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Turn right onto CR 46
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
East Dry Creek Road
7
Turn left onto South Chester Street
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Chester Street
Use the left lane.
8
Turn left onto East Panorama Circle
0.1 mi
·
39 sec
·
East Panorama Circle
9
Turn left
133 ft
·
11 sec
10
Turn right
472 ft
·
34 sec
11
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 1.9 and 22.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.9 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 25 south: Denver
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 25 south: Denver
5
2.4 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 25; US 87 / North Valley Highway
Merge onto I 25; US 87 / North Valley Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
22.2 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Take the exit toward Dry Creek Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 196
Toward Dry Creek Road
5
22.7 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
South Chester Street
Turn left onto South Chester Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
22.8 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
East Panorama Circle
Turn left onto East Panorama Circle
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.48 one way
$6.96 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.69 | $7.37 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.00 | $7.99 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.10 | $10.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.43 | $1.11 |
| Efficient EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.23 | $1.48 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Centennial, CO
Late night in Centennial on Tuesday
Local time
4:17 AM
MDT
Current temp
58°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
22 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
32m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with a 0% highway share. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 19.9 miles along North Valley Highway. This means you'll be making frequent turns and navigating through local traffic for much of the journey. The road character is consistent, offering a steady experience without significant changes in speed or road type as you progress from Welby to Centennial.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.9 mi on North Valley 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 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 1.9 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 23.1 miles you will encounter 8 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 1.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (I 25; US 87 / North Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Centennial, CO
Full guide →Founded 2001
Centennial is a suburban city of about 106,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies in Arapahoe County southeast of Denver.
Top landmarks
- • Seventeen Mile House — historic site in Centennial, 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 32m. Total distance: 23.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19.9 miles on North Valley 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (I 25; US 87 / North Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Centennial, 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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