Origin
Welby, CO
Late night in Welby on Tuesday
Local time
4:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
36°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Welby, CO to Lakewood, 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
23m
Distance
14.8 mi
24 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Welby, CO
Janusz Mitura
Lakewood, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 14.8-mile drive from Welby to Lakewood, Colorado, will take approximately 23 minutes, making it an ideal day trip. The route utilizes a mix of major roads, including North Valley Highway and West 6th Avenue Freeway, with North Wadsworth Boulevard also playing a role. With a modest estimated fuel cost of $2, this journey is budget-friendly. As both the origin and destination are within the Mountain West region, you won't experience a change in regional scenery. This is a practical, straightforward drive suitable for a quick transit between Denver-area communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 6.8 mi | 9m |
| West 6th Avenue Freeway | 2.5 mi | 3m |
| North Wadsworth Boulevard | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| East 70th Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| US 6 | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| North York Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 6.8 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Welby, CO and Lakewood, 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
6.8 mi
·
9 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit onto US 6
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
US 6
Exit 209B
Toward US 6 West: 6th Avenue, Lakewood
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto US 6
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
·
US 6
Toward US 6
7
Merge onto US 6
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
West 6th Avenue Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward CO 121 South: Wadsworth Boulevard
Use the right lane.
9
Turn straight onto CO 121
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
North Wadsworth Boulevard
10
Continue on CO 121
369 ft
·
15 sec
·
South Wadsworth Boulevard
Use the left lane.
11
Arrive at destination
CO 121
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 1.9 and 13 — 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.
8
9.2 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
US 6
Take the exit onto US 6 toward US 6 West: 6th Avenue, Lakewood
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 209B
Toward US 6 West: 6th Avenue, Lakewood
5
10.4 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
US 6
Keep slight left at fork onto US 6 toward US 6
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward US 6
6
13 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward CO 121 South: Wadsworth Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward CO 121 South: Wadsworth Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.23 one way
$4.46 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $2.36 | $4.72 |
| premium | $4.39 | $2.56 | $5.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.27 | $6.54 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.55 | $0.71 |
| Efficient EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.59 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Lakewood, CO
Late night in Lakewood on Tuesday
Local time
4:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
34°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
2 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
23m 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 rather than an open highway experience, with only 26% of the journey on highways. Your longest uninterrupted stretch will be 6.8 miles along North Valley Highway. The drive begins with a local feel and transitions through various arterial roads, requiring your attention for frequent turns and traffic. This isn't a route for cruising; it's more about navigating through urban and suburban landscapes with a steady pace.
Only 26% 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: 6.8 mi on North Valley Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 around 1.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 7 decision points packed into just 14.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
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 9.2 miles (US 6): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Arriving in Lakewood, CO
Full guide →Lakewood is a city of about 160,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies in Jefferson County, immediately west of Denver and east of the Front Range foothills.
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 23m. Total distance: 14.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.8 miles on North Valley Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Lakewood, CO before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
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 9.2 miles (US 6): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lakewood, 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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