Origin
West Fargo, ND
Late night in West Fargo on Sunday
Local time
3:12 AM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from West Fargo, ND to Valley City, ND
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
54m
Distance
53.9 mi
87 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 50m
★
6 AM
0h 54m
8 AM
1h 3m
10 AM
0h 58m
12 PM
0h 57m
3 PM
0h 58m
5 PM
1h 3m
8 PM
0h 52m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
West Fargo, ND
cole peters
Valley City, ND
Isabelli Pontes
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick excursion across the North Dakota plains, the 53.7-mile trek from West Fargo to Valley City is an efficient option. You can expect to reach your destination in about 48 minutes, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. With a fuel budget of just $8, it is a very economical way to move between these two Great Plains hubs. You will primarily navigate via 1st Street, Main Avenue West, and I-94 to complete the journey. Since the entire route remains within the same region, you will experience a consistent landscape throughout the drive. It is a straightforward trip that fits easily into a morning or afternoon schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 94 | 49 mi | 46m |
| I 94 Business | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Main Avenue West | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| 1st Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| 2nd Avenue West | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
I 94
— 49 mi, about 46m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between West Fargo, ND and Valley City, ND.
1
Start on 2nd Avenue West
126 ft
·
11 sec
·
2nd Avenue West
2
Turn left onto 1st Street
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
1st Street
3
Turn left onto I 94 Business; US 10
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Avenue West
4
Keep slight right at fork onto I 94 Business
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
I 94 Business
5
Merge onto I 94; US 52
49 mi
·
46 min
·
I 94; US 52
6
Take the exit onto I 94 Business
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
I 94 Business
Exit 294
Toward I 94 BUS: Valley City
7
Turn right onto I 94 Business
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
I 94 Business
8
Arrive at destination
I 94 Business
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 51.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
1st Street
Turn left onto 1st Street
Navigation decision point
4
2.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
I 94 Business
Keep slight right at fork onto I 94 Business
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
3
2.7 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 94; US 52
Merge onto I 94; US 52
Merge point - match speed before joining
5
51.7 mi into trip
|
~51m in
|
I 94 Business
Take the exit onto I 94 Business toward I 94 BUS: Valley City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 294
Toward I 94 BUS: Valley City
3
51.9 mi into trip
|
~51m in
|
I 94 Business
Turn right onto I 94 Business
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.43 one way
$16.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $9.25 | $18.50 |
| premium | $4.89 | $10.37 | $20.75 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.90 | $23.80 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16.2 | 0 | $5.66 | $2.59 |
| Efficient EV | 13.5 | 0 | $4.72 | $2.16 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.6 | 0 | $7.55 | $3.45 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% 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
Valley City, ND
Late night in Valley City on Sunday
Local time
3:12 AM
CDT
Current temp
64°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
54m 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?
This route functions as a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate haul. You will spend your time navigating through local transitions, as the highway share for this specific path is 0%. Because there is no extended highway stretch, you should prepare for a more engaged driving experience on surface streets. Expect to transition through various local road segments, as there is no single uninterrupted stretch longer than the initial drive on 1st Street. The lack of high-speed highway miles means your pace will be dictated by local traffic patterns and turns along the way.
96% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 49 mi on I 94.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 94 and I 94 Business. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 1st Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 54m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (I 94 Business): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 2.7 miles (I 94; US 52): Merge point - match speed before joining.
About the Cities
Starting in West Fargo, ND
Full guide →West Fargo is a suburb in the Fargo/Moorhead metropolitan area. The city features a multitude of shopping and dining opportunities, as well as a number of lodging options. West Fargo's population exploded from fewer than 15,000 to more than 20,000 between 1990 and 2000, and continues to increase rapidly as Fargo and Moorhead to drive the growth of the entire metropolitan area.
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 54m. Total distance: 53.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
54m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (96%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 49 miles on I 94. 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.
Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through ND can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (1st Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.1 miles (I 94 Business): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 2.7 miles (I 94; US 52): Merge point - match speed before joining.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Valley City, ND 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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