Origin
Westminster, CO
Evening in Westminster on Saturday
Local time
5:21 PM
MDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Westminster, CO to Castlewood, CO
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
22.2 mi
36 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Westminster, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Castlewood, CO
Liudmyla Shalimova
Trip Overview
Westminster to Castlewood is 22.2 miles and takes about 36m via North Valley Highway, Federal Boulevard, and South Uinta Street, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Colorado, connecting two points in the Mountain West region. It's a straightforward drive primarily on surface roads, making it easy to navigate. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick errand, a short commute, or an extension to another local activity.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 13.7 mi | 17m |
| Federal Boulevard | 4.6 mi | 9m |
| South Uinta Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| Lowell Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North Speer Boulevard | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West 72nd Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| East Arapahoe Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| East Fremont Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 13.7 mi, about 17m
Traffic on I-25
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
7 AM
~7,699 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~544 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
14.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 88 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Westminster, CO and Castlewood, CO.
1
Start on Newton Street
114 ft
·
11 sec
·
Newton Street
2
Turn left onto West 77th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
West 77th Avenue
3
At end of road, turn right onto Lowell Boulevard
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Lowell Boulevard
4
Turn left onto West 72nd Avenue
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
West 72nd Avenue
5
Turn right onto US 287
4.6 mi
·
9 min
·
Federal Boulevard
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto North Speer Boulevard
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Speer Boulevard
Use the left lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward I 25 South: Colorado Springs
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto I 25
14 mi
·
17 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit onto CO 88
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
CO 88
Exit 197
Toward CO 88: Arapahoe Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn right onto CR 42
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
East Arapahoe Road
11
Turn left onto South Uinta Street
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
South Uinta Street
Use the left lane.
12
At end of road, turn right onto South Tamarac Court
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
South Tamarac Court
13
Turn right onto East Fremont Avenue
0.2 mi
·
56 sec
·
East Fremont Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
East Fremont Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.5 — 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
|
West 77th Avenue
Turn left onto West 77th Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Lowell Boulevard
At end of road, turn right onto Lowell Boulevard
Navigation decision point
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 287 / Federal Boulevard
Turn right onto US 287 / Federal Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
5.9 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
North Speer Boulevard
Turn left onto North Speer Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
20.5 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
CO 88
Take the exit onto CO 88 toward CO 88: Arapahoe Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 197
Toward CO 88: Arapahoe Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.75 one way
$7.49 round trip
$4.29/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $3.95 | $7.91 |
| premium | $4.89 | $4.27 | $8.54 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $4.89 | $9.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.33 | $1.07 |
| Efficient EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.94 | $0.89 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.11 | $1.42 |
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
Castlewood, CO
Evening in Castlewood on Saturday
Local time
5:21 PM
MDT
Current temp
63°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 warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
36m 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 is almost entirely on surface roads, with a highway share of 100%. You'll encounter the longest continuous stretch of driving on North Valley Highway for 13.7 miles. Expect to navigate through developed areas with frequent intersections and potential traffic, as indicated by the profile of mostly surface roads.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.7 mi on North Valley Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near West 77th Avenue.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 22.2 miles you will encounter 11 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: near the start (West 77th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lowell Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 1.3 miles (US 287 / Federal Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
5,750 ft
5,202 ft
Total Climb
703 ft
Total Descent
357 ft
Highest Point
5,750 ft
~20.6 mi in
Elevation Range
548 ft
Notable High Points
5,377 ft at ~4.7 miles
+99 ft prominence
5,750 ft at ~20.6 miles
+24 ft prominence
About the Cities
Starting in Westminster, CO
Full guide →Founded 1859
Westminster is a city of about 115,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies northwest of Denver in Adams and Jefferson counties.
Top landmarks
- • Bowles House — listed on the NRHP in Colorado
Arriving in Castlewood, CO
Full guide →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 36m. Total distance: 22.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m 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 13.7 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 Castlewood, 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: near the start (West 77th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lowell Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 1.3 miles (US 287 / Federal Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Castlewood, 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, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Castlewood, CO
More trips to Castlewood, CO
Explore more options from Westminster, CO or browse trips ending in Castlewood, CO.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CO road trips.