Origin
Westminster, CO
Late night in Westminster on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Westminster, CO to Nederland, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
58m
Distance
36.4 mi
59 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 53m
★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 1m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Westminster, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Nederland, CO
Job1505 De waal
Trip Overview
Westminster to Nederland is 36.4 miles and takes about 58 minutes via Denver–Boulder Turnpike, Boulder Canyon Drive, and Broadway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Colorado, moving from the Mountain West region to another part of the Mountain West. It's a straightforward drive that offers a quick transition from urban edges to mountain foothills. Consider this route for a swift escape to a more natural setting without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Denver–Boulder Turnpike | 16.7 mi | 19m |
| Boulder Canyon Drive | 15.2 mi | 27m |
| Broadway | 1.5 mi | 3m |
| Canyon Boulevard | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| West 80th Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Baseline Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Lowell Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Federal Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
— 16.7 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Westminster, CO and Nederland, CO.
1
Start on Newton Street
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
Newton Street
2
Turn right onto West 78th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
West 78th Avenue
3
At end of road, turn right onto North Turnpike Drive
106 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Turnpike Drive
4
Turn left onto Lowell Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
·
Lowell Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5
Turn right onto West 80th Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West 80th Avenue
6
Turn right onto US 287
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Federal Boulevard
Use the right lane.
7
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward US 36 West: Boulder
Use the right lane.
8
Merge onto US 36
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
9
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
10
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
15
Keep slight left at fork onto US 36
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
16
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward Baseline Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Turn left onto US 36 Spur
0.3 mi
·
47 sec
·
Baseline Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
18
Turn right onto CO 93
1.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Broadway
Use the straight lane.
19
Turn left onto CO 119
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Canyon Boulevard
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
20
Continue on CO 119
15 mi
·
27 min
·
Boulder Canyon Drive
Use the straight lane.
21
Enter roundabout onto CO 119; CO 72
121 ft
·
2 sec
·
North Bridge Street
22
Continue on CO 119; CO 72
409 ft
·
12 sec
·
North Bridge Street
23
Arrive at destination
CO 119; CO 72
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 36 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.2 miles from Westminster, CO, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 195 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Lowell Boulevard
Turn left onto Lowell Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 287 / Federal Boulevard
Turn right onto US 287 / Federal Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
5 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
6.9 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
9 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.48 one way
$10.97 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $5.81 | $11.61 |
| premium | $4.39 | $6.30 | $12.59 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.04 | $16.07 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.17
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
(16.7 mi)
$1.17
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.9 | 0 | $3.82 | $1.75 |
| Efficient EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.18 | $1.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.6 | 0 | $5.10 | $2.33 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Nederland, CO
Late night in Nederland on Sunday
Local time
1:56 AM
MDT
Current temp
37°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
9 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
58m 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 drive presents a mixed profile, with 46% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a longest uninterrupted stretch of 16.7 miles on the Denver–Boulder Turnpike, which is a more typical highway experience. As you transition to Boulder Canyon Drive and Broadway, the character of the road will likely shift, becoming more winding and potentially more scenic as you approach Nederland. Expect a variety of driving conditions, from open road to more involved mountain-style driving.
46% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
23 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 16.7 mi on Denver–Boulder Turnpike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Lowell Boulevard.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 19 decision points packed into just 36.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Lowell Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (US 287 / Federal Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 5 miles (US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Westminster, CO
Full guide →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.
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 58m. Total distance: 36.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
58m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (46%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 16.7 miles on Denver–Boulder Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.17 in tolls one way, starting with Denver–Boulder Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Nederland, 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 0.3 miles (Lowell Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (US 287 / Federal Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 5 miles (US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Rocky Mountain National Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Nederland, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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