Origin
Adel, IA
Morning in Adel on Saturday
Local time
11:23 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Adel, IA to Ankeny, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
43m
Distance
29.5 mi
47 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 46m
12 PM
0h 45m
3 PM
0h 46m
5 PM
0h 50m
8 PM
0h 41m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Adel, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Ankeny, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Adel to Ankeny is 29.5 miles and takes about 43 minutes via 290th Street and I 80, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within Iowa, moving from the Midwest region to another part of the Midwest. You'll find the drive is a mixed bag, offering a blend of highway speeds and more local road conditions. It's a straightforward trip, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without a major commitment of time or resources.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 43m. Total distance: 29.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
43m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (33%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile.
Drive Character
This route offers a mixed drive experience, with about 33% of the journey on highways. You'll encounter stretches on 290th Street, including one segment that runs for 11.9 miles without interruption. The character of the drive shifts as you transition from local roads to the interstate, offering a brief taste of both faster travel and more community-level routes. Expect a varied pavement feel and changing speed limits as you make your way north.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
290th Street is the longest continuous segment at about 11.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 6 / Greene Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 43m drive. You will face about 7 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 (US 6 / Greene Street): Navigation decision point; at 12.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.9 miles (I 80; I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 6 / Greene Street
Turn left onto US 6 / Greene Street
Navigation decision point
8
12.6 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Turn left toward I-35 north, I-80 east
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I-35 north, I-80 east
5
12.9 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
I 80; I 35
Merge onto I 80; I 35
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
22.6 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward IA 415: Polk City
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 135
Toward IA 415: Polk City
4
28.2 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
Southwest Ordnance Road
Turn right onto Southwest Ordnance Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 290th Street | 11.9 mi | 17m |
| I 80 | 9.8 mi | 11m |
| Northwest 2nd Street | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Southwest State Street | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Southwest Ordnance Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Greene Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Southwest Walnut Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Southwest 3rd Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
290th Street
— 11.9 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Adel, IA and Ankeny, IA.
1
Start on US 169
16 ft
·
7 sec
·
Nile Kinnick Drive South
2
Turn left onto US 6
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Greene Street
3
Continue on US 6
12 mi
·
17 min
·
290th Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Toward I-35 north, I-80 east
Use the left lane.
5
Merge onto I 80; I 35
9.8 mi
·
11 min
·
I 80; I 35
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
Exit 135
Toward IA 415: Polk City
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn left onto IA 415
2.8 mi
·
4 min
·
Northwest 2nd Street
8
Continue on IA 415
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Southwest State Street
9
Turn right onto Southwest Ordnance Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Southwest Ordnance Road
10
Turn left onto Southwest Walnut Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Southwest Walnut Street
11
Turn right onto Southwest 3rd Street
48 ft
·
2 sec
·
Southwest 3rd Street
12
Arrive at destination
Southwest 3rd Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.61 one way
$9.22 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.06 | $10.13 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.68 | $11.35 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.51 | $13.03 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.10 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.58 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.13 | $1.89 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Ankeny, IA
Morning in Ankeny on Saturday
Local time
11:23 AM
CDT
Current temp
53°F
Sunny
WNW 13 to 21 mph
1% chance
Live forecast
Red Flag Warning
Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:33AM CDT until April 18 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Omaha/Valley NE
Flood Watch
Flood Watch issued April 17 at 10:38PM CDT until April 24 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL
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
43m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Adel, IA to Ankeny, IA covers 29.5 miles and takes about 43m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are 290th Street, I 80, Northwest 2nd Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.7 miles from Adel, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.61 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 43m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (US 6 / Greene Street): Navigation decision point; at 12.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.9 miles (I 80; I 35): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Adel, IA to Ankeny, IA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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