Origin
Arvada, CO
Late night in Arvada on Friday
Local time
5:25 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arvada, CO to Derby, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
10.4 mi
17 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arvada, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Derby, CO
@coldbeer
Trip Overview
This short, 10.4-mile drive from Arvada, CO to Derby, CO is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 17 minutes to complete. You'll primarily navigate via the Heartland Expressway, Ralston Road, and East 74th Avenue. With a modest fuel cost of around $2, this route is quite budget-friendly. The drive is classified as a 'Mixed drive,' suggesting a blend of different road types. Since it's a brief journey within the Mountain West region, you won't need an overnight stay, allowing for plenty of flexibility in your day.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 10.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (58%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
Expect a mixed driving experience on this route, with 58% of the journey on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6 miles on the Heartland Expressway. As you progress, the road character will likely shift from faster highway segments to potentially more local or urban road conditions as you approach Derby. This blend means you'll experience varying speeds and traffic patterns throughout the short 17-minute trip.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Heartland Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 0.1 miles in near Allison Street.
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 12 decision points packed into just 10.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Allison Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 12 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Allison Street
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Ralston Road
Turn left onto Ralston Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
7
2.2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Turn left toward I 76 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 76 East
7
8.6 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward CO 224
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 8
Toward CO 224
9
8.8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CO 224: Commerce City, 74th Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward CO 224: Commerce City, 74th Avenue
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Expressway | 6 mi | 6m |
| Ralston Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| East 74th Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| North Vasquez Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Kimberly Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Sheridan Boulevard | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East 77th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Allison Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Heartland Expressway
— 6 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arvada, CO and Derby, CO.
1
Start on this road
41 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Ammons Street
58 ft
·
7 sec
·
Ammons Street
3
Turn left
313 ft
·
25 sec
4
At end of road, turn right onto Allison Street
172 ft
·
13 sec
·
Allison Street
5
Turn left onto Ralston Road
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Ralston Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
6
Turn right onto CO 95
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
Sheridan Boulevard
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
Toward I 76 East
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto I 76
6.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 8
Toward CO 224
Use the slight right lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
Toward CO 224: Commerce City, 74th Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn straight onto CO 224
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East 74th Avenue
12
At end of road, turn left onto US 6; US 85
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
North Vasquez Boulevard
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto East 77th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
East 77th Avenue
Use the right lane.
14
Turn left onto Kimberly Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Kimberly Street
15
Arrive at destination
Kimberly Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.57 one way
$3.13 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $1.66 | $3.32 |
| premium | $4.39 | $1.80 | $3.60 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.30 | $4.59 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| Efficient EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.46 | $0.67 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Derby, CO
Late night in Derby on Friday
Local time
5:25 AM
MDT
Current temp
79°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
33 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
17m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Arvada, CO to Derby, CO covers 10.4 miles and takes about 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Heartland Expressway, Ralston Road, East 74th Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.2 miles from Arvada, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.57 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 short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 10.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Allison Street): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.1 miles (Ralston Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Arvada, CO to Derby, CO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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