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Trip from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

30m

Distance

22 mi

35 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 28m ★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in and county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States

Boulder, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Federal Heights, CO, CO

Federal Heights, CO

Mark Stebnicki

Trip Overview

The drive from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO covers 22 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on 19th Street, Arapahoe Avenue, 28th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.31 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 22 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

30m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 30m drive with frequent turns across 22 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
19th Street is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO is easy. At 30m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
19th Street
Arapahoe Avenue
28th Street
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Pecos Street
West 85th Avenue

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: 19th Street — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Boulder, CO and Federal Heights, CO.

1

Start on the route

89 ft · 7 sec · the route
2

Turn right onto 19th Street

144 ft · 14 sec · 19th Street
3

Turn left onto Arapahoe Avenue

0.6 mi · 1 min · Arapahoe Avenue
4

Turn right onto 28th Street

0.8 mi · 1 min · 28th Street
5

Turn straight onto Denver–Boulder Turnpike

3.4 mi · 4 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
6

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

1.7 mi · 1 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
7

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

2.6 mi · 3 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
8

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

2.4 mi · 2 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
9

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

2.2 mi · 2 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
10

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

1.9 mi · 2 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
11

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

2.5 mi · 2 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
12

Keep slight right to continue on Denver–Boulder Turnpike

1.8 mi · 2 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
13

Take the exit slight right toward Pecos Street

0.3 mi · 42 sec · Pecos Street
14

Turn left onto Pecos Street

1.5 mi · 3 min · Pecos Street
15

Turn right onto West 85th Avenue

0.4 mi · 1 min · West 85th Avenue
16

Arrive at your destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.31 one way

$6.63 round trip

$3.83/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.05 $3.51 $7.02
premium $4.39 $3.81 $7.61
diesel $5.61 $4.86 $9.71

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.6 0 $2.31 $1.06
Efficient EV 5.5 0 $1.92 $0.88
EV Truck/SUV 8.8 0 $3.08 $1.41

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Boulder, CO

Late night in Boulder on Saturday

Local time

3:20 AM

MDT

Current temp

72°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Federal Heights, CO

Late night in Federal Heights on Saturday

Local time

3:20 AM

MDT

Current temp

50°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

22 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

30m 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 Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO covers 22 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are 19th Street, Arapahoe Avenue, 28th Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 11 miles from Boulder, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.31 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.

The drive from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO is easy. At 30m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Boulder, CO to Federal Heights, CO 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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