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Trip from Boulder, CO to Frederick, CO

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

Drive Time

38m

Distance

22.1 mi

36 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 10 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m

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

town in Weld County, Colorado, United States

Frederick, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Boulder, CO to Frederick, CO covers 22.1 miles and takes about 38m 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, Foothills Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.33 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 22.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m 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 38m drive with frequent turns across 22.1 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 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 Frederick, CO is easy. At 38m 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 Frederick, CO is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
19th Street
Arapahoe Avenue
Foothills Parkway
Diagonal Highway
Mineral Road
Colorado Boulevard
5th Street

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 Frederick, 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

1.6 mi · 3 min · Arapahoe Avenue
4

Turn left onto Foothills Parkway

2.5 mi · 3 min · Foothills Parkway
5

Continue on Diagonal Highway

3.7 mi · 5 min · Diagonal Highway
6

Turn right onto Mineral Road

13 mi · 22 min · Mineral Road
7

Turn left onto Colorado Boulevard

0.2 mi · 28 sec · Colorado Boulevard
8

Enter the roundabout and take exit 1 toward Colorado Boulevard

197 ft · 4 sec · Colorado Boulevard
9

Exit the roundabout onto Colorado Boulevard

0.5 mi · 51 sec · Colorado Boulevard
10

Enter the roundabout and take exit 1 toward 5th Street

16 ft · 1 sec · 5th Street
11

Exit the roundabout onto 5th Street

0.2 mi · 1 min · 5th Street
12

Turn left

89 ft · 8 sec
13

Turn right

108 ft · 10 sec
14

At the end of the road, turn right

46 ft · 3 sec
15

Arrive at your destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.33 one way

$6.66 round trip

$3.83/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.05 $3.53 $7.05
premium $4.39 $3.82 $7.65
diesel $5.61 $4.88 $9.76

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 $2.32 $1.06
Efficient EV 5.5 0 $1.93 $0.88
EV Truck/SUV 8.8 0 $3.09 $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

3:25 AM

MDT

Current temp

72°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Frederick, CO

Late night in Frederick on Saturday

Local time

3:25 AM

MDT

Current temp

46°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

26 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

38m 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 Frederick, CO covers 22.1 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

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

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 11.1 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 $3.33 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 Frederick, CO is easy. At 38m 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 Frederick, CO is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Boulder, CO to Frederick, 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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