Origin
Broomfield, CO
Afternoon in Broomfield on Friday
Local time
12:58 PM
MDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
43m
Distance
31.5 mi
51 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 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.
Broomfield, CO
Owen.outdoors
Centennial, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO covers 31.5 miles and takes about 43m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Valley Highway, Denver–Boulder Turnpike, CO 121 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19.9 miles on North Valley Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.75 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 43m. Total distance: 31.5 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 (30%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile.
Drive Character
The drive from Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO covers 31.5 miles and takes about 43m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 22 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Valley Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 19.9 miles.
Elevation Profile
High-altitude sections with notable climbs
5,831 ft
5,168 ft
Total Climb
727 ft
Total Descent
286 ft
Highest Point
5,831 ft
~31.5 mi in
Elevation Range
663 ft
Notable High Points
5,453 ft at ~6.7 miles
+53 ft prominence
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 early in the drive near West 3rd Avenue.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 18 decision points packed into just 31.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 3rd Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 18 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
West 3rd Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto West 3rd Avenue
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CO 121 South
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward CO 121 South
7
1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Turn left toward US 36 East: Denver
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward US 36 East: Denver
8
8.9 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36 / Denver–Boulder Turnpike toward I 25: Denver, Fort Collins
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 25: Denver, Fort Collins
7
30.7 mi into trip
|
~40m in
Take the exit toward Dry Creek Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 196
Toward Dry Creek Road
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Collins along the way.
Fort Collins
8.9 mi in
|
~12m
|
via US 36
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 19.9 mi | 25m |
| Denver–Boulder Turnpike | 8.7 mi | 10m |
| CO 121 | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| I 25 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| East Dry Creek Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Nickel Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Panorama Circle | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Chester Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 19.9 mi, about 25m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Broomfield, CO and Centennial, CO.
1
Start on this road
192 ft
·
16 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right onto West 3rd Avenue
273 ft
·
19 sec
·
West 3rd Avenue
3
Turn left onto Nickel Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Nickel Street
4
Turn right onto US 287
140 ft
·
3 sec
·
US 287
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
Toward CO 121 South
6
Turn straight onto CO 121
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
CO 121
7
Turn left
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
Toward US 36 East: Denver
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto US 36
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
9
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
10
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
11
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight right at fork onto US 36
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
Toward I 25: Denver, Fort Collins
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 25 south: Denver
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Continue on I 25
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
I 25
Toward I 25 south: Denver
15
Merge onto I 25; US 87
20 mi
·
25 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 196
Toward Dry Creek Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Turn right onto CR 46
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
East Dry Creek Road
18
Turn left onto South Chester Street
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Chester Street
Use the left lane.
19
Turn left onto East Panorama Circle
0.1 mi
·
39 sec
·
East Panorama Circle
20
Turn left
133 ft
·
11 sec
21
Turn right
472 ft
·
34 sec
22
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.75 one way
$9.49 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $5.03 | $10.05 |
| premium | $4.39 | $5.45 | $10.90 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.95 | $13.91 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.61
Denver–Boulder Turnpike
(8.7 mi)
$0.61
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
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.31 | $1.51 |
| Efficient EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.41 | $2.02 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Centennial, CO
Afternoon in Centennial on Friday
Local time
12:58 PM
MDT
Current temp
77°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
2 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
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 Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO covers 31.5 miles and takes about 43m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Valley Highway, Denver–Boulder Turnpike, CO 121. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.7 miles from Broomfield, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.75 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 18 decision points packed into just 31.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 43m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (West 3rd Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 1 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Broomfield, CO to Centennial, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Collins along the way.
High-altitude sections with notable climbs. The route ranges from 5,168 ft to 5,831 ft elevation with about 727 ft of total climbing. There is 1 notable high point along the way.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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