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Trip from Centennial, 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

35m

Distance

24.7 mi

40 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 33m ★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Centennial, CO, CO

Centennial, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Federal Heights, CO, CO

Federal Heights, CO

Mark Stebnicki

Trip Overview

The drive from Centennial, CO to Federal Heights, CO covers 24.7 miles and takes about 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on South Valley Highway, Pecos Street, Denver–Boulder Turnpike for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.3 miles on South Valley Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.72 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
South Valley Highway 20.3 mi 25m
Pecos Street 1.4 mi 3m
Denver–Boulder Turnpike 1 mi 1m
West 85th Avenue 0.4 mi 1m
East Dry Creek Road 0.3 mi <1m
East Panorama Circle 0.1 mi <1m
South Chester Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: South Valley Highway — 20.3 mi, about 25m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on this road

495 ft · 41 sec · this road
2

Turn left

118 ft · 10 sec
3

Turn right onto East Panorama Circle

0.1 mi · 23 sec · East Panorama Circle
4

Turn right onto South Chester Street

384 ft · 14 sec · South Chester Street
5

Turn right onto CR 46

0.3 mi · 46 sec · East Dry Creek Road
6

Turn left

0.3 mi · 34 sec
Toward I 25 North Use the left lane.
7

Merge onto I 25

20 mi · 25 min · South Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 51 sec
Exit 217A Toward US 36 West: Westminster, Boulder Use the slight left lane.
9

Merge onto US 36

1.0 mi · 1 min · Denver–Boulder Turnpike
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward Pecos Street Use the slight right lane.
11

Turn right onto Pecos Street

1.4 mi · 3 min · Pecos Street
Use the straight lane.
12

Turn right onto West 85th Avenue

0.4 mi · 1 min · West 85th Avenue
13

Arrive at destination

West 85th Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 11

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 22.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

8
0.6 mi into trip | ~2m in

Turn left toward I 25 North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward I 25 North
5
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 25 / South Valley Highway

Merge onto I 25 / South Valley Highway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21.1 mi into trip | ~28m in

Take the exit toward US 36 West: Westminster, Boulder

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left lane. Exit 217A Toward US 36 West: Westminster, Boulder
6
22.6 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward Pecos Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward Pecos Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.72 one way

$7.44 round trip

$3.83/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.05 $3.94 $7.88
premium $4.39 $4.27 $8.55
diesel $5.61 $5.45 $10.91

Estimated Tolls: $0.07

Denver–Boulder Turnpike (1 mi) $0.07

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$0

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.59 $1.19
Efficient EV 6.2 0 $2.16 $0.99
EV Truck/SUV 9.9 0 $3.46 $1.58

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (67% 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 18, 2026

Origin

Centennial, CO

Afternoon in Centennial on Saturday

Local time

12:54 PM

MDT

Current temp

21°F

Mostly Clear

W 7 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:58AM MDT until April 18 at 7:00PM MDT by NWS Goodland KS

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 18 at 1:05AM MDT until April 18 at 8:00AM MDT by NWS Goodland KS

Destination

Federal Heights, CO

Afternoon in Federal Heights on Saturday

Local time

12:54 PM

MDT

Current temp

25°F

Mostly Clear

W 8 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:58AM MDT until April 18 at 7:00PM MDT by NWS Goodland KS

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 18 at 1:05AM MDT until April 18 at 8:00AM MDT by NWS Goodland KS

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

4 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

35m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

24.7 mi in 35m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 20.3 mi on South Valley Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 24.7 miles you will encounter 11 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (I 25 / South Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Centennial, CO to Federal Heights, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Boulder along the way.

Boulder

21.1 mi in | ~28m

About the Cities

Starting in Centennial, CO

Full guide →

Centennial is a suburban city of about 106,000 in the Denver Metropolitan Area of the western U.S. state of Colorado. The city lies in Arapahoe County southeast of Denver.

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 35m. Total distance: 24.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

35m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 20.3 miles on South Valley Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.07 in tolls one way, starting with Denver–Boulder Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Federal Heights, CO before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (I 25 / South Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Federal Heights, CO before heading back.

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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