Origin
Curlew, IA
Morning in Curlew on Saturday
Local time
10:43 AM
CDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Curlew, IA to Mallard, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
11m
Distance
6.5 mi
11 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 10m
★
6 AM
0h 11m
8 AM
0h 13m
10 AM
0h 12m
12 PM
0h 12m
3 PM
0h 12m
5 PM
0h 13m
8 PM
0h 11m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Curlew, IA
patrice schoefolt
Mallard, IA
Veronika Andrews
Trip Overview
Curlew, IA to Mallard, IA is 6.5 miles and takes about 11 minutes via 460th Street/460th Avenue/430th Avenue, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within the Midwest, specifically Iowa, making it a very straightforward and quick journey. You'll be navigating local roads for the entire duration, so don't expect any highway driving. It's the kind of trip you might take to visit a nearby town or connect to another route, and it's certainly manageable in a single day. Plan for a simple drive with minimal time commitment.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
This 6.5-mile drive is an absolute breeze for a same-day round trip, taking just about 11 minutes each way. You'll have plenty of time for whatever else your weekend holds.
Family Friendly
With a drive this short (6.5 miles, 11 minutes), it's perfect for families with young kids. The turn-heavy nature is manageable for a quick local hop.
Solo Traveler
At a mere 6.5 miles and 11 minutes, this route is trivially short for a solo traveler. You'll barely break a sweat, let alone need a break.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
This 6.5-mile route is practically a practice drive! The 11-minute duration and local road focus make it ideal for getting comfortable behind the wheel.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
This drive is characterized by frequent turns, as indicated by its 'Turn-heavy local drive' profile. With 0% highway share, you'll be on smaller county roads for the entire 6.5 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is about 3 miles on 460th Street. Expect a local road experience throughout, with the route weaving through agricultural areas or smaller communities. The changes in road names like 460th Street, 460th Avenue, and 430th Avenue mark the progression of this journey.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
460th Street is the longest continuous segment at about 3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 430th Avenue.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 11m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (430th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (460th Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.3 miles (IA 4 / 460th Avenue): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
430th Avenue
Turn left onto 430th Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
460th Street
Turn right onto 460th Street
Navigation decision point
3
3.3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
IA 4 / 460th Avenue
Turn right onto IA 4 / 460th Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
6.3 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
Inman Avenue
Turn right onto Inman Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
6.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
South East Street
Turn left onto South East Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 460th Street | 3 mi | 5m |
| 460th Avenue | 3 mi | 4m |
| 430th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Inman Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South East Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
460th Street
— 3 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Curlew, IA and Mallard, IA.
1
Start on this road
161 ft
·
17 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto 430th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
430th Avenue
3
Turn right onto 460th Street
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
460th Street
4
Turn right onto IA 4
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
460th Avenue
5
Turn right onto Inman Avenue
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Inman Avenue
6
Turn left onto South East Street
515 ft
·
22 sec
·
South East Street
7
Arrive at destination
South East Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.02 one way
$2.03 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $1.12 | $2.23 |
| premium | $4.89 | $1.25 | $2.50 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.44 | $2.87 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2 | 0 | $0.68 | $0.31 |
| Efficient EV | 1.6 | 0 | $0.57 | $0.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Mallard, IA
Morning in Mallard on Saturday
Local time
10:43 AM
CDT
Current temp
47°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
11m 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 Curlew, IA to Mallard, IA covers 6.5 miles and takes about 11m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are 460th Street, 460th Avenue, 430th Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.3 miles from Curlew, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.02 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 straightforward 11m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (430th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (460th Street): Navigation decision point; at 3.3 miles (IA 4 / 460th Avenue): Navigation decision point.
The route from Curlew, IA to Mallard, IA 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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