Origin
Des Moines, IA
Late night in Des Moines on Saturday
Local time
3:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Moines, IA to Madrid, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
26.6 mi
43 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 43m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Moines, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Madrid, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Des Moines, IA to Madrid, IA covers 26.6 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Northwest Madrid Drive, Northwest Polk City Drive, Northwest 2nd Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.5 miles on Northwest Madrid Drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.16 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 42m. Total distance: 26.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (1%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 42m drive with frequent turns across 26.6 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.
Northwest Madrid Drive is the longest continuous segment at about 6.5 miles.
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. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near 2nd Avenue.
Driving Effort
2/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Des Moines, IA to Madrid, IA is easy. At 42m with 1% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (2nd Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 16.1 miles (West Broadway Street): Navigation decision point; at 24.3 miles (IA 17 / Y Avenue): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
4 of 4 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
2nd Avenue
Turn right onto 2nd Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
16.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
West Broadway Street
Turn left onto West Broadway Street
Navigation decision point
4
24.3 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
IA 17 / Y Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto IA 17 / Y Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
26.2 mi into trip
|
~42m in
|
IA 210 / East 1st Street
Turn left onto IA 210 / East 1st Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Madrid Drive | 6.5 mi | 9m |
| Northwest Polk City Drive | 4.3 mi | 6m |
| Northwest 2nd Street | 3.6 mi | 5m |
| 2nd Avenue | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| West Broadway Street | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Northwest 35th Street | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Southwest Oralabor Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Southwest State Street | 1 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Northwest Madrid Drive
— 6.5 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Moines, IA and Madrid, IA.
1
Start on East University Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East University Avenue
2
Turn right onto 2nd Avenue
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
2nd Avenue
3
Continue on IA 415
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Northwest 2nd Street
4
Continue on IA 415
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Southwest State Street
5
Turn left onto IA 415
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Southwest Oralabor Road
6
Continue on IA 415
0.5 mi
·
44 sec
·
Northwest 78th Avenue
7
Continue on IA 415
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Northwest 35th Street
8
Continue on IA 415
4.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Northwest Polk City Drive
9
Continue on South 3rd Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
South 3rd Street
10
Turn left onto West Broadway Street
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
West Broadway Street
11
Continue on Northwest Madrid Drive
6.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Northwest Madrid Drive
12
At end of road, turn right onto IA 17
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Y Avenue
13
Continue on IA 17
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
State Highway 17
14
Continue on IA 17
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South Kennedy Avenue
15
Turn left onto IA 210
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
·
East 1st Street
16
Arrive at destination
IA 210
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.16 one way
$8.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.57 | $9.13 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.12 | $10.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.87 | $11.75 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.3 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 | 8 | 0 | $2.79 | $1.28 |
| Efficient EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.33 | $1.06 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.6 | 0 | $3.72 | $1.70 |
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.
Destination
Madrid, IA
Late night in Madrid on Saturday
Local time
3:01 AM
CDT
Current temp
73°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
21 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
42m 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 Des Moines, IA to Madrid, IA covers 26.6 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Northwest Madrid Drive, Northwest Polk City Drive, Northwest 2nd Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.3 miles from Des Moines, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.16 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 Des Moines, IA to Madrid, IA is easy. At 42m with 1% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (2nd Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 16.1 miles (West Broadway Street): Navigation decision point; at 24.3 miles (IA 17 / Y Avenue): Navigation decision point.
The route from Des Moines, IA to Madrid, 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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