Origin
Des Moines, IA
Morning in Des Moines on Saturday
Local time
7:32 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
20 mi
32 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 31m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 36m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Des Moines, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Prairie City, IA
Charles Criscuolo
Trip Overview
The drive from Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA covers 20 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East University Avenue, Northeast University Avenue, State Highway 163 (Bus) for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.9 miles on East University Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.13 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 20 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (7%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 30m drive with frequent turns across 20 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East University Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 15.9 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 around 0.1 miles in near East University 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 30m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East University Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.7 miles (West 116th Street South): Navigation decision point; at 17.7 miles (State Highway 163 (Bus)): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East University Avenue
Turn uturn onto East University Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
3
17.7 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
West 116th Street South
Turn left onto West 116th Street South
Navigation decision point
3
17.7 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
State Highway 163 (Bus)
Turn right onto State Highway 163 (Bus)
Navigation decision point
4
19.8 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
IA 117 / South State Street
Turn left onto IA 117 / South State Street
Navigation decision point
5
20 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
East 5th Street
Turn left onto East 5th Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East University Avenue | 15.9 mi | 24m |
| Northeast University Avenue | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| State Highway 163 (Bus) | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| West 2nd Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South State Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East 5th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 116th Street South | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East University Avenue
— 15.9 mi, about 24m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Des Moines, IA and Prairie City, IA.
1
Start on East University Avenue
481 ft
·
39 sec
·
East University Avenue
2
Turn uturn onto East University Avenue
9.1 mi
·
16 min
·
East University Avenue
3
Continue on IA 163
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Northeast University Avenue
4
Continue on IA 163
6.6 mi
·
7 min
·
East University Avenue
5
Turn left onto West 116th Street South
277 ft
·
6 sec
·
West 116th Street South
6
Turn right onto State Highway 163 (Bus)
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
State Highway 163 (Bus)
7
Turn left onto IA 117
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West 2nd Street
8
Turn left onto IA 117
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
South State Street
9
Turn left onto East 5th Street
344 ft
·
15 sec
·
East 5th Street
10
Arrive at destination
East 5th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.13 one way
$6.25 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.43 | $6.87 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.85 | $7.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.42 | $8.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6 | 0 | $2.10 | $0.96 |
| Efficient EV | 5 | 0 | $1.75 | $0.80 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8 | 0 | $2.80 | $1.28 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Prairie City, IA
Morning in Prairie City on Saturday
Local time
7:32 AM
CDT
Current temp
51°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
1 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
30m 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 Prairie City, IA covers 20 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East University Avenue, Northeast University Avenue, State Highway 163 (Bus). Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 10 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 $3.13 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 30m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (East University Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 17.7 miles (West 116th Street South): Navigation decision point; at 17.7 miles (State Highway 163 (Bus)): Navigation decision point.
The route from Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, 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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