Origin
Federal Heights, CO
Late night in Federal Heights on Saturday
Local time
1:14 AM
MDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Federal Heights, CO to Centennial, 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
24.5 mi
39 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
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.
Federal Heights, CO
Mark Stebnicki
Centennial, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Federal Heights, CO to Centennial, CO covers 24.5 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 North Valley Highway, West 84th Avenue, West 85th Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 21.8 miles on North Valley Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.69 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 35m. Total distance: 24.5 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.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 35m drive with frequent turns across 24.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 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 21.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near Pecos Street.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 24.5 miles you will encounter 10 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 0.4 miles (Pecos Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (West 84th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Pecos Street
At end of road, turn left onto Pecos Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
West 84th Avenue
Turn left onto West 84th Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
1.9 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 25 / North Valley Highway
Merge onto I 25 / North Valley Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
23.7 mi into trip
|
~33m 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
5
24.2 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
South Chester Street
Turn left onto South Chester Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 21.8 mi | 27m |
| West 84th Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| West 85th Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Pecos Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Dry Creek Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Panorama Circle | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Chester Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 21.8 mi, about 27m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Federal Heights, CO and Centennial, CO.
1
Start on West 85th Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
West 85th Avenue
2
At end of road, turn left onto Pecos Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Pecos Street
3
Turn left onto West 84th Avenue
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West 84th Avenue
Use the left lane.
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
Toward I 25 South: Denver
5
Merge onto I 25
22 mi
·
27 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 196
Toward Dry Creek Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn right onto CR 46
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
East Dry Creek Road
8
Turn left onto South Chester Street
0.1 mi
·
30 sec
·
South Chester Street
Use the left lane.
9
Turn left onto East Panorama Circle
0.1 mi
·
39 sec
·
East Panorama Circle
10
Turn left
133 ft
·
11 sec
11
Turn right
472 ft
·
34 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.69 one way
$7.38 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.91 | $7.82 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.24 | $8.48 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.41 | $10.82 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$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 | $2.57 | $1.18 |
| Efficient EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.43 | $1.57 |
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
Centennial, CO
Late night in Centennial on Saturday
Local time
1:14 AM
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
27 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
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 Federal Heights, CO to Centennial, CO covers 24.5 miles and takes about 35m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Valley Highway, West 84th Avenue, West 85th Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.3 miles from Federal Heights, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.69 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 24.5 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (Pecos Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (West 84th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.9 miles (I 25 / North Valley Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Federal Heights, CO to Centennial, CO 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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