Origin
Fort Collins, CO
Night in Fort Collins on Friday
Local time
11:33 PM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fort Collins, CO to Mead, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
29.6 mi
48 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 33m
★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
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.
Fort Collins, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Mead, CO
Mikhail Nilov
Trip Overview
The drive from Fort Collins, CO to Mead, CO covers 29.6 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, East Mulberry Street, East Welker Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 23.7 miles on Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.46 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 29.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 36m drive with frequent turns across 29.6 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 23.7 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 0.2 miles in near South Meldrum Street.
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 36m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (South Meldrum Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Mulberry Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
South Meldrum Street
Turn right onto South Meldrum Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
West Mulberry Street
Turn left onto West Mulberry Street
Navigation decision point
6
4.5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Take the exit toward I 25 South: Denver
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 25 South: Denver
4
28.5 mi into trip
|
~33m in
Take the exit toward Mead
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward Mead
4
29.6 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
3rd Street
Turn right onto 3rd Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway | 23.7 mi | 23m |
| East Mulberry Street | 3.9 mi | 7m |
| East Welker Avenue | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| West Mulberry Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Sherwood Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Meldrum Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Magnolia Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 3rd Street | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
— 23.7 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fort Collins, CO and Mead, CO.
1
Start on South Sherwood Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
South Sherwood Street
2
Continue on West Magnolia Street
476 ft
·
20 sec
·
West Magnolia Street
3
Turn right onto South Meldrum Street
499 ft
·
29 sec
·
South Meldrum Street
4
Turn left onto West Mulberry Street
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
·
West Mulberry Street
5
Continue on East Mulberry Street
3.9 mi
·
7 min
·
East Mulberry Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 25 South: Denver
Use the right lane.
7
Merge onto I 25
24 mi
·
23 min
·
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward Mead
9
Turn right onto East Welker Avenue
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
East Welker Avenue
10
Turn right onto 3rd Street
27 ft
·
0 sec
·
3rd Street
11
Arrive at destination
3rd Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.46 one way
$8.92 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $4.72 | $9.44 |
| premium | $4.39 | $5.12 | $10.24 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.54 | $13.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.9 | 0 | $3.11 | $1.42 |
| Efficient EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.59 | $1.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.14 | $1.89 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Mead, CO
Night in Mead on Friday
Local time
11:33 PM
MDT
Current temp
46°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
2 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
36m 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 Fort Collins, CO to Mead, CO covers 29.6 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway, East Mulberry Street, East Welker Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.8 miles from Fort Collins, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.46 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 36m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (South Meldrum Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (West Mulberry Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Fort Collins, CO to Mead, 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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