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Trip from Frederick, CO to Boulder, CO

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

38m

Distance

22.2 mi

36 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 35m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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town in Weld County, Colorado, United States

Frederick, CO

Wikimedia Commons

city in and county seat of Boulder County, Colorado, United States

Boulder, CO

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Frederick, CO to Boulder, CO covers 22.2 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on CO 52, Diagonal Highway, Foothills Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.2 miles on CO 52. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.34 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 22.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

38m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (68%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 38m highway drive covering 22.2 miles, with most of the trip on CO 52 and Diagonal Highway. The longest continuous stretch is about 13.2 miles on CO 52.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
CO 52 is the longest continuous segment at about 13.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on CO 52 and Diagonal Highway. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Locust Street.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 22.2 miles you will encounter 9 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: near the start (Locust Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Colorado Boulevard): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 9 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Locust Street

Turn right onto Locust Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | 5th Street

Turn right onto 5th Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in | Colorado Boulevard

Enter roundabout onto Colorado Boulevard

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

6
14.4 mi into trip | ~25m in | CO 119 / Diagonal Highway

Merge onto CO 119 / Diagonal Highway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
6
22.2 mi into trip | ~38m in | 19th Street

Turn right onto 19th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
CO 52 13.2 mi 22m
Diagonal Highway 4.4 mi 6m
Foothills Parkway 1.9 mi 2m
Arapahoe Avenue 1.6 mi 3m
Colorado Boulevard 0.8 mi 1m
5th Street 0.3 mi 1m
IBM Drive <0.1 mi <1m
Locust Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: CO 52 — 13.2 mi, about 22m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Frederick, CO and Boulder, CO.

1

Start on this road

175 ft · 14 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto Locust Street

168 ft · 9 sec · Locust Street
3

Turn right onto 5th Street

0.3 mi · 1 min · 5th Street
4

Enter roundabout onto Colorado Boulevard

252 ft · 10 sec · Colorado Boulevard
5

Continue on Colorado Boulevard

0.5 mi · 51 sec · Colorado Boulevard
6

Enter roundabout onto Colorado Boulevard

177 ft · 3 sec · Colorado Boulevard
7

Continue on Colorado Boulevard

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Colorado Boulevard
8

Turn slight right

293 ft · 10 sec
9

Turn straight onto CO 52

13 mi · 22 min · CO 52
Use the straight lane.
10

Continue on IBM Drive

381 ft · 17 sec · IBM Drive
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
11

Merge onto CO 119

4.4 mi · 6 min · Diagonal Highway
Use the straight lane.
12

Continue on CO 157

1.9 mi · 2 min · Foothills Parkway
Use the straight lane.
13

Turn right onto CO 7

1.6 mi · 3 min · Arapahoe Avenue
Use the straight lane.
14

Turn right onto 19th Street

143 ft · 11 sec · 19th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
15

Turn left

87 ft · 4 sec
16

Arrive at destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.34 one way

$6.69 round trip

$3.83/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.05 $3.54 $7.08
premium $4.39 $3.84 $7.68
diesel $5.61 $4.90 $9.80

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.7 0 $2.33 $1.07
Efficient EV 5.6 0 $1.94 $0.89
EV Truck/SUV 8.9 0 $3.11 $1.42

Gas CO2

8 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (63% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Frederick, CO

Night in Frederick on Friday

Local time

10:41 PM

MDT

Current temp

42°F

Chance Snow Showers

N 15 mph 26% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 17 at 5:39PM MDT until April 17 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 17 at 2:46PM MDT until April 18 at 8:00AM MDT by NWS Denver CO

Destination

Boulder, CO

Night in Boulder on Friday

Local time

10:41 PM

MDT

Current temp

39°F

Snow Showers Likely

N 10 mph 61% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 17 at 5:39PM MDT until April 17 at 6:00PM MDT by NWS Pueblo CO

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 17 at 2:46PM MDT until April 18 at 8:00AM MDT by NWS Denver CO

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

3 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

38m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Frederick, CO to Boulder, CO covers 22.2 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are CO 52, Diagonal Highway, Foothills Parkway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 11.1 miles from Frederick, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.34 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 22.2 miles you will encounter 9 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: near the start (Locust Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (Colorado Boulevard): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.

The route from Frederick, CO to Boulder, 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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