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Trip from Great Falls, MT to Cascade, MT

Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026

Drive Time

28m

Distance

26 mi

42 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 26m ★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m

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

city in and county seat of Cascade County, Montana, United States

Great Falls, MT

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Cascade, MT, MT

Cascade, MT

JOHN CALLERY

Trip Overview

This quick 26-mile journey from Great Falls, MT, to Cascade, MT, will take you about 28 minutes to complete. Primarily using roads like First Special Service Force Memorial Highway and 10th Avenue South, this is a very short drive, perfect for a single day trip. With a modest fuel cost of around $4, you won't need to budget much for gas. The route stays within the Mountain West region, offering a straightforward travel experience. Given its brevity, you can easily fit this drive into a larger itinerary or enjoy it as a standalone excursion.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 26 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

28m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (3%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with only a 3% highway share. You'll navigate through Country Club Boulevard and 10th Avenue South before settling onto the First Special Service Force Memorial Highway for the longest stretch of 21.8 miles. The road's personality is more about navigating local thoroughfares than open-road cruising. This isn't a monotonous interstate; rather, it's a drive that requires attention to turns and local road conditions as you transition from urban Great Falls to the more rural surroundings.

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.
First Special Service Force Memorial 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. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 5th Avenue South.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 28m 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: near the start (5th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (I 15 Business / 5th Street South): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200 / 10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 7 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 | 5th Avenue South

Turn left onto 5th Avenue South

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | I 15 Business / 5th Street South

Turn right onto I 15 Business / 5th Street South

Navigation decision point

4
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200 / 10th Avenue South

Turn right onto I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200 / 10th Avenue South

Navigation decision point

4
2.5 mi into trip | ~4m in | I 15 BUS

Keep slight left at fork onto I 15 BUS

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

5
25 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward MT 68: Cascade

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early

Exit 256 Toward MT 68: Cascade

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
First Special Service Force Memorial Highway 21.8 mi 20m
Country Club Boulevard 1.3 mi 2m
10th Avenue South 0.7 mi 1m
I 15 BUS 0.7 mi 1m
1st Street Northwest 0.4 mi <1m
5th Street South 0.4 mi <1m
Saint Peter's Mission Road 0.3 mi <1m
5th Avenue South <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: First Special Service Force Memorial Highway — 21.8 mi, about 20m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Great Falls, MT and Cascade, MT.

1

Start on 4th Street South

162 ft · 12 sec · 4th Street South
2

Turn left onto 5th Avenue South

427 ft · 20 sec · 5th Avenue South
3

Turn right onto I 15 Business

0.4 mi · 37 sec · 5th Street South
4

Turn right onto I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200

0.7 mi · 1 min · 10th Avenue South
5

Continue on I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200

1.3 mi · 2 min · Country Club Boulevard
6

Keep slight left at fork onto I 15 BUS

0.7 mi · 1 min · I 15 BUS
7

Merge onto I 15

22 mi · 20 min · First Special Service Force Memorial Highway
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 40 sec
Exit 256 Toward MT 68: Cascade
9

Turn left onto MT 68

0.3 mi · 29 sec · Saint Peter's Mission Road
10

Continue on MT 68

0.4 mi · 44 sec · 1st Street Northwest
11

Arrive at destination

MT 68

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.12 one way

$8.24 round trip

$4.03/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.22 $4.32 $8.64
premium $4.53 $4.64 $9.28
diesel $5.61 $5.74 $11.48

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.1 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 7.8 0 $2.73 $1.25
Efficient EV 6.5 0 $2.28 $1.04
EV Truck/SUV 10.4 0 $3.64 $1.66

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Great Falls, MT

Afternoon in Great Falls on Thursday

Local time

12:18 PM

MDT

Current temp

68°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Cascade, MT

Afternoon in Cascade on Thursday

Local time

12:18 PM

MDT

Current temp

32°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

36 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

28m 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 Great Falls, MT to Cascade, MT covers 26 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are First Special Service Force Memorial Highway, Country Club Boulevard, 10th Avenue South. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13 miles from Great Falls, MT. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.12 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 28m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (5th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (I 15 Business / 5th Street South): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (I 15 Business; US 89; MT 3; MT 200 / 10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point.
The route from Great Falls, MT to Cascade, MT does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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