Origin
Grundy Center, IA
Night in Grundy Center on Friday
Local time
10:22 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Grundy Center, IA to Waterloo, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
30.5 mi
49 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Grundy Center, IA
Ethan Bianco
Waterloo, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Grundy Center, IA to Waterloo, IA covers 30.5 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on US 20, N Avenue, Sergeant Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18 miles on US 20. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.77 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 30.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (60%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Grundy Center, IA to Waterloo, IA covers 30.5 miles and takes about 40m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
US 20 is the longest continuous segment at about 18 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near IA 14 / 4th Street.
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 40m drive. You will face about 8 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 (IA 14 / 4th Street): Navigation decision point; at 6.9 miles: Navigation decision point; at 7.4 miles (US 20): Merge point - match speed before joining.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
IA 14 / 4th Street
Turn left onto IA 14 / 4th Street
Navigation decision point
4
6.9 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Take the ramp toward US 20 East: Waterloo
Navigation decision point
Toward US 20 East: Waterloo
3
7.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
US 20
Merge onto US 20
Merge point - match speed before joining
4
25.4 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward US 63: Sergeant Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward US 63: Sergeant Road
5
30.5 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
West 4th Street
Turn right onto West 4th Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 20 | 18 mi | 20m |
| N Avenue | 6.2 mi | 8m |
| Sergeant Road | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| 4th Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| US 63 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Washington Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| University Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 4th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
US 20
— 18 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Grundy Center, IA and Waterloo, IA.
1
Start on IA 14; IA 175
66 ft
·
6 sec
·
G Avenue
2
Turn left onto IA 14
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
4th Street
3
Continue on IA 14
6.2 mi
·
8 min
·
N Avenue
4
Take the ramp
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
Toward US 20 East: Waterloo
5
Merge onto US 20
18 mi
·
20 min
·
US 20
6
Take the exit
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward US 63: Sergeant Road
7
Turn slight right
120 ft
·
6 sec
8
Turn straight onto US 63
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Sergeant Road
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto US 63
388 ft
·
9 sec
·
University Avenue
10
Turn straight onto US 63
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
US 63
11
Turn right
0.1 mi
·
10 sec
12
Continue on Washington Street
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Washington Street
13
Turn right onto West 4th Street
76 ft
·
2 sec
·
West 4th Street
14
Arrive at destination
West 4th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.77 one way
$9.54 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.24 | $10.47 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.87 | $11.74 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.73 | $13.47 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.20 | $1.46 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.67 | $1.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.27 | $1.95 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Waterloo, IA
Night in Waterloo on Friday
Local time
10:22 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°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
19 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
40m 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 Grundy Center, IA to Waterloo, IA covers 30.5 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are US 20, N Avenue, Sergeant Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.3 miles from Grundy Center, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.77 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 40m drive. You will face about 8 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (IA 14 / 4th Street): Navigation decision point; at 6.9 miles: Navigation decision point; at 7.4 miles (US 20): Merge point - match speed before joining.
The route from Grundy Center, IA to Waterloo, 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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