Origin
Iowa City, IA
Evening in Iowa City on Thursday
Local time
8:29 PM
CDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Iowa City, IA to Ely, IA
Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026
Drive Time
32m
Distance
18.9 mi
30 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Iowa City, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Ely, IA
Yusuf Çelik
Trip Overview
The drive from Iowa City, IA to Ely, IA covers 18.9 miles and takes about 32m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Highway 1 Northeast, Ely Road Northeast, Highway 382 Northeast for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.5 miles on Highway 1 Northeast. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.95 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 32m. Total distance: 18.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (51%). Straightforward navigation.
Drive Character
The drive from Iowa City, IA to Ely, IA covers 18.9 miles and takes about 32m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Highway 1 Northeast is the longest continuous segment at about 7.5 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 around 0.5 miles in near Church 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 32m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Church Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (IA 1 / North Governor Street): Navigation decision point; at 11.6 miles (CR F16 / East Main Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Church Street
Turn right onto Church Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
IA 1 / North Governor Street
Turn left onto IA 1 / North Governor Street
Navigation decision point
4
11.6 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
CR F16 / East Main Street
Turn left onto CR F16 / East Main Street
Navigation decision point
4
14.3 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
CR W6E / Ely Road Northeast
Enter roundabout onto CR W6E / Ely Road Northeast
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
4
18.8 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
Dows Street
Turn right onto Dows Street
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Highway 1 Northeast | 7.5 mi | 10m |
| Ely Road Northeast | 4.1 mi | 7m |
| Highway 382 Northeast | 2.2 mi | 3m |
| North Dodge Street | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| South Market Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| South Gilbert Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| East Main Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| State Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Highway 1 Northeast
— 7.5 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Iowa City, IA and Ely, IA.
1
Start on South Gilbert Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Gilbert Street
2
Turn right onto Church Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Church Street
3
Turn left onto IA 1
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Governor Street
4
Turn right onto IA 1
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
North Dodge Street
5
Continue on IA 1
7.5 mi
·
10 min
·
Highway 1 Northeast
6
Continue on IA 1
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
South Market Street
7
Turn left onto CR F16
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
East Main Street
8
Continue on CR F16
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Highway 382 Northeast
9
Enter roundabout onto CR W6E
11 ft
·
0 sec
·
Ely Road Northeast
10
Continue on CR W6E
4.1 mi
·
7 min
·
Ely Road Northeast
11
Continue on CR W6E
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
State Street
12
Turn right onto Dows Street
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
Dows Street
13
Arrive at destination
Dows Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.95 one way
$5.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.24 | $6.49 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.64 | $7.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.17 | $8.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.98 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.65 | $1.21 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Ely, IA
Evening in Ely on Thursday
Local time
8:29 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°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
24 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
32m 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 Iowa City, IA to Ely, IA covers 18.9 miles and takes about 32m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Highway 1 Northeast, Ely Road Northeast, Highway 382 Northeast. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.4 miles from Iowa City, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.95 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 32m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Church Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (IA 1 / North Governor Street): Navigation decision point; at 11.6 miles (CR F16 / East Main Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Iowa City, IA to Ely, IA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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