Origin
Iowa City, IA
Afternoon in Iowa City on Saturday
Local time
12:10 PM
CDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
19 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Iowa City, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Kalona, IA
Vasilij Zajcev
Trip Overview
The drive from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA covers 19 miles and takes about 29m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East Benton Street, South Riverside Drive, Highway 1 West for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.97 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 29m. Total distance: 19 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m 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 29m drive with frequent turns across 19 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.
East Benton Street is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA is easy. At 29m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Benton Street | — | — |
| South Riverside Drive | — | — |
| Highway 1 West | — | — |
| Highway 1 | — | — |
| 1st Street | — | — |
| East Avenue | — | — |
| 5th Street | — | — |
| B Avenue | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
East Benton Street
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Iowa City, IA and Kalona, IA.
1
Start on South Gilbert Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South Gilbert Street
2
Turn right onto East Benton Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Benton Street
3
Turn left onto South Riverside Drive
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
South Riverside Drive
4
Turn right onto Highway 1 West
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Highway 1 West
5
Continue on Highway 1 Southwest
13 mi
·
18 min
·
Highway 1 Southwest
6
Continue on State Highway 1
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
State Highway 1
7
Continue on 1st Street
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
1st Street
8
Turn left onto East Avenue
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
East Avenue
9
Turn right onto 5th Street
0.2 mi
·
50 sec
·
5th Street
10
Turn left onto B Avenue
36 ft
·
2 sec
·
B Avenue
11
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.97 one way
$5.94 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $3.26 | $6.52 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.66 | $7.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.19 | $8.39 |
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 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.66 | $1.22 |
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
Kalona, IA
Afternoon in Kalona on Saturday
Local time
12:10 PM
CDT
Current temp
51°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
22 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
29m 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 Kalona, IA covers 19 miles and takes about 29m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East Benton Street, South Riverside Drive, Highway 1 West. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9.5 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 $2.97 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.
The drive from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA is easy. At 29m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Iowa City, IA to Kalona, 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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