The drive from La Monte, MO to Columbia, MO covers 79 miles and takes about 1h 34m behind the wheel.
This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway, US 65, US 50 for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is mixed drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 45.3 miles on U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $11.51 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
39.5 miles from La Monte, MO
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 50m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 34m. Total distance: 79 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from La Monte, MO to Columbia, MO covers 79 miles and takes about 1h 34m, 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 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 45.3 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 0.8 miles in near Front Street.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 34m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (Front Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (Pleasant Green Road): Navigation decision point; at 9.6 miles (West Main Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 10 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.8 mi into trip|~1m in|Front Street
At end of road, turn left onto Front Street
Navigation decision point
5
1.2 mi into trip|~3m in|Pleasant Green Road
At end of road, turn right onto Pleasant Green Road
Navigation decision point
4
9.6 mi into trip|~13m in|West Main Street
Turn left onto West Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
11.5 mi into trip|~17m in|US 65
Turn sharp left onto US 65
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
5
77.7 mi into trip|~1h 31m in
Take the exit toward MO 163: Downtown
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 126
Toward MO 163: Downtown
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway
45.3 mi
48m
US 65
17.9 mi
21m
US 50
8.4 mi
10m
Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
1.8 mi
2m
West Main Street
1.7 mi
3m
North Providence Road
1.2 mi
2m
Highway Patrol Sgt. Benjamin Booth Memorial Highway
0.8 mi
1m
South Main Street
0.7 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway
— 45.3 mi, about 48m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between La Monte, MO and Columbia, MO.
1
Start on West Pine Street
219 ft·11 sec·West Pine Street
2
Turn right onto MO 127
0.7 mi·1 min·South Main Street
3
At end of road, turn left onto Front Street
0.4 mi·1 min·Front Street
4
At end of road, turn right onto Pleasant Green Road
95 ft·4 sec·Pleasant Green Road
5
Turn left onto US 50
8.4 mi·10 min·US 50
6
Turn left onto West Main Street
186 ft·7 sec·West Main Street
7
Continue on West Main Street
1.7 mi·3 min·West Main Street
8
Take the ramp
0.1 mi·27 sec
Toward US 65 South
9
Turn sharp left onto US 65
18 mi·21 min·US 65
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi·39 sec
Toward I 70 East: Saint Louis
11
Merge onto I 70; US 40
23 mi·24 min·U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway
12
Keep slight left at fork onto I 70
22 mi·24 min·U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway
13
Continue on I 70; US 40
1.8 mi·2 min·Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway
14
Continue on I 70; US 40
0.8 mi·1 min·Highway Patrol Sgt. Benjamin Booth Memorial Highway
15
Take the exit
0.1 mi·16 sec
Exit 126Toward MO 163: Downtown
16
Turn right onto MO 163
1.2 mi·2 min·North Providence Road
17
Arrive at destination
MO 163
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 39.5 miles from La Monte, MO, or about 50m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 45.3 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 17 miles or 24m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 39.5 miles or 50m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 19m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Columbia, MO than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving La Monte, MO so your first major turns are already loaded.
Day 1
Settle into the route from La Monte, MO
This is one driving day of about 79 miles and 1h 34m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 17 miles from La Monte, MO.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway for about 45.3 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 39.5 mi from La Monte, MO
· 50m into the drive
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $8 in charging
· 0 stops
· 68% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
23.7
0
$8.30
$3.79
Efficient EV
19.8
0
$6.91
$3.16
EV Truck/SUV
31.6
0
$11.06
$5.06
Gas CO2
28 kg
EV CO2
9 kg (68% 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
La Monte, MO
Late night
in La Monte on Friday
Local time
4:00 AM
CDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Columbia, MO
Late night
in Columbia on Friday
Local time
4:00 AM
CDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
21 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
1h 34m 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 La Monte, MO to Columbia, MO covers 79 miles and takes about 1h 34m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are U.S. Submarine Veterans' Memorial Highway, US 65, US 50. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 39.5 miles from La Monte, MO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $12.35 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 1h 34m drive. You will face about 10 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (Front Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (Pleasant Green Road): Navigation decision point; at 9.6 miles (West Main Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from La Monte, MO to Columbia, MO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from
OSRM
over
OpenStreetMap.
Fuel cost uses
EIA
weekly regional averages.
EV charging comes from the
NREL Alternative Fuels
dataset.
National park proximity is from the
NPS API.
Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our
methodology page
documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
