Origin
Lakewood, CO
Night in Lakewood on Friday
Local time
9:39 PM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
36m
Distance
26.8 mi
43 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Brighton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO covers 26.8 miles and takes about 36m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Heartland Expressway, CanAm Highway, South Wadsworth Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 11.9 miles on Heartland Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.04 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 26.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (44%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
The drive from Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO covers 26.8 miles and takes about 36m, 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 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Heartland Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 11.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 5.4 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 26.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.2 miles (US 85 / CanAm Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
5.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the ramp toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morgan
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morga...
7
5.7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan
8
18.2 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
US 85 / CanAm Highway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85 / CanAm Highway toward US 85 North: Greeley
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
6
26.3 mi into trip
|
~35m in
Take the exit toward CO 7: Brighton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CO 7: Brighton
7
26.7 mi into trip
|
~36m in
|
Bush Street
Turn left onto Bush Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Morgan along the way.
Fort Morgan
5.4 mi in
|
~10m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Heartland Expressway | 11.9 mi | 13m |
| CanAm Highway | 8.1 mi | 9m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | 5.4 mi | 10m |
| South Main Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Bridge Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bush Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Heartland Expressway
— 11.9 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, CO and Brighton, CO.
1
Start on CO 121
5.4 mi
·
10 min
·
South Wadsworth Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward I 70 East, I 76 East: Denver, Fort Morgan
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 76 East: Fort Morgan
Use the left / right lanes.
4
Merge onto I 76
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Heartland Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto US 85
8.1 mi
·
9 min
·
CanAm Highway
Exit 12
Toward US 85 North: Greeley
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward CO 7: Brighton
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Enter roundabout onto West Bridge Street
48 ft
·
0 sec
·
West Bridge Street
8
Continue on West Bridge Street
413 ft
·
14 sec
·
West Bridge Street
9
Turn right onto South Main Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
South Main Street
10
Turn left onto Bush Street
414 ft
·
11 sec
·
Bush Street
Use the left lane.
11
Arrive at destination
Bush Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.04 one way
$8.08 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $4.28 | $8.55 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.64 | $9.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.92 | $11.83 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.4 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 | 8 | 0 | $2.81 | $1.29 |
| Efficient EV | 6.7 | 0 | $2.34 | $1.07 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.7 | 0 | $3.75 | $1.72 |
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.
Destination
Brighton, CO
Night in Brighton on Friday
Local time
9:39 PM
MDT
Current temp
44°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
36m 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 Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO covers 26.8 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Heartland Expressway, CanAm Highway, South Wadsworth Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.4 miles from Lakewood, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.04 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 short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 26.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
The main spots that need attention: at 5.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 18.2 miles (US 85 / CanAm Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Lakewood, CO to Brighton, CO, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Morgan along the way.
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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