Origin
Lakewood, CO
Evening in Lakewood on Thursday
Local time
7:59 PM
MDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakewood, CO to Meridian, CO
Last recalculated Apr 17, 2026
Drive Time
31m
Distance
22.5 mi
36 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 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 33m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Lakewood, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Meridian, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 22.5-mile drive from Lakewood to Meridian, Colorado, is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking about 31 minutes to complete. You'll primarily navigate local roads, with about 15% of the journey on highways, suggesting a more turn-heavy experience. The estimated fuel cost for this short hop is a modest $3. Given its brief duration and local road focus, this route is ideal for a quick transit between two points within the Mountain West region, offering flexibility for when you depart and how you choose to spend your time upon arrival. It's a straightforward connection that won't demand a significant portion of your day.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 22.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a rather turn-heavy local drive for the 22.5 miles between Lakewood and Meridian. With only a 15% highway share, much of your time will be spent on city streets and arterial roads, including stretches of North Valley Highway, West 6th Avenue Freeway, and South Wadsworth Boulevard. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 13.9 miles on North Valley Highway, offering a brief period of more consistent travel before returning to more frequent intersections and traffic lights. This route's personality is defined by its local character, requiring your attention for navigation and speed adjustments.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Valley Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 13.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 4.3 miles in near US 6.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 22.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.3 miles (US 6): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
4.3 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
US 6
Take the exit onto US 6 toward I 25: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 25: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
8
19.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Take the exit toward E-470 North, CO 470 West: Limon, Grand Junction
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 194
Toward E-470 North, CO 470 West: Limon, Grand J...
8
19.5 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight left at fork toward E-470 North: Limon
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 194
Toward E-470 North: Limon
7
21.1 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward Peoria Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2
Toward Peoria Street
7
21.4 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Peoria Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 2
Toward Peoria Street
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Lakewood, CO and Meridian, CO, road signs point toward Colorado Springs, E-470 North, Grand Junction and E-470 North: Limon.
Colorado Springs
4.3 mi in
|
~6m
|
via US 6
E-470 North
19.3 mi in
|
~25m
Grand Junction
19.3 mi in
|
~25m
E-470 North: Limon
19.5 mi in
|
~25m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Valley Highway | 13.9 mi | 16m |
| West 6th Avenue Freeway | 2.7 mi | 3m |
| South Wadsworth Boulevard | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| E-470 | 0.8 mi | <1m |
| US 6 | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Peoria Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Fisher Drive | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Forest Lake Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Valley Highway
— 13.9 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, CO and Meridian, CO.
1
Start on CO 121
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
South Wadsworth Boulevard
2
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward US 6 East: Denver
Use the slight right lane.
3
Merge onto US 6
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
West 6th Avenue Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Take the exit onto US 6
0.6 mi
·
59 sec
·
US 6
Toward I 25: Fort Collins, Colorado Springs
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 25 South: Colorado Springs
6
Merge onto I 25
14 mi
·
16 min
·
North Valley Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
15 sec
Exit 194
Toward E-470 North, CO 470 West: Limon, Grand Junction
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Exit 194
Toward E-470 North: Limon
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9
Merge onto E470
0.8 mi
·
46 sec
·
E-470
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Exit 2
Toward Peoria Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Exit 2
Toward Peoria Street
12
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
Toward Peoria Street
13
Turn straight onto Peoria Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Peoria Street
14
Turn right onto Forest Lake Road
203 ft
·
14 sec
·
Forest Lake Road
15
Turn left onto Fisher Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Fisher Drive
16
Arrive at destination
Fisher Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.39 one way
$6.78 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $3.59 | $7.18 |
| premium | $4.39 | $3.89 | $7.78 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.97 | $9.94 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.09
E-470
(0.8 mi)
$0.09
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.36 | $1.08 |
| Efficient EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.97 | $0.90 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9 | 0 | $3.15 | $1.44 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Meridian, CO
Evening in Meridian on Thursday
Local time
7:59 PM
MDT
Current temp
45°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
1 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
31m 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 Meridian, CO covers 22.5 miles and takes about 31m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Valley Highway, West 6th Avenue Freeway, South Wadsworth Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.3 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 $3.39 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 13 decision points packed into just 22.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.3 miles (US 6): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 19.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Between Lakewood, CO and Meridian, CO, road signs point toward Colorado Springs, E-470 North, Grand Junction and E-470 North: Limon.
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