Origin
Mason City, IA
Late night in Mason City on Saturday
Local time
1:05 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
32.5 mi
52 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mason City, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Charles City, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA covers 32.5 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Federal Avenue, 1st Street Northeast, East State Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.08 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 32.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m 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 44m drive with frequent turns across 32.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
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 Federal Avenue 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 Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA is easy. At 44m 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 Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Federal Avenue | — | — |
| 1st Street Northeast | — | — |
| East State Street | — | — |
| Maple Drive | — | — |
| 4th Street Southeast | — | — |
| Thrush Avenue | — | — |
| Avenue of the Saints | — | — |
| US 218 | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
North Federal Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mason City, IA and Charles City, IA.
1
Start on 2nd Street Northeast
23 ft
·
6 sec
·
2nd Street Northeast
2
Turn left onto North Federal Avenue
328 ft
·
20 sec
·
North Federal Avenue
3
Turn left onto 1st Street Northeast
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
1st Street Northeast
4
At the end of the road, turn left onto East State Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
East State Street
5
Turn slight right onto Maple Drive
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
Maple Drive
6
Turn left onto 4th Street Southeast
2.7 mi
·
4 min
·
4th Street Southeast
7
Turn right onto Thrush Avenue
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Thrush Avenue
8
Take the ramp left
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
9
Merge slight left onto Avenue of the Saints
22 mi
·
24 min
·
Avenue of the Saints
10
Take the exit slight right toward US 218 Business, CR B35: Charles City
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
·
US 218 Business, CR B35: Charles City
11
Turn left onto 185th Street
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
185th Street
12
Turn straight onto Gilbert Street
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
Gilbert Street
13
Turn left onto Main Street
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Main Street
14
Turn right onto Clark Street
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Clark Street
15
Turn left onto Brantingham Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Brantingham Street
16
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.08 one way
$10.16 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.58 | $11.16 |
| premium | $4.89 | $6.25 | $12.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.18 | $14.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.41 | $1.56 |
| Efficient EV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.84 | $1.30 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13 | 0 | $4.55 | $2.08 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Charles City, IA
Late night in Charles City on Saturday
Local time
1:05 AM
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
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
44m 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 Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA covers 32.5 miles and takes about 44m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Federal Avenue, 1st Street Northeast, East State Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 16.2 miles from Mason City, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.08 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 Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA is easy. At 44m 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 Mason City, IA to Charles City, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Mason City, IA to Charles City, 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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