Origin
Mead, CO
Late night in Mead on Saturday
Local time
2:52 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mead, CO to Boulder, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
25.1 mi
40 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mead, CO
Mikhail Nilov
Boulder, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Mead to Boulder is 25.1 miles and takes about 38 minutes via Diagonal Highway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Mountain West region, specifically in Colorado. Expect a local drive with several turns, making it feel more like navigating familiar backroads than a long-haul highway. With only 12% highway share, it's a route best suited for a quick, straightforward journey when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 25.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (12%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
This route is characterized by frequent turns, offering a dynamic driving experience rather than a monotonous highway cruise. With only 12% of the journey on highways, you'll spend most of your time on local roads like Diagonal Highway, East Ken Pratt Boulevard, and County Road 7. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.3 miles on Diagonal Highway, so be prepared for a more engaged drive with frequent adjustments. This profile suggests a route that winds through varied terrain, requiring your attention throughout.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Diagonal Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 9.3 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 4.6 miles in near County Road 5 1/2.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (County Road 5 1/2): Navigation decision point; at 5.6 miles (CO 119 / Highway 119): Navigation decision point; at 23.4 miles (CO 7 / Arapahoe Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
4.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
County Road 5 1/2
Turn left onto County Road 5 1/2
Navigation decision point
3
5.6 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
CO 119 / Highway 119
Turn right onto CO 119 / Highway 119
Navigation decision point
4
23.4 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
CO 7 / Arapahoe Avenue
Turn right onto CO 7 / Arapahoe Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
25 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
19th Street
Turn right onto 19th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
25 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Diagonal Highway | 9.3 mi | 12m |
| East Ken Pratt Boulevard | 5.4 mi | 8m |
| County Road 7 | 3.9 mi | 6m |
| Foothills Parkway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Arapahoe Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Highway 119 | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| County Road 5 1/2 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| County Road 26 | 0.5 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Diagonal Highway
— 9.3 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mead, CO and Boulder, CO.
1
Start on 3rd Street
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
3rd Street
2
Continue on County Road 7
3.9 mi
·
6 min
·
County Road 7
3
Continue on County Road 26
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
County Road 26
4
Turn left onto County Road 5 1/2
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
County Road 5 1/2
5
Turn right onto CO 119
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Highway 119
6
Continue on CO 119
5.4 mi
·
8 min
·
East Ken Pratt Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Continue on CO 119
9.3 mi
·
12 min
·
Diagonal Highway
Use the straight lane.
8
Continue on CO 157
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Foothills Parkway
Use the straight lane.
9
Turn right onto CO 7
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Arapahoe Avenue
Use the straight lane.
10
Turn right onto 19th Street
143 ft
·
11 sec
·
19th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
11
Turn left
87 ft
·
4 sec
12
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.78 one way
$7.56 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $4.00 | $8.01 |
| premium | $4.39 | $4.34 | $8.68 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.54 | $11.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 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 | 7.5 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.51 | $1.61 |
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
Boulder, CO
Late night in Boulder on Saturday
Local time
2:52 AM
MDT
Current temp
72°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
26 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
38m 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 Mead, CO to Boulder, CO covers 25.1 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Diagonal Highway, East Ken Pratt Boulevard, County Road 7. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.5 miles from Mead, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.78 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 38m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (County Road 5 1/2): Navigation decision point; at 5.6 miles (CO 119 / Highway 119): Navigation decision point; at 23.4 miles (CO 7 / Arapahoe Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Mead, CO to Boulder, CO 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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