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Trip from Minnetonka Mills, MN to South Saint Paul, MN

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

37m

Distance

25.5 mi

41 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 34m ★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
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.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Minnetonka Mills, MN, MN

Minnetonka Mills, MN

Tom Fisk

Downtown South Saint Paul, MN, MN

South Saint Paul, MN

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

The drive from Minnetonka Mills, MN to South Saint Paul, MN covers 25.5 miles and takes about 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Crosstown Highway, Shady Oak Road, I 494 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.2 miles on Crosstown Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.79 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 25.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

37m 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 37m drive with frequent turns across 25.5 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Crosstown Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 18.2 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 5.4 miles in near MN 62 / Crosstown Highway.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.5 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 5.4 miles (MN 62 / Crosstown Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.3 miles (I 494): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 7 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

7
5.4 mi into trip | ~9m in | MN 62 / Crosstown Highway

Keep slight left at fork onto MN 62 / Crosstown Highway toward MN 62

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward MN 62
5
22.3 mi into trip | ~31m in | I 494

Merge onto I 494

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
23.9 mi into trip | ~33m in

Take the exit toward CR 56: Concord Street

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 64B Toward CR 56: Concord Street
4
24.2 mi into trip | ~34m in | CH 56 / Concord Street South

Turn left onto CH 56 / Concord Street South

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
25.5 mi into trip | ~37m in | Concord Exchange North

Turn left onto Concord Exchange North

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Crosstown Highway 18.2 mi 23m
Shady Oak Road 3.8 mi 7m
I 494 1.6 mi 1m
Concord Street South 1.3 mi 2m
John E Carroll Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Concord Exchange North <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Crosstown Highway — 18.2 mi, about 23m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Minnetonka Mills, MN and South Saint Paul, MN.

1

Start on CR 61

0.6 mi · 1 min · Shady Oak Road
2

Continue on CR 61

3.2 mi · 6 min · Shady Oak Road
Use the left lane.
3

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 26 sec
Toward MN 62 East
4

Merge onto MN 62

1.3 mi · 1 min · Crosstown Highway
5

Keep slight left at fork onto MN 62

17 mi · 21 min · Crosstown Highway
Toward MN 62 Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Merge onto I 494

1.6 mi · 1 min · I 494
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 37 sec
Exit 64B Toward CR 56: Concord Street Use the slight right lane.
8

Turn left onto CH 56

1.3 mi · 2 min · Concord Street South
Use the left lane.
9

Turn left onto CH 14

272 ft · 16 sec · John E Carroll Avenue
10

Turn left onto Concord Exchange North

74 ft · 1 sec · Concord Exchange North
11

Arrive at destination

Concord Exchange North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.79 one way

$7.59 round trip

$3.78/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.07 $4.09 $8.18
premium $4.53 $4.55 $9.10
diesel $5.61 $5.63 $11.26

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 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 7.6 0 $2.68 $1.22
Efficient EV 6.4 0 $2.23 $1.02
EV Truck/SUV 10.2 0 $3.57 $1.63

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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Minnetonka Mills, MN

Morning in Minnetonka Mills on Saturday

Local time

9:48 AM

CDT

Current temp

79°F

Sunny

S 5 to 15 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 12:02PM CDT until April 16 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Sioux Falls SD

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 16 at 11:43AM CDT until April 16 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Grand Forks ND

Destination

South Saint Paul, MN

Morning in South Saint Paul on Saturday

Local time

9:48 AM

CDT

Current temp

65°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

14 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

37m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Minnetonka Mills, MN to South Saint Paul, MN covers 25.5 miles and takes about 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Crosstown Highway, Shady Oak Road, I 494. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 12.8 miles from Minnetonka Mills, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.79 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.5 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: at 5.4 miles (MN 62 / Crosstown Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.3 miles (I 494): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Minnetonka Mills, MN to South Saint Paul, MN 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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