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Trip from North La Crosse, WI to Alma, WI

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

Drive Time

1h 12m

Distance

53.7 mi

86 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$8

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 17 min
4 AM
1h 7m ★
6 AM
1h 12m
8 AM
1h 24m
10 AM
1h 16m
12 PM
1h 15m
3 PM
1h 17m
5 PM
1h 23m
8 PM
1h 9m

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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city in and county seat of La Crosse County, Wisconsin, United States

North La Crosse, WI

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Alma, WI, WI

Alma, WI

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

The drive from North La Crosse, WI to Alma, WI covers 53.7 miles and takes about 1h 12m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on State Road 35, US 14, I 90 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 19.6 miles on State Road 35. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.40 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 12m. Total distance: 53.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 12m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (51%). Straightforward navigation.

Drive Character

The drive from North La Crosse, WI to Alma, WI covers 53.7 miles and takes about 1h 12m, 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 18 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
State Road 35 is the longest continuous segment at about 19.6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in near I 90.

Driving Effort 4/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 1h 12m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (I 90): Navigation decision point; at 10 miles (US 14; US 61): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.6 miles (US 14; US 61 / US 14;US 61): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 7 key points

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

4
1.6 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 90

Turn left onto I 90

Navigation decision point

6
10 mi into trip | ~12m in | US 14; US 61

Keep slight right at fork onto US 14; US 61 toward US 14, US 61: Winona

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward US 14, US 61: Winona
5
26.6 mi into trip | ~32m in | US 14; US 61 / US 14;US 61

Enter roundabout onto US 14; US 61 / US 14;US 61

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

5
28.2 mi into trip | ~34m in | Huff Street

Turn right onto Huff Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
4
29.3 mi into trip | ~36m in | West 4th Street

Turn right onto West 4th Street

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
State Road 35 19.6 mi 28m
US 14 18.2 mi 21m
I 90 8.4 mi 9m
South Main Street 2.4 mi 3m
Rose Street 1.6 mi 3m
Huff Street 1.1 mi 2m
North Shore Drive 0.8 mi 1m
State Road 54 0.8 mi 1m
Longest stretch: State Road 35 — 19.6 mi, about 28m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between North La Crosse, WI and Alma, WI.

1

Start on US 53; CTH B

1.6 mi · 3 min · Rose Street
2

Turn left onto I 90

8.4 mi · 9 min · I 90
3

Keep slight right at fork onto US 14; US 61

1.5 mi · 1 min · US 14; US 61
Toward US 14, US 61: Winona
4

Continue on US 14; US 61

1.7 mi · 1 min · US 14; US 61
5

Continue on US 14; US 61

13 mi · 15 min · US 14; US 61
Use the straight lane.
6

Continue on US 14; US 61

0.2 mi · 15 sec · US 14; US 61
Use the straight lane.
7

Enter roundabout onto US 14; US 61

143 ft · 2 sec · US 14;US 61
8

Continue on US 14; US 61

1.6 mi · 2 min · US 14;US 61
9

Turn right onto Huff Street

1.1 mi · 2 min · Huff Street
Use the right lane.
10

Turn right onto West 4th Street

371 ft · 15 sec · West 4th Street
11

Turn left onto MN 43

0.7 mi · 1 min · Minnesota Highway 43
12

Continue on WI 54

0.8 mi · 1 min · State Road 54
13

Turn left onto WI 35

4.3 mi · 6 min · State Road 35
14

Continue on WI 35

1.6 mi · 2 min · South Main Street
15

Turn straight onto WI 35

0.8 mi · 1 min · North Shore Drive
16

Continue on WI 35

15 mi · 21 min · State Road 35
17

Continue on WI 35

0.8 mi · 1 min · South Main Street
18

Arrive at destination

WI 35

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 26.9 mi from North La Crosse, WI · 32m into the drive

Downtown Winona, MN, MN

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Winona, MN

27 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Brice Prairie, WI

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Winona, MN

Meal break

The midpoint is around 26.9 miles from North La Crosse, WI, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Alma, WI

The final approach into Alma, WI usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.40 one way

$16.79 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 19 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $9.22 $18.44
premium $4.89 $10.33 $20.67
diesel $5.61 $11.86 $23.71

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$8

Estimated CO2 emission: 18.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 16.1 0 $5.64 $2.58
Efficient EV 13.4 0 $4.70 $2.15
EV Truck/SUV 21.5 0 $7.52 $3.44

Gas CO2

19 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (68% 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 17, 2026

Origin

North La Crosse, WI

Morning in North La Crosse on Saturday

Local time

10:32 AM

CDT

Current temp

55°F

Mostly Clear

SE 2 to 10 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 7:37PM CDT by NWS Green Bay WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 16 at 7:36PM CDT by NWS Milwaukee/Sullivan WI

Destination

Alma, WI

Morning in Alma on Saturday

Local time

10:32 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°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

13 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

1h 12m 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 North La Crosse, WI to Alma, WI covers 53.7 miles and takes about 1h 12m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are State Road 35, US 14, I 90. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 26.9 miles from North La Crosse, WI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $8.40 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 1h 12m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (I 90): Navigation decision point; at 10 miles (US 14; US 61): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 26.6 miles (US 14; US 61 / US 14;US 61): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.

The route from North La Crosse, WI to Alma, WI 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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