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Trip from Norwalk, IA to Ankeny, IA

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

Drive Time

39m

Distance

23.9 mi

38 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 36m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 37m

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 Warren County and Polk County, Iowa, United States

Norwalk, IA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Polk County, Iowa, United States

Ankeny, IA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Norwalk, IA to Ankeny, IA covers 23.9 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Southwest 9th Street, John MacVicar Freeway, I 35 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6 miles on Southwest 9th Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.74 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 23.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

39m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (37%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed drive route profile.

Drive Character

The drive from Norwalk, IA to Ankeny, IA covers 23.9 miles and takes about 39m, 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 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Southwest 9th Street is the longest continuous segment at about 6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 11.6 miles in.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 23.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 11.6 miles: Navigation decision point; at 12 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 11 key points

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

5
11.6 mi into trip | ~21m in

Take the ramp toward I-235 east

Navigation decision point

Toward I-235 east
8
12 mi into trip | ~22m in

Keep slight right at fork toward US 69: East 14th Street, East 15th Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward US 69: East 14th Street, East 15th Stree...
5
13 mi into trip | ~23m in | I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway

Merge onto I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
22.1 mi into trip | ~34m in

Keep slight left at fork toward High Trestle Trail

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward High Trestle Trail
5
23.9 mi into trip | ~39m in | Southwest 3rd Street

Turn left onto Southwest 3rd Street

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Southwest 9th Street 6 mi 10m
John MacVicar Freeway 4.8 mi 5m
I 35 4 mi 4m
East 1st Street 1.5 mi 3m
County Road G14 1.4 mi 2m
County Road R63 1.2 mi 2m
North Avenue 1.1 mi 1m
Locust Street 1 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Southwest 9th Street — 6 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Norwalk, IA and Ankeny, IA.

1

Start on Main Street

82 ft · 8 sec · Main Street
2

Turn left onto CR G14

1.1 mi · 1 min · North Avenue
3

Continue on County Road G14

1.4 mi · 2 min · County Road G14
4

At end of road, turn left onto CR R63

1.2 mi · 2 min · County Road R63
5

Continue on CR R63

5.9 mi · 10 min · Southwest 9th Street
6

Turn straight onto Southwest 9th Street

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Southwest 9th Street
7

Continue on Southwest 8th Street

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Southwest 8th Street
8

Continue on 8th Street

0.4 mi · 55 sec · 8th Street
9

Turn right onto Locust Street

1.0 mi · 2 min · Locust Street
10

At end of road, turn left onto Pennsylvania Avenue

0.3 mi · 35 sec · Pennsylvania Avenue
11

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward I-235 east
12

Keep slight right at fork

1.0 mi · 1 min
Toward US 69: East 14th Street, East 15th Street Use the slight right lane.
13

Merge onto I 235

4.8 mi · 5 min · John MacVicar Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Continue on I 35

4.0 mi · 4 min · I 35
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Toward 1st Street
16

Keep slight left at fork

256 ft · 8 sec
Toward High Trestle Trail Use the left lane.
17

Turn straight onto East 1st Street

1.5 mi · 3 min · East 1st Street
18

Turn left onto Southwest Walnut Street

0.2 mi · 40 sec · Southwest Walnut Street
19

Turn left onto Southwest 3rd Street

48 ft · 2 sec · Southwest 3rd Street
20

Arrive at destination

Southwest 3rd Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.74 one way

$7.47 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 8 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.10 $8.21
premium $4.89 $4.60 $9.20
diesel $5.61 $5.28 $10.55

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.2 0 $2.51 $1.15
Efficient EV 6 0 $2.09 $0.96
EV Truck/SUV 9.6 0 $3.35 $1.53

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.

Forecast as of Apr 18, 2026

Origin

Norwalk, IA

Morning in Norwalk on Saturday

Local time

9:06 AM

CDT

Current temp

53°F

Sunny

WNW 13 to 21 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:33AM CDT until April 18 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Omaha/Valley NE

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 17 at 10:38PM CDT until April 24 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Destination

Ankeny, IA

Morning in Ankeny on Saturday

Local time

9:06 AM

CDT

Current temp

70°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

17 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

39m 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 Norwalk, IA to Ankeny, IA covers 23.9 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Southwest 9th Street, John MacVicar Freeway, I 35. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 11.9 miles from Norwalk, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.74 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 11 decision points packed into just 23.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

The main spots that need attention: at 11.6 miles: Navigation decision point; at 12 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Norwalk, IA to Ankeny, 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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Explore More

Return Trip

Ankeny, IA to Norwalk, IA

Plan the drive back the other way.

23.9 mi 39m

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