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Trip from Plainfield, WI to Dakota, WI

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

Drive Time

38m

Distance

24.7 mi

40 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 35m ★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m

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 Plainfield, WI, WI

Plainfield, WI

Tom Fisk

Downtown Dakota, WI, WI

Dakota, WI

fish socks

Trip Overview

The drive from Plainfield, WI to Dakota, WI covers 24.7 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 39, County Road JJ, State Highway 21 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 11.9 miles on I 39. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.86 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 24.7 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 (69%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 38m highway drive covering 24.7 miles, with most of the trip on I 39 and County Road JJ. The longest continuous stretch is about 11.9 miles on I 39.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 39 is the longest continuous segment at about 11.9 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 39 and County Road JJ. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near WI 73 / North Street.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 24.7 miles you will encounter 8 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: near the start (WI 73 / North Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles: Navigation decision point; at 14 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 8 key points

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

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | WI 73 / North Street

Turn right onto WI 73 / North Street

Navigation decision point

4
1.7 mi into trip | ~3m in

Turn left

Navigation decision point

5
14 mi into trip | ~16m in

Take the exit toward WI 21: Coloma, Necedah

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward WI 21: Coloma, Necedah
4
14.3 mi into trip | ~17m in

Keep slight left at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

5
24.5 mi into trip | ~37m in | CTH JJ; CTH Y / County Highway Y

At end of road, turn left onto CTH JJ; CTH Y / County Highway Y

Navigation decision point

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from Plainfield, WI to Dakota, WI, road signs begin pointing toward Necedah along the way.

Necedah

14 mi in | ~16m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 39 11.9 mi 12m
County Road JJ 4.5 mi 10m
State Highway 21 3.7 mi 5m
State Highway 73 1.4 mi 2m
West Follett Drive 0.8 mi 1m
County Highway B 0.8 mi 1m
Wautoma Road 0.5 mi <1m
West North Street 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 39 — 11.9 mi, about 12m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Plainfield, WI and Dakota, WI.

1

Start on North Main Street

53 ft · 4 sec · North Main Street
2

Turn right onto WI 73

387 ft · 7 sec · North Street
3

Continue on WI 73

0.2 mi · 19 sec · State Highway 73
4

Continue on WI 73

0.2 mi · 24 sec · West North Street
5

Continue on WI 73

1.2 mi · 2 min · State Highway 73
6

Turn left

0.4 mi · 48 sec
7

Merge onto I 39; US 51

12 mi · 12 min · I 39; US 51
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 40 sec
Toward WI 21: Coloma, Necedah
9

Keep slight left at fork

104 ft · 2 sec
10

Turn left onto WI 21

0.8 mi · 1 min · West Follett Drive
11

Continue on WI 21

0.5 mi · 49 sec · Wautoma Road
12

Continue on WI 21

3.7 mi · 5 min · State Highway 21
13

Turn right onto CTH B

0.8 mi · 1 min · County Highway B
14

Turn left onto CTH JJ

4.5 mi · 10 min · County Road JJ
15

At end of road, turn left onto CTH JJ; CTH Y

0.2 mi · 31 sec · County Highway Y
16

Arrive at destination

CTH Y

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.86 one way

$7.72 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $4.24 $8.48
premium $4.89 $4.75 $9.51
diesel $5.61 $5.45 $10.91

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 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 7.4 0 $2.59 $1.19
Efficient EV 6.2 0 $2.16 $0.99
EV Truck/SUV 9.9 0 $3.46 $1.58

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 14, 2026

Origin

Plainfield, WI

Morning in Plainfield on Saturday

Local time

9:29 AM

CDT

Current temp

55°F

Patchy Fog

SE 7 mph 45% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 14 at 2:40AM CDT by NWS Green Bay WI

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 14 at 2:33AM CDT until April 16 at 5:56PM CDT by NWS La Crosse WI

Destination

Dakota, WI

Morning in Dakota on Saturday

Local time

9:29 AM

CDT

Current temp

69°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 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

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 Plainfield, WI to Dakota, WI covers 24.7 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 39, County Road JJ, State Highway 21. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 12.3 miles from Plainfield, WI. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.86 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 24.7 miles you will encounter 8 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: near the start (WI 73 / North Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.7 miles: Navigation decision point; at 14 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

On the drive from Plainfield, WI to Dakota, WI, road signs begin pointing toward Necedah along the way.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Ice Age National Scenic Trail.

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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Dakota, WI to Plainfield, WI

Plan the drive back the other way.

24.4 mi 37m

Continue From Dakota, WI

Kenosha, WI 158.1 mi · 3h 33m Racine, WI 149.4 mi · 3h 23m West Allis, WI 118.4 mi · 2h 41m North La Crosse, WI 107.5 mi · 2h 24m
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