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Trip from Rawlins, WY to Gillette, WY

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

Drive Time

4h 31m

Distance

246.5 mi

397 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$39

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 40 min
4 AM
4h 18m ★
6 AM
4h 31m
8 AM
4h 58m
10 AM
4h 40m
12 PM
4h 38m
3 PM
4h 42m
5 PM
4h 56m
8 PM
4h 23m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in Carbon County, Wyoming, United States

Rawlins, WY

Wikimedia Commons

city in Campbell County, Wyoming, United States

Gillette, WY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Rawlins, WY to Gillette, WY covers 246.5 miles and takes about 4h 31m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on 3rd Street, Casper West Belt, I 25 North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. At current regular gas prices, budget about $39.06 one way before food or hotel costs.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.

Break Rhythm

1 planned break

Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

Midpoint

123.2 miles from Rawlins, WY

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 15m into the drive .

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
3rd Street
Casper West Belt
I 25 North
Horse Ranch Creek Road
Horseshoe Road
Highway 59 South
South Douglas Highway
East 4th Street

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: 3rd Street — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rawlins, WY and Gillette, WY.

1

Start on West Spruce Street

49 ft · 5 sec · West Spruce Street
2

Turn right onto 3rd Street

44 mi · 50 min · 3rd Street
3

Continue straight

64 mi · 1 hr 12 min
4

Turn left onto Casper West Belt

7.3 mi · 8 min · Casper West Belt
5

Continue straight

3.0 mi · 3 min
6

Turn left onto I 25 North, US 87 North: Midwest

0.4 mi · 51 sec · I 25 North, US 87 North: Midwest
7

Merge slight left

20 mi · 18 min
8

Take the exit slight right toward Horse Ranch Creek Road

0.4 mi · 50 sec · Horse Ranch Creek Road
9

Turn right onto Horseshoe Road

18 mi · 20 min · Horseshoe Road
10

Turn right

51 mi · 58 min
11

Turn left onto State Highway 59 South

33 mi · 35 min · State Highway 59 South
12

Continue on South Douglas Highway

5.0 mi · 9 min · South Douglas Highway
13

Turn left onto East 4th Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · East 4th Street
14

Arrive at your destination

Trip Plan

Morning Departure

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Evening Departure

A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 123.2 miles from Rawlins, WY, or about 2h 15m into the drive.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 54 miles or 59m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 123.2 miles or 2h 15m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 3h 42m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Gillette, WY than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Rawlins, WY so your first major turns are already loaded.

+

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

+

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Rawlins, WY

This is one driving day of about 246.5 miles and 4h 31m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 54 miles from Rawlins, WY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.

Where to Stop

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

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Midwest, WY

123 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

Mountain View, WY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 54 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Midwest, WY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 123.2 miles from Rawlins, WY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$39.06 one way

$78.12 round trip

$4.03/gal 25.4 MPG avg 86 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.22 $40.94 $81.89
premium $4.53 $43.97 $87.94
diesel $5.61 $54.42 $108.85

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$39

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$64–$89

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 86.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $26 in charging · 0 stops · 66% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 74 0 $25.88 $11.83
Efficient EV 61.6 0 $21.57 $9.86
EV Truck/SUV 98.6 1 $34.51 $15.78

Gas CO2

86 kg

EV CO2

29 kg (66% less)

Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.

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 15, 2026

Origin

Rawlins, WY

Morning in Rawlins on Saturday

Local time

11:19 AM

MDT

Current temp

64°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Gillette, WY

Morning in Gillette on Saturday

Local time

11:19 AM

MDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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

9 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

4h 31m on the road

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

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

What kind of drive is this?

246.5 mi in 4h 31m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: 3rd Street.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

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.

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 4h 31m drive. You will face about 0 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Rawlins, WY to Gillette, WY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 4h 31m. Total distance: 246.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

4h 31m drive, comfortable solo distance.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.

Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.

Mostly yes along the main roads, but rural stretches through WY can have sparse or no coverage. Before you leave, download offline Google Maps or Apple Maps for the route, and consider downloading music or podcasts instead of streaming. If you depend on data for navigation, keep a paper backup of the turn-by-turn directions.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Rawlins, WY to Gillette, WY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Possible but tiring. At 4.5 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 9.0 hours — manageable with a long break at Gillette, WY, but most travelers stay overnight.

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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