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Trip from Rockville, MN to Saint Cloud, MN

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

Drive Time

19m

Distance

12.1 mi

20 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 18m ★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m

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

city on tripoint of Benton, Sherburne and Stearns Counties in Minnesota, United States

Saint Cloud, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Rockville to Saint Cloud is 12.1 miles and takes about 19 minutes via MN 23, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short journey stays within Minnesota, connecting two points in the Midwest. It's a quick trip that won't eat up your day, making it ideal for a brief excursion or a simple point-to-point drive. You'll encounter a mixed driving profile, so expect a bit of everything as you make your way to Saint Cloud.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 12.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

19m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (58%). Straightforward navigation.

Drive Character

This drive offers a mixed bag, with 58% of it being on highways. You'll experience about 7.1 miles on MN 23, which is the longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter. The route transitions between different road types, meaning you'll go from faster highway driving to more local street navigation. Expect the road to change character as you move from the open highway feel to more urban approaches.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
MN 23 is the longest continuous segment at about 7.1 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 1.1 miles in near MN 23.

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 19m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (MN 23): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles (10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 9.2 miles (44th Avenue North): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 9 key points

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

7
1.1 mi into trip | ~2m in | MN 23

At end of road, turn left onto MN 23

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
4
8.1 mi into trip | ~11m in | 10th Avenue South

Turn left onto 10th Avenue South

Navigation decision point

4
9.2 mi into trip | ~13m in | 44th Avenue North

Turn left onto 44th Avenue North

Navigation decision point

4
9.5 mi into trip | ~14m in | 3rd Street Northeast

Turn right onto 3rd Street Northeast

Navigation decision point

4
11.6 mi into trip | ~18m in | 2nd Street North

Turn left onto 2nd Street North

Navigation decision point

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
MN 23 7.1 mi 8m
3rd Street Northeast 2 mi 3m
West Broadway Street 1.1 mi 2m
Division Street 0.8 mi 1m
2nd Street North 0.5 mi 1m
44th Avenue North 0.4 mi <1m
10th Avenue South 0.3 mi <1m
16th Avenue North <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: MN 23 — 7.1 mi, about 8m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rockville, MN and Saint Cloud, MN.

1

Start on CR 82

1.1 mi · 2 min · West Broadway Street
2

At end of road, turn left onto MN 23

7.1 mi · 8 min · MN 23
Use the straight lane.
3

Turn left onto 10th Avenue South

0.3 mi · 34 sec · 10th Avenue South
4

Turn right onto CR 75

0.8 mi · 1 min · Division Street
5

Turn left onto 44th Avenue North

0.4 mi · 45 sec · 44th Avenue North
6

Turn right onto 3rd Street Northeast

2.0 mi · 3 min · 3rd Street Northeast
7

Turn right onto 16th Avenue North

407 ft · 16 sec · 16th Avenue North
8

Turn left onto 2nd Street North

0.5 mi · 1 min · 2nd Street North
9

Turn right onto 8th Avenue North

253 ft · 16 sec · 8th Avenue North
10

Turn left onto Courthouse Square

7 ft · 0 sec · Courthouse Square
11

Arrive at destination

Courthouse Square

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.80 one way

$3.60 round trip

$3.78/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.07 $1.94 $3.88
premium $4.53 $2.16 $4.32
diesel $5.61 $2.67 $5.34

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.6 0 $1.27 $0.58
Efficient EV 3 0 $1.06 $0.48
EV Truck/SUV 4.8 0 $1.69 $0.77

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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

Rockville, MN

Late night in Rockville on Saturday

Local time

12:00 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Saint Cloud, MN

Late night in Saint Cloud on Saturday

Local time

12:00 AM

CDT

Current temp

67°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

1 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

19m on the road

Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Rockville, MN to Saint Cloud, MN covers 12.1 miles and takes about 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are MN 23, 3rd Street Northeast, West Broadway Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 6.1 miles from Rockville, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.80 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 19m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (MN 23): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.1 miles (10th Avenue South): Navigation decision point; at 9.2 miles (44th Avenue North): Navigation decision point.

The route from Rockville, MN to Saint Cloud, 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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