Origin
Saint Charles, MO
Late night in Saint Charles on Friday
Local time
5:59 AM
CDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Saint Charles, MO to Ballwin, MO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
17.4 mi
28 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 33m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint Charles, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Ballwin, MO
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Saint Charles, MO to Ballwin, MO covers 17.4 miles and takes about 30m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Maryland Heights Expressway, I 70, Clayton Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10 miles on Maryland Heights Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.72 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 30m. Total distance: 17.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (67%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 30m highway drive covering 17.4 miles, with most of the trip on Maryland Heights Expressway and I 70. The longest continuous stretch is about 10 miles on Maryland Heights Expressway.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Maryland Heights Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 10 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Maryland Heights Expressway and I 70. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Jefferson Street.
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 17.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Jefferson Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (MO 94 / South Fifth Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Jefferson Street
Turn right onto Jefferson Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
MO 94 / South Fifth Street
Turn left onto MO 94 / South Fifth Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward I 70 East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Toward I 70 East
7
3.4 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward MO 141 South: Maryland Heights Expressway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 231A
Toward MO 141 South: Maryland Heights Expresswa...
5
3.7 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
MO 141 / Maryland Heights Expressway
Merge onto MO 141 / Maryland Heights Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Maryland Heights Expressway | 10 mi | 14m |
| I 70 | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Clayton Road | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Holloway Road | 1.2 mi | 3m |
| South Fifth Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Baxter Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Jefferson Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Second Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Maryland Heights Expressway
— 10 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Saint Charles, MO and Ballwin, MO.
1
Start on North Second Street
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
North Second Street
2
Turn right onto Jefferson Street
0.2 mi
·
44 sec
·
Jefferson Street
3
Turn left onto MO 94
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
South Fifth Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
14 sec
Toward I 70 East
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Merge onto I 70
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
I 70
6
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
34 sec
Exit 231A
Toward MO 141 South: Maryland Heights Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto MO 141
10.0 mi
·
14 min
·
Maryland Heights Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward Clayton Road, Woods Mill Road
9
Turn straight onto South Woods Mill Road
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
South Woods Mill Road
10
Turn right onto Clayton Road
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Clayton Road
11
Turn left onto Baxter Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Baxter Road
Use the left lane.
12
Turn straight onto Holloway Road
1.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Holloway Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Turn right
220 ft
·
18 sec
14
Turn right
219 ft
·
16 sec
15
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.72 one way
$5.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $2.99 | $5.97 |
| premium | $4.89 | $3.35 | $6.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.84 | $7.68 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.83 | $0.84 |
| Efficient EV | 4.4 | 0 | $1.52 | $0.70 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7 | 0 | $2.44 | $1.11 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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.
Destination
Ballwin, MO
Late night in Ballwin on Friday
Local time
5:59 AM
CDT
Current temp
57°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
30m 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 Saint Charles, MO to Ballwin, MO covers 17.4 miles and takes about 30m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Maryland Heights Expressway, I 70, Clayton Road. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.7 miles from Saint Charles, MO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.72 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 17.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Jefferson Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (MO 94 / South Fifth Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Saint Charles, MO to Ballwin, MO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Gateway Arch National Park.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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