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Trip from Saint Paul, MN to Chisago City, MN

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

Drive Time

41m

Distance

34.5 mi

55 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m

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

capital of the state of Minnesota, United States; county seat of Ramsey County, Minnesota

Saint Paul, MN

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Chisago City, MN, MN

Chisago City, MN

Tom Fisk

Trip Overview

The drive from Saint Paul, MN to Chisago City, MN covers 34.5 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 35E, Lake Boulevard, I 694 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 22.9 miles on I 35E. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.13 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 34.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (70%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 41m highway drive covering 34.5 miles, with most of the trip on I 35E and Lake Boulevard. The longest continuous stretch is about 22.9 miles on I 35E.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 35E is the longest continuous segment at about 22.9 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 35E and Lake Boulevard. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in near Robert Street North.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 34.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Robert Street North): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.9 miles (US 10): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 9 key points

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

5
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | Robert Street North

Turn left onto Robert Street North

Navigation decision point

7
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 35E North, US 10 West

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 35E North, US 10 West
9
5.9 mi into trip | ~9m in | US 10

Keep slight right at fork onto US 10 toward US 10 West, I 694 West, I 694 East

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 113-114 Toward US 10 West, I 694 West, I 694 East
8
6.2 mi into trip | ~9m in

Take the exit toward I 35E North, I 694 East

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 114 Toward I 35E North, I 694 East
7
7.5 mi into trip | ~11m in | I 35E

Keep slight left at fork onto I 35E toward I 35E North: Duluth

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward I 35E North: Duluth

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 35E 22.9 mi 25m
Lake Boulevard 9 mi 11m
I 694 0.8 mi <1m
Wabasha Street North 0.3 mi 1m
US 10 0.3 mi <1m
7th Street East 0.2 mi <1m
Robert Street North 0.2 mi <1m
11th Street East <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 35E — 22.9 mi, about 25m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Saint Paul, MN and Chisago City, MN.

1

Start on Wabasha Street North

0.3 mi · 1 min · Wabasha Street North
2

Turn right onto MN 5

0.2 mi · 44 sec · 7th Street East
3

Turn left onto Robert Street North

0.2 mi · 40 sec · Robert Street North
4

Turn right onto 11th Street East

451 ft · 17 sec · 11th Street East
5

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward I 35E North, US 10 West
6

Continue on I 35E

4.9 mi · 6 min · I 35E
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork onto US 10

0.3 mi · 19 sec · US 10
Exit 113-114 Toward US 10 West, I 694 West, I 694 East Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 35 sec
Exit 114 Toward I 35E North, I 694 East Use the slight right lane.
9

Merge onto I 694

0.8 mi · 59 sec · I 694
10

Keep slight left at fork onto I 35E

18 mi · 19 min · I 35E
Toward I 35E North: Duluth Use the slight left lane.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto US 8

9.0 mi · 11 min · Lake Boulevard
Toward US 8: Taylors Falls
12

Arrive at destination

US 8

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.13 one way

$10.27 round trip

$3.78/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.07 $5.53 $11.06
premium $4.53 $6.16 $12.31
diesel $5.61 $7.62 $15.23

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.4 0 $3.62 $1.66
Efficient EV 8.6 0 $3.02 $1.38
EV Truck/SUV 13.8 0 $4.83 $2.21

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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 15, 2026

Origin

Saint Paul, MN

Morning in Saint Paul on Saturday

Local time

11:29 AM

CDT

Current temp

67°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Chisago City, MN

Morning in Chisago City on Saturday

Local time

11:29 AM

CDT

Current temp

65°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

2 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

41m 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 Paul, MN to Chisago City, MN covers 34.5 miles and takes about 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 35E, Lake Boulevard, I 694. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 17.2 miles from Saint Paul, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.13 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 9 decision points packed into just 34.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (Robert Street North): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.9 miles (US 10): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

The route from Saint Paul, MN to Chisago City, 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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