Origin
Scandia, MN
Afternoon in Scandia on Friday
Local time
12:39 PM
CDT
Current temp
64°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Scandia, MN to Lake Elmo, MN
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
23.7 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
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.
Scandia, MN
Efrem Efre
Lake Elmo, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Scandia, MN to Lake Elmo, MN covers 23.7 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 St Croix Trail North, Stillwater Boulevard North, Main Street North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.8 miles on St Croix Trail North. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.53 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 23.7 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 (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 38m drive with frequent turns across 23.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 12 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
St Croix Trail North is the longest continuous segment at about 13.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. 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 CH 3 / Olinda Trail North.
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 23.7 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 (CH 3 / Olinda Trail North): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles (MN 95 / St Croix Trail North): Navigation decision point; at 17.3 miles (Myrtle Street East): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CH 3 / Olinda Trail North
Turn right onto CH 3 / Olinda Trail North
Navigation decision point
4
1.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
MN 95 / St Croix Trail North
Turn right onto MN 95 / St Croix Trail North
Navigation decision point
4
17.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Myrtle Street East
Turn right onto Myrtle Street East
Navigation decision point
4
18 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
CH 5 / Owens Street South
Turn left onto CH 5 / Owens Street South
Navigation decision point
6
18.1 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
CH 5 / Olive Street West
Turn right onto CH 5 / Olive Street West
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| St Croix Trail North | 13.8 mi | 19m |
| Stillwater Boulevard North | 4.5 mi | 8m |
| Main Street North | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Scandia Trail North | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Myrtle Street East | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Olive Street West | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Lake Elmo Avenue North | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Olinda Trail North | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
St Croix Trail North
— 13.8 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Scandia, MN and Lake Elmo, MN.
1
Start on this road
87 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto CH 3
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
Olinda Trail North
3
Turn right onto MN 97
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Scandia Trail North
4
Turn right onto MN 95
14 mi
·
19 min
·
St Croix Trail North
5
Continue on MN 95
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Main Street North
6
Turn right onto Myrtle Street East
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Myrtle Street East
7
Turn left onto CH 5
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Owens Street South
8
Turn right onto CH 5
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Olive Street West
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Continue on CH 5
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
Stillwater Boulevard North
Use the left lane.
10
Continue on CH 14
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Stillwater Boulevard North
Use the straight lane.
11
Turn left onto CH 17
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Lake Elmo Avenue North
12
Arrive at destination
CH 17
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.53 one way
$7.05 round trip
$3.78/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.07 | $3.80 | $7.60 |
| premium | $4.53 | $4.23 | $8.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.23 | $10.47 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.49 | $1.14 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.07 | $0.95 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Lake Elmo, MN
Afternoon in Lake Elmo on Friday
Local time
12:39 PM
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
1 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
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 Scandia, MN to Lake Elmo, MN covers 23.7 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are St Croix Trail North, Stillwater Boulevard North, Main Street North. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.8 miles from Scandia, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.53 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 23.7 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 (CH 3 / Olinda Trail North): Navigation decision point; at 1.8 miles (MN 95 / St Croix Trail North): Navigation decision point; at 17.3 miles (Myrtle Street East): Navigation decision point.
The route from Scandia, MN to Lake Elmo, 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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