Origin
Thornton, CO
Late night in Thornton on Friday
Local time
4:16 AM
MDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Thornton, CO to Derby, CO
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
13m
Distance
6.5 mi
10 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 12m
★
6 AM
0h 14m
8 AM
0h 16m
10 AM
0h 14m
12 PM
0h 14m
3 PM
0h 14m
5 PM
0h 16m
8 PM
0h 13m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Thornton, CO
Wikimedia Commons
Derby, CO
@coldbeer
Trip Overview
This short 6.5-mile drive from Thornton, CO to Derby, CO should only take about 13 minutes, making it an easy addition to any day. With a minimal fuel cost of around $1, it's an economical trip. The route is recommended for a single day, offering a straightforward journey through the Mountain West region. You'll primarily navigate Thornton Parkway and East 88th Avenue before merging onto US 6. This drive is best suited for those looking for a quick, practical transit rather than an extended scenic adventure.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
This is a no-brainer same-day round trip. At just 6.5 miles and 13 minutes, it's a perfect quick escape for a weekend.
Family Friendly
With a 13-minute drive and minimal complexity, this route is totally manageable with kids. It's so short, you won't even need to worry about breaks.
Solo Traveler
This 6.5-mile drive is incredibly comfortable for a solo traveler. You'll be there in about 13 minutes, leaving plenty of time for your actual destination.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
This 6.5-mile drive is very simple with 49% highway driving and a low complexity rating of 5/10. It's a quick 13-minute trip, ideal for building confidence.
Drive Character
This drive presents a mixed profile, with 49% of the journey on highways. You'll experience a blend of local roads and quicker highway stretches, offering a varied driving experience. The longest continuous segment you'll encounter is 1.7 miles on Thornton Parkway. As you progress, expect the road to transition from more urban-feeling streets to faster-paced highway travel, keeping you engaged without being overly demanding. It's a practical route designed for efficient travel.
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.
Thornton Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 1.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Dorothy Boulevard.
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 6.5 miles you will encounter 9 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 (Dorothy Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Thornton Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.9 miles (East 88th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 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
|
Dorothy Boulevard
Turn left onto Dorothy Boulevard
Navigation decision point
7
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Thornton Parkway
At end of road, turn right onto Thornton Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
2.9 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
East 88th Avenue
Turn left onto East 88th Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
8
5 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
US 6; US 85
Take the exit onto US 6; US 85 toward US 6 West, US 85 South: Commerce City
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 9
Toward US 6 West, US 85 South: Commerce City
6
6.1 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
East 77th Avenue
Turn left onto East 77th Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Thornton Parkway | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| East 88th Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| US 6 | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Colorado Boulevard | 1 mi | 1m |
| Heartland Expressway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Kimberly Street | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Dorothy Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East 77th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Thornton Parkway
— 1.7 mi, about 3m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Thornton, CO and Derby, CO.
1
Start on this road
76 ft
·
12 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto Dorothy Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
55 sec
·
Dorothy Boulevard
3
At end of road, turn right onto Thornton Parkway
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Thornton Parkway
Use the straight lane.
4
Turn right onto Colorado Boulevard
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Colorado Boulevard
Use the right lane.
5
Turn left onto East 88th Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
East 88th Avenue
Use the left / straight lanes.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward I 76 West: Denver
7
Merge onto I 76; US 6; US 85
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
·
Heartland Expressway
8
Take the exit onto US 6; US 85
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
US 6; US 85
Exit 9
Toward US 6 West, US 85 South: Commerce City
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn left onto East 77th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
East 77th Avenue
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto Kimberly Street
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Kimberly Street
11
Arrive at destination
Kimberly Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$0.98 one way
$1.96 round trip
$3.83/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.05 | $1.04 | $2.07 |
| premium | $4.39 | $1.12 | $2.25 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.44 | $2.87 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2 | 0 | $0.68 | $0.31 |
| Efficient EV | 1.6 | 0 | $0.57 | $0.26 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.91 | $0.42 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Derby, CO
Late night in Derby on Friday
Local time
4:16 AM
MDT
Current temp
79°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
33 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
13m 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 Thornton, CO to Derby, CO covers 6.5 miles and takes about 13m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Thornton Parkway, East 88th Avenue, US 6. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.3 miles from Thornton, CO. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $0.98 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 6.5 miles you will encounter 9 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 (Dorothy Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Thornton Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.9 miles (East 88th Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Thornton, CO to Derby, CO does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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. 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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