Origin
Three Forks, MT
Late night in Three Forks on Friday
Local time
3:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Three Forks, MT to Great Falls, MT
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 8m
Distance
25.2 mi
41 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 3m
★
6 AM
1h 8m
8 AM
1h 19m
10 AM
1h 12m
12 PM
1h 11m
3 PM
1h 12m
5 PM
1h 18m
8 PM
1h 5m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Three Forks, MT
Alex Moliski
Great Falls, MT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 25.2-mile drive from Three Forks to Great Falls, Montana, is easily manageable in about 1 hour and 8 minutes. It's a perfect candidate for a single-day trip, so you won't need to worry about overnight stays. With a low estimated fuel cost of just $4, it’s an economical option for a quick journey. The route primarily utilizes Stockett Road and Cottonwood Coulee Road, with a portion on US 87, offering a local, turn-heavy driving experience. Both your origin and destination are situated within the Mountain West region, so expect a consistent, familiar landscape throughout your travels.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 8m. Total distance: 25.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 8m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (27%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with only 27% of it being highway. Your longest uninterrupted stretch will be approximately 9.5 miles on Stockett Road. This means you'll be navigating a variety of road types, likely including county roads and some state highways, rather than a continuous interstate cruise. The character of the drive will likely shift as you transition between these different road sections, requiring your attention for changes in speed limits and turns.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 7 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Stockett Road is the longest continuous segment at about 9.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive. The trickiest moment comes around 8.3 miles in near MT 227 / Stockett Road.
Driving Effort
2/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Three Forks, MT to Great Falls, MT is easy. At 1h 8m with 27% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 8.3 miles (MT 227 / Stockett Road): Navigation decision point; at 17.8 miles (US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200): Navigation decision point; at 24.6 miles (I 15 Business / 6th Street South): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
8.3 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
MT 227 / Stockett Road
At end of road, turn right onto MT 227 / Stockett Road
Navigation decision point
3
17.8 mi into trip
|
~54m in
|
US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200
Turn left onto US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200
Navigation decision point
3
24.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 6m in
|
I 15 Business / 6th Street South
Turn right onto I 15 Business / 6th Street South
Navigation decision point
4
25 mi into trip
|
~1h 7m in
|
5th Avenue South
Turn left onto 5th Avenue South
Navigation decision point
5
25.2 mi into trip
|
~1h 7m in
|
4th Street South
Turn right onto 4th Street South
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Stockett Road | 9.5 mi | 22m |
| Cottonwood Coulee Road | 8.3 mi | 31m |
| US 87 | 6.9 mi | 11m |
| 6th Street South | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| 5th Avenue South | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 4th Street South | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Stockett Road
— 9.5 mi, about 22m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Three Forks, MT and Great Falls, MT.
1
Start on Cottonwood Coulee Road
8.3 mi
·
31 min
·
Cottonwood Coulee Road
2
At end of road, turn right onto MT 227
9.5 mi
·
22 min
·
Stockett Road
3
Turn left onto US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200
6.9 mi
·
11 min
·
US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200
4
Turn right onto I 15 Business
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
·
6th Street South
5
Turn left onto 5th Avenue South
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
5th Avenue South
6
Turn right onto 4th Street South
162 ft
·
7 sec
·
4th Street South
7
Arrive at destination
4th Street South
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.99 one way
$7.99 round trip
$4.03/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.22 | $4.19 | $8.37 |
| premium | $4.53 | $4.50 | $8.99 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.56 | $11.13 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.65 | $1.21 |
| Efficient EV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.01 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.1 | 0 | $3.53 | $1.61 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Great Falls, MT
Late night in Great Falls on Friday
Local time
3:21 AM
MDT
Current temp
68°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
21 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
1h 8m 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 Three Forks, MT to Great Falls, MT covers 25.2 miles and takes about 1h 8m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Stockett Road, Cottonwood Coulee Road, US 87. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.6 miles from Three Forks, MT. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.99 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.
The drive from Three Forks, MT to Great Falls, MT is easy. At 1h 8m with 27% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
The main spots that need attention: at 8.3 miles (MT 227 / Stockett Road): Navigation decision point; at 17.8 miles (US 87; US 89; MT 3; MT 200): Navigation decision point; at 24.6 miles (I 15 Business / 6th Street South): Navigation decision point.
The route from Three Forks, MT to Great Falls, MT 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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