Origin
Waite Park, MN
Evening in Waite Park on Friday
Local time
6:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waite Park, MN to Saint Cloud, MN
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
6m
Distance
3.2 mi
5 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$0
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 6m
★
6 AM
0h 7m
8 AM
0h 8m
10 AM
0h 7m
12 PM
0h 7m
3 PM
0h 7m
5 PM
0h 8m
8 PM
0h 7m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waite Park, MN
Tom Fisk
Saint Cloud, MN
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Waite Park, MN to Saint Cloud, MN covers 3.2 miles and takes about 6m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on 3rd Street North, 2nd Street North, 6th Avenue North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.5 miles on 3rd Street North. At current regular gas prices, budget about $0.48 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 6m. Total distance: 3.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
6m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 6m drive with frequent turns across 3.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
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.
3rd Street North is the longest continuous segment at about 2.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near CR 81 / 3rd Street North.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 6m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (CR 81 / 3rd Street North): Navigation decision point; at 2.6 miles (16th Avenue North): Navigation decision point; at 2.7 miles (2nd Street North): 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.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CR 81 / 3rd Street North
Turn right onto CR 81 / 3rd Street North
Navigation decision point
3
2.6 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
16th Avenue North
Turn right onto 16th Avenue North
Navigation decision point
4
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
2nd Street North
Turn left onto 2nd Street North
Navigation decision point
4
3.2 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
8th Avenue North
Turn right onto 8th Avenue North
Navigation decision point
4
3.2 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
Courthouse Square
Turn left onto Courthouse Square
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| 3rd Street North | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| 2nd Street North | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 6th Avenue North | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| 16th Avenue North | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 8th Avenue North | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Courthouse Square | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
3rd Street North
— 2.5 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waite Park, MN and Saint Cloud, MN.
1
Start on 6th Avenue North
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
6th Avenue North
2
Turn right onto CR 81
2.5 mi
·
4 min
·
3rd Street North
3
Turn right onto 16th Avenue North
407 ft
·
16 sec
·
16th Avenue North
4
Turn left onto 2nd Street North
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
2nd Street North
5
Turn right onto 8th Avenue North
253 ft
·
16 sec
·
8th Avenue North
6
Turn left onto Courthouse Square
7 ft
·
0 sec
·
Courthouse Square
7
Arrive at destination
Courthouse Square
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$0.48 one way
$0.95 round trip
$3.78/gal
25.4 MPG avg
1 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.07 | $0.51 | $1.03 |
| premium | $4.53 | $0.57 | $1.14 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $0.71 | $1.41 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$0
Estimated CO2 emission: 1.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $0 in charging · 0 stops · 100% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 1 | 0 | $0.34 | $0.15 |
| Efficient EV | 0.8 | 0 | $0.28 | $0.13 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 1.3 | 0 | $0.45 | $0.20 |
Gas CO2
1 kg
EV CO2
0 kg (100% 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
Saint Cloud, MN
Evening in Saint Cloud on Friday
Local time
6:30 PM
CDT
Current temp
67°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
6m 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 Waite Park, MN to Saint Cloud, MN covers 3.2 miles and takes about 6m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are 3rd Street North, 2nd Street North, 6th Avenue North. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 1.6 miles from Waite Park, MN. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $0.48 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 straightforward 6m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (CR 81 / 3rd Street North): Navigation decision point; at 2.6 miles (16th Avenue North): Navigation decision point; at 2.7 miles (2nd Street North): Navigation decision point.
The route from Waite Park, MN to Saint Cloud, 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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