Origin
Waterloo, IA
Evening in Waterloo on Friday
Local time
7:59 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
30.2 mi
49 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Waterloo, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Grundy Center, IA
Ethan Bianco
Trip Overview
The drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA covers 30.2 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Washington Street, West 5th Street, West 4th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.72 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 30.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m 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 40m drive with frequent turns across 30.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Washington Street is one of the defining roads on this drive.
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.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA is easy. At 40m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Street | — | — |
| West 5th Street | — | — |
| West 4th Street | — | — |
| West Ridgeway Avenue | — | — |
| Sergeant Road | — | — |
| Avenue of the Saints | — | — |
| IA 14 | — | — |
| N Avenue | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Washington Street
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Waterloo, IA and Grundy Center, IA.
1
Start on West 4th Street
75 ft
·
6 sec
·
West 4th Street
2
Turn right onto Washington Street
384 ft
·
10 sec
·
Washington Street
3
Turn right onto West 5th Street
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
West 5th Street
4
Continue on West 4th Street
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
West 4th Street
5
Turn slight right onto West Ridgeway Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
West Ridgeway Avenue
6
Turn left onto Sergeant Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Sergeant Road
7
Take the ramp left
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
8
Merge slight left onto Avenue of the Saints
18 mi
·
21 min
·
Avenue of the Saints
9
Take the exit slight right toward IA 14: Parkersburg, Grundy Center
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
·
IA 14: Parkersburg, Grundy Center
10
Turn left onto N Avenue
6.3 mi
·
8 min
·
N Avenue
11
Continue on 4th Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
4th Street
12
At the end of the road, turn right onto G Avenue
66 ft
·
1 sec
·
G Avenue
13
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.72 one way
$9.44 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $5.18 | $10.37 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.81 | $11.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.67 | $13.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.1 | 0 | $3.17 | $1.45 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.23 | $1.93 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Grundy Center, IA
Evening in Grundy Center on Friday
Local time
7:59 PM
CDT
Current temp
49°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
19 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
40m 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 Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA covers 30.2 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Washington Street, West 5th Street, West 4th Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 15.1 miles from Waterloo, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.72 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 Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA is easy. At 40m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Waterloo, IA to Grundy Center, IA 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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