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Trip from West Des Moines, IA to Granger, IA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

25m

Distance

17.7 mi

28 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 7 min
4 AM
0h 23m ★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Polk, Dallas, Warren, and Madison counties, Iowa, United States

West Des Moines, IA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from West Des Moines, IA to Granger, IA covers 17.7 miles and takes about 25m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on I 80, Northwest Granger Drive, Northwest 114th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 3.4 miles on I 80. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.77 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 25m. Total distance: 17.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

25m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (33%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed drive route profile.

Drive Character

The drive from West Des Moines, IA to Granger, IA covers 17.7 miles and takes about 25m, using a mix of highways and local roads.

Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
I 80 is the longest continuous segment at about 3.4 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 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 8th Street.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 17.7 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: at 0.1 miles (8th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4 miles (Ramp 72 E): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 8 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

3
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | 8th Street

Turn right onto 8th Street

Navigation decision point

6
1.4 mi into trip | ~3m in

Take the ramp toward I-235 west

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward I-235 west
8
4 mi into trip | ~6m in | Ramp 72 E

Take the exit onto Ramp 72 E toward I 35 North, I 80 East: Minneapolis, Chicago

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 123B Toward I 35 North, I 80 East: Minneapolis, Chic...
7
4.5 mi into trip | ~7m in | I 80

Merge onto I 80 toward I-35 north, I-80 east: Chicago, Minneapolis

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward I-35 north, I-80 east: Chicago, Minneapo...
7
7.9 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward IA 141 West: Grimes

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 127B Toward IA 141 West: Grimes

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between West Des Moines, IA and Granger, IA, road signs point toward Chicago and Minneapolis.

Chicago

4 mi in | ~6m | via Ramp 72 E

Minneapolis

4.5 mi in | ~7m | via I 80

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 80 3.4 mi 3m
Northwest Granger Drive 2.8 mi 3m
Northwest 114th Street 2.6 mi 3m
John MacVicar Freeway 2.3 mi 2m
Southeast Grimes Boulevard 2.3 mi 3m
8th Street 1 mi 2m
Northeast Grimes Boulevard 1 mi 1m
Ramp 72 E 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 80 — 3.4 mi, about 3m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between West Des Moines, IA and Granger, IA.

1

Start on Vine Street

468 ft · 14 sec · Vine Street
2

Turn right onto 8th Street

1.0 mi · 2 min · 8th Street
3

Continue on 73rd Street

0.3 mi · 36 sec · 73rd Street
4

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Toward I-235 west Use the left lane.
5

Merge onto I 235

2.3 mi · 2 min · John MacVicar Freeway
6

Take the exit onto Ramp 72 E

0.4 mi · 56 sec · Ramp 72 E
Exit 123B Toward I 35 North, I 80 East: Minneapolis, Chicago Use the slight right lane.
7

Merge onto I 80

3.4 mi · 3 min · I 80
Toward I-35 north, I-80 east: Chicago, Minneapolis Use the slight right lane.
8

Take the exit

0.8 mi · 1 min
Exit 127B Toward IA 141 West: Grimes Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto IA 141

2.3 mi · 3 min · Southeast Grimes Boulevard
10

Continue on IA 141

1.0 mi · 1 min · Northeast Grimes Boulevard
11

Continue on IA 141

2.6 mi · 3 min · Northwest 114th Street
12

Continue on IA 141

2.8 mi · 3 min · Northwest Granger Drive
13

Turn right onto Sycamore Street

0.3 mi · 39 sec · Sycamore Street
14

Arrive at destination

Sycamore Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.77 one way

$5.53 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.36 $3.04 $6.08
premium $4.89 $3.41 $6.81
diesel $5.61 $3.91 $7.82

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.3 0 $1.86 $0.85
Efficient EV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71
EV Truck/SUV 7.1 0 $2.48 $1.13

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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.

Forecast as of Apr 18, 2026

Origin

West Des Moines, IA

Morning in West Des Moines on Saturday

Local time

10:34 AM

CDT

Current temp

34°F

Clear

NW 13 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Red Flag Warning

Red Flag Warning issued April 18 at 2:33AM CDT until April 18 at 8:00PM CDT by NWS Omaha/Valley NE

Flood Watch

Flood Watch issued April 17 at 10:38PM CDT until April 24 at 7:00AM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Destination

Granger, IA

Morning in Granger on Saturday

Local time

10:34 AM

CDT

Current temp

51°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

17 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

25m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from West Des Moines, IA to Granger, IA covers 17.7 miles and takes about 25m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 80, Northwest Granger Drive, Northwest 114th Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 8.8 miles from West Des Moines, IA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.77 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 17.7 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: at 0.1 miles (8th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4 miles (Ramp 72 E): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Between West Des Moines, IA and Granger, IA, road signs point toward Chicago and Minneapolis.

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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