Origin
West Des Moines, IA
Morning in West Des Moines on Saturday
Local time
9:07 AM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from West Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
26.3 mi
42 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
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
West Des Moines, IA
Wikimedia Commons
Prairie City, IA
Charles Criscuolo
Trip Overview
The drive from West Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA covers 26.3 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on East University Avenue, John MacVicar Freeway, Northeast University Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.4 miles on East University Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.11 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 26.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (24%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 39m drive with frequent turns across 26.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
East University Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 14.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 11 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near Grand Avenue.
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 26.3 miles you will encounter 11 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 0.6 miles (Grand Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles (56th Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Grand Avenue
Turn right onto Grand Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
56th Street
Turn left onto 56th Street
Navigation decision point
5
2.2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway
Merge onto I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
7.2 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Take the exit toward IA 163 East: East University Avenue, State Fairgrounds
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 10A
Toward IA 163 East: East University Avenue, Sta...
5
26.2 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
East 5th Street
Turn left onto East 5th Street
Navigation decision point
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from West Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA, road signs begin pointing toward State Fairgrounds along the way.
State Fairgrounds
7.2 mi in
|
~11m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East University Avenue | 14.4 mi | 20m |
| John MacVicar Freeway | 5 mi | 6m |
| Northeast University Avenue | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| State Highway 163 (Bus) | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| West 2nd Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Grand Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| 56th Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| 4th Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
East University Avenue
— 14.4 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between West Des Moines, IA and Prairie City, IA.
1
Start on Vine Street
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
Vine Street
2
Turn left onto 4th Street
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
·
4th Street
3
Turn right onto Grand Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto 56th Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
56th Street
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Toward I-235 east
6
Merge onto I 235
5.0 mi
·
6 min
·
John MacVicar Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 10A
Toward IA 163 East: East University Avenue, State Fairgrounds
Use the slight right lane.
8
Turn straight onto IA 163
7.7 mi
·
12 min
·
East University Avenue
9
Continue on IA 163
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Northeast University Avenue
10
Continue on IA 163
6.6 mi
·
7 min
·
East University Avenue
11
Turn left onto West 116th Street South
277 ft
·
6 sec
·
West 116th Street South
12
Turn right onto State Highway 163 (Bus)
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
State Highway 163 (Bus)
13
Turn left onto IA 117
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
West 2nd Street
14
Turn left onto IA 117
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
South State Street
15
Turn left onto East 5th Street
344 ft
·
15 sec
·
East 5th Street
16
Arrive at destination
East 5th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.11 one way
$8.22 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.51 | $9.03 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.06 | $10.12 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.81 | $11.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 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 | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.30 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.68 | $1.68 |
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
Prairie City, IA
Morning in Prairie City on Saturday
Local time
9:07 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
1 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
39m 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 West Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA covers 26.3 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are East University Avenue, John MacVicar Freeway, Northeast University Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.1 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 $4.11 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 26.3 miles you will encounter 11 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 0.6 miles (Grand Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.3 miles (56th Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.2 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from West Des Moines, IA to Prairie City, IA, road signs begin pointing toward State Fairgrounds along the way.
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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