Trip from West Des Moines, IA to Stuart, IA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

40m

Distance

35 mi

56 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min

4 AM

0h 37m ★

6 AM

0h 41m

8 AM

0h 48m

10 AM

0h 43m

12 PM

0h 43m

3 PM

0h 44m

5 PM

0h 47m

8 PM

0h 39m

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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Trip Overview

The drive from West Des Moines, IA to Stuart, IA covers 35 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 I 80, John MacVicar Freeway, 8th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 29.1 miles on I 80. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.47 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 35 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 (93%). Straightforward navigation.

Drive Character

This is a 40m highway drive covering 35 miles, with most of the trip on I 80 and John MacVicar Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 29.1 miles on I 80.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.

There are about 9 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 29.1 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 80 and John MacVicar Freeway. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near 8th Street.

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 40m drive. You will face about 6 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 (8th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 6 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

3

1.7 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway

Merge onto I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining

5

5 mi into trip | ~7m in | I 80

Merge onto I 80

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

5

34.1 mi into trip | ~39m in

Take the exit toward CR P28: Stuart, Panora

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward CR P28: Stuart, Panora

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
I 80	29.1 mi	31m
John MacVicar Freeway	3.3 mi	4m
8th Street	1 mi	2m
South Division Street	0.6 mi	1m
73rd Street	0.3 mi	<1m
Vine Street	<0.1 mi	<1m

Longest stretch: I 80 — 29.1 mi, about 31m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

3.3 mi · 4 min · John MacVicar Freeway

6

Merge onto I 80

29 mi · 31 min · I 80

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

7

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec

Toward CR P28: Stuart, Panora

8

Turn right onto CR P28

0.6 mi · 1 min · South Division Street

9

Arrive at destination

CR P28

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.47 one way

$10.94 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$4.36	$6.01	$12.02
premium	$4.89	$6.74	$13.47
diesel	$5.61	$7.73	$15.46

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	10.5	$3.68	$1.68
Efficient EV	8.8	$3.06	$1.40
EV Truck/SUV	14	$4.90	$2.24

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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 14, 2026

Origin

West Des Moines, IA

Late night in West Des Moines on Friday

Local time

4:04 AM

CDT

Current temp

84°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

SSW 14 mph 32% chance Live forecast

Tornado Watch

Tornado Watch issued April 14 at 2:35PM CDT until April 14 at 10:00PM CDT by NWS Quad Cities IA IL

Tornado Watch

Tornado Watch issued April 14 at 2:35PM CDT until April 14 at 10:00PM CDT by NWS Des Moines IA

Destination

Stuart, IA

Late night in Stuart on Friday

Local time

4:04 AM

CDT

Current temp

73°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

11 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

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 Stuart, IA covers 35 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are I 80, John MacVicar Freeway, 8th Street. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 17.5 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 $5.47 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 40m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (8th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1.4 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (I 235 / John MacVicar Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining.

The route from West Des Moines, IA to Stuart, IA 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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