Origin
El Paso, TX
Afternoon in El Paso on Saturday
Local time
12:14 PM
MDT
Current temp
85°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from El Paso, TX to San Leon, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
13h 10m
Distance
785 mi
1,263 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$119
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
12h 59m
★
6 AM
13h 11m
8 AM
13h 35m
10 AM
13h 19m
12 PM
13h 17m
3 PM
13h 20m
5 PM
13h 33m
8 PM
13h 4m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
El Paso, TX
Wikimedia Commons
San Leon, TX
Mark Direen
Trip Overview
The drive from El Paso, TX to San Leon, TX covers 785 miles and takes about 13h 10m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on East Franklin Avenue, I 10 East, Frontage Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-haul drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $118.62 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
3 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
392.5 miles from El Paso, TX
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 6h 35m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East Franklin Avenue | — | — |
| I 10 East | — | — |
| Frontage Road | — | — |
| Interstate 10 West | — | — |
| North Loop 1604 West | — | — |
| Loop 1604 East | — | — |
| Anderson Loop | — | — |
| Interstate 10 East | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
East Franklin Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between El Paso, TX and San Leon, TX.
1
Start on North Mesa Street
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
North Mesa Street
2
Turn right onto East Franklin Avenue
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
East Franklin Avenue
3
Take the ramp straight toward I 10 East
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
·
I 10 East
4
Merge slight left
167 mi
·
2 hr 43 min
5
Keep slight right
363 mi
·
5 hr 44 min
6
Keep slight right
5.4 mi
·
5 min
7
Take the exit slight right toward Frontage Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Frontage Road
8
Turn straight onto Interstate 10 West
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Interstate 10 West
9
Turn left onto North Loop 1604 West
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
·
North Loop 1604 West
10
Take the ramp straight toward Loop 1604 East
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Loop 1604 East
11
Merge slight left onto Anderson Loop
25 mi
·
29 min
·
Anderson Loop
12
Turn left onto Interstate 10 East
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Interstate 10 East
13
Take the ramp slight left
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
14
Merge slight left onto 90th Infantry Division Highway
15 mi
·
15 min
·
90th Infantry Division Highway
15
Continue on I 10 East: Houston, Austin, Waco
151 mi
·
2 hr 34 min
·
I 10 East: Houston, Austin, Waco
16
Take the exit slight left toward I 10 Toll: Katy Tollway
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
·
I 10 Toll: Katy Tollway
17
Merge slight left onto Katy Tollway
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Katy Tollway
18
Take the exit slight right
0.2 mi
·
15 sec
19
Merge slight right onto Katy Freeway
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Katy Freeway
20
Take the exit slight left toward I 45 South: Galveston
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
I 45 South: Galveston
21
Merge slight left onto Gulf Freeway
28 mi
·
33 min
·
Gulf Freeway
22
Take the exit slight right toward FM 517: Dickinson
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
FM 517: Dickinson
23
Turn straight onto South Gulf Freeway Frontage Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
South Gulf Freeway Frontage Road
24
Turn left onto Pine Drive
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Pine Drive
25
Continue on Pine Street
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
·
Pine Street
26
Continue on Main Street
0.4 mi
·
40 sec
·
Main Street
27
Turn slight right onto 41st Street East
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
41st Street East
28
Continue on Avenue S
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Avenue S
29
Turn slight right
2.8 mi
·
5 min
30
Arrive at your destination
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This drive is better paced as a 2-day trip.
Plan roughly 3 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 392.5 miles from El Paso, TX, or about 6h 35m into the drive.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 173 miles or 2h 54m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 392.5 miles or 6h 35m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 392.5 miles or 6h 35m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 12h 10m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near San Leon, TX than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving El Paso, TX so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
+
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from El Paso, TX
Aim for roughly 393 miles and 6.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into San Leon, TX
Aim for roughly 393 miles and 6.6 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 173 miles from El Paso, TX.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 3 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
259 mi into the route
Best for: Coffee, fuel, and an easy first stretch
This is a natural early stop once the first hours of the drive are behind you.
Second major stop
Overnight candidate
518 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in San Antonio, TXOvernight Options
Night 1
393 mi · about 6.6h in
A practical overnight split lands near Kerrville, TX after about 393 miles or 6.6 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 173 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 392.5 miles from El Paso, TX, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 393 miles or 6.6 hours on the road.
Final-third reset
Rest stopPlan one more short stretch-and-water break in the final third of the drive so the last arrival window feels easier.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$118.62 one way
$237.23 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
275 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $129.83 | $259.67 |
| premium | $4.54 | $140.16 | $280.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $173.32 | $346.64 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$119
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$249–$359
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 274.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $82 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 235.5 | 2 | $82.43 | $37.68 |
| Efficient EV | 196.3 | 2 | $68.69 | $31.40 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 314 | 3 | $109.90 | $50.24 |
Gas CO2
275 kg
EV CO2
92 kg (67% less)
Plan for 2 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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
San Leon, TX
Afternoon in San Leon on Saturday
Local time
1:14 PM
CDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
60°F
Big Lake, TX
259 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
1 hour later
The destination clock does not match departure time, so double-check hotel check-in windows and late arrival plans.
Temperature spread
17 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
13h 10m on the road
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
785 mi / 13h 10m — a long-haul route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. Biggest road: East Franklin Avenue.
0% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
30 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: East Franklin Avenue.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
At 13h 10m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. Navigation is simple, but the total wheel time makes endurance and break timing the real challenge.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
Navigation is easy, but the length (13h 10m) means fatigue is the real challenge. The route is 0% highway with very few tricky spots, so this is more about pacing than navigation skill.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from El Paso, TX to San Leon, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
About the Cities
Starting in El Paso, TX
Full guide →El Paso is the sixth largest city in Texas, with 679,000 residents (2020). It is on the United States-Mexico border. The city on the other side of the border is Ciudad Juarez, Chihuahua. El Paso is often called the Sun City. Collectively, the city of El Paso and other nearby cities, such as Juarez and Las Cruces, New Mexico are referred to as The Borderland.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 3 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
13h 10m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
Scenic Drive
Long-haul drive route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — a 2-day pace is more comfortable than one long haul. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 393 miles on day one.
We did not find dedicated rest areas on this route. For a drive this long, plan bathroom and stretch breaks around gas stations, fast-food stops, or small-town downtowns — check the Nearby Places section for options.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at San Leon, TX before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 3 meaningful breaks. Dedicated rest areas are limited, so plan gas or food stops as your bathroom breaks.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from El Paso, TX to San Leon, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Not recommended in a single day. At 13.2 hours each way, a round trip means 26.4 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at San Leon, TX before the return drive.
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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