Origin
Falls Church, VA
Afternoon in Falls Church on Saturday
Local time
2:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Falls Church, VA to McLean, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
12m
Distance
4.4 mi
7 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 11m
★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 14m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 13m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 14m
8 PM
0h 11m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Falls Church, VA
Pavan Sai .D
McLean, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Falls Church, VA to McLean, VA covers 4.4 miles and takes about 12m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Great Falls Street, Westmoreland Street, Chain Bridge Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2 miles on Great Falls Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $0.69 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Great Falls Street | 2 mi | 4m |
| Westmoreland Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Chain Bridge Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Lemon Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Little Falls Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Broad Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Elm Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Washington Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Great Falls Street
— 2 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Falls Church, VA and McLean, VA.
1
Start on US 29; VA 237
29 ft
·
4 sec
·
North Washington Street
2
Turn right onto VA 7
0.2 mi
·
38 sec
·
West Broad Street
3
Turn right onto Little Falls Street
0.2 mi
·
55 sec
·
Little Falls Street
4
Turn left onto SR 694
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Great Falls Street
5
Turn right onto Lemon Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Lemon Road
6
At end of road, turn left onto SR 693
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Westmoreland Street
7
At end of road, turn right onto SR 3547
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Chain Bridge Road
Use the right lane.
8
Turn slight left onto Elm Street
101 ft
·
2 sec
·
Elm Street
9
Arrive at destination
Elm Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 65 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 3.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
VA 7 / West Broad Street
Turn right onto VA 7 / West Broad Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Little Falls Street
Turn right onto Little Falls Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
SR 694 / Great Falls Street
Turn left onto SR 694 / Great Falls Street
Navigation decision point
4
2.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
SR 693 / Westmoreland Street
At end of road, turn left onto SR 693 / Westmoreland Street
Navigation decision point
7
3.8 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road
At end of road, turn right onto SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$0.69 one way
$1.38 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $0.75 | $1.50 |
| premium | $4.70 | $0.81 | $1.63 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $0.97 | $1.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 1.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $0 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 1.3 | 0 | $0.46 | $0.21 |
| Efficient EV | 1.1 | 0 | $0.39 | $0.18 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.62 | $0.28 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
McLean, VA
Afternoon in McLean on Saturday
Local time
2:21 PM
EDT
Current temp
82°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
12m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
4.4 mi in 12m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2 mi on Great Falls Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near VA 7 / West Broad 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 12m 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: near the start (VA 7 / West Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Little Falls Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (SR 694 / Great Falls Street): Navigation decision point.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 12m. Total distance: 4.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
12m 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
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 2 miles on Great Falls Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (VA 7 / West Broad Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Little Falls Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (SR 694 / Great Falls Street): Navigation decision point.
Yes — Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at McLean, VA before heading back.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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