Origin
Garland, TX
Afternoon in Garland on Saturday
Local time
2:55 PM
CDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Garland, TX to Carrizo Springs, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
9h 55m
Distance
539.3 mi
868 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$81
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
9h 46m
★
6 AM
9h 55m
8 AM
10h 13m
10 AM
10h 2m
12 PM
10h 0m
3 PM
10h 3m
5 PM
10h 12m
8 PM
9h 50m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carrizo Springs, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Garland, TX to Carrizo Springs, TX covers 539.3 miles and takes about 9h 55m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Highway 259 South, I 35E, I 35E South for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-haul drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $81.49 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
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
269.6 miles from Garland, TX
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 57m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Highway 259 South | — | — |
| I 35E | — | — |
| I 35E South | — | — |
| I 35E North | — | — |
| South R L Thornton Freeway | — | — |
| North Jack Kultgen Expressway | — | — |
| Purple Heart Trail | — | — |
| Highway 35 | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Highway 259 South
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Garland, TX and Carrizo Springs, TX.
1
Start on the route
2.1 mi
·
5 min
·
the route
2
At the end of the road, turn right onto US Highway 259 South
16 mi
·
24 min
·
US Highway 259 South
3
Take the ramp right
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
4
Merge slight left
132 mi
·
2 hr 16 min
5
Take the exit slight right toward I 35E: Denton, Waco
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
I 35E: Denton, Waco
6
Keep slight left to continue on I 35E South, I 35E North: Waco, Denton
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
I 35E South, I 35E North: Waco, Denton
7
Keep slight left to continue on I 35E North, I 35E South: Denton, Waco
220 ft
·
5 sec
·
I 35E North, I 35E South: Denton, Waco
8
Keep slight left to continue on I 35E South: Waco
0.4 mi
·
30 sec
·
I 35E South: Waco
9
Continue on South R L Thornton Freeway
0.5 mi
·
44 sec
·
South R L Thornton Freeway
10
Continue on South R L Thornton Freeway
89 mi
·
1 hr 31 min
·
South R L Thornton Freeway
11
Continue on North Jack Kultgen Expressway
6.6 mi
·
7 min
·
North Jack Kultgen Expressway
12
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
38 mi
·
39 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
13
Keep slight left
56 mi
·
58 min
14
Keep slight left to continue on Purple Heart Trail
50 mi
·
54 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
15
Continue on Interstate Highway 35
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Interstate Highway 35
16
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
12 mi
·
12 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
17
Continue on North Pan Am Expressway
10.0 mi
·
11 min
·
North Pan Am Expressway
18
Keep slight left to continue on North Pan Am Expressway
6.4 mi
·
8 min
·
North Pan Am Expressway
19
Keep slight left to continue on North Pan Am Expressway
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
North Pan Am Expressway
20
Keep slight right to continue on South Pan Am Expressway
10 mi
·
12 min
·
South Pan Am Expressway
21
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
61 mi
·
1 hr
·
Purple Heart Trail
22
Take the exit slight right toward Texas 85: Charlotte, Carrizo Springs, Crystal City
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Texas 85: Charlotte, Carrizo Springs, Crystal City
23
Turn straight onto I 35 Access Road West
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
I 35 Access Road West
24
Turn right
44 mi
·
1 hr 2 min
25
Turn left onto North 1st Street
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
North 1st Street
26
Turn right onto Peña Street
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Peña Street
27
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 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 269.6 miles from Garland, TX, or about 4h 57m 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 119 miles or 2h 11m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 269.6 miles or 4h 57m 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 269.6 miles or 4h 57m
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 8h 49m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Carrizo Springs, TX than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Garland, 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 Garland, TX
Aim for roughly 270 miles and 5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Carrizo Springs, TX
Aim for roughly 270 miles and 5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 119 miles from Garland, TX.
This route usually feels better as a 2-day drive than as one long push.
Plan about 2 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
178 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
356 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 Austin, TXOvernight Options
Night 1
270 mi · about 5h in
A practical overnight split lands near Killeen, TX after about 270 miles or 5 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 119 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 269.6 miles from Garland, 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 270 miles or 5 hours on the road.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$81.49 one way
$162.98 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
189 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $89.20 | $178.39 |
| premium | $4.54 | $96.29 | $192.58 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $119.07 | $238.14 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$81
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$211–$321
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 188.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $57 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 161.8 | 1 | $56.63 | $25.89 |
| Efficient EV | 134.8 | 1 | $47.19 | $21.57 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 215.7 | 2 | $75.50 | $34.52 |
Gas CO2
189 kg
EV CO2
63 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Carrizo Springs, TX
Afternoon in Carrizo Springs on Saturday
Local time
2:55 PM
CDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
22 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
9h 55m 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?
539.3 mi / 9h 55m — a long-haul route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. Biggest road: Highway 259 South.
0% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Main road: Highway 259 South.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
At 9h 55m, this is a long-haul route where pacing matters more than any single turn. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The route itself is not hard, but at 9h 55m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Garland, TX to Carrizo Springs, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
About the Cities
Starting in Garland, TX
Full guide →Garland is a city in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area in the State of Texas. Mike Judge, the creator of Beavis and Butthead and King of the Hill, used to live in Garland, as well as some other small towns around Texas. So, yeah. Don't be shocked if you take a wrong turn through a downscale neighborhood and see someone barbecuing hot dogs using one of those things that turns your truck's air filter into a grill. On the other hand, Garland's north side is a palacial monument to suburban living in all its McMansioned, strip malling, Starbucks-sipping glory. Garland is basically an unprepossessing, pleasant place. While it's hard to get too excited about much that happens in Garland, it is just so darned pleasant.
Arriving in Carrizo Springs, TX
Full guide →Carrizo Springs is a city on the South Texas Plains.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
9h 55m 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 270 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 is a long drive, so arriving tired and in the dark compounds. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Carrizo Springs, 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 2 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 Garland, TX to Carrizo Springs, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Not recommended in a single day. At 9.9 hours each way, a round trip means 19.8 hours of driving — that is an unsafe level of fatigue for most drivers. Plan at least one night at Carrizo Springs, 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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