Drive Time
9h
Distance
602.2 mi
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$90
one way
The drive from Houston, TX to Amarillo, TX covers 602.2 miles and takes about 9h behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Franklin Street, Travis Street, I 45 North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $89.60 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
301.1 miles from Houston, TX
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 30m into the drive .
At 602.2 miles and 9h of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are Franklin Street and Travis Street.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Franklin Street | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Travis Street | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 45 North | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| North Freeway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Waco | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Woodall Rodgers Freeway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 35E North | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| North Stemmons Freeway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.
Step-by-step road directions between Houston, TX and Amarillo, TX.
Start on Louisiana Street
Turn right onto Franklin Street
Turn left onto Travis Street
Take the ramp straight toward I 45 North Express Lane
Merge slight left onto North Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward Waco, Denton
Continue on Woodall Rodgers Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward I 35E North: Denton
Merge slight left onto North Stemmons Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on John W Carpenter Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on SH 183 TEXpress
Keep slight right to continue on SH 183 TEXpress
Continue on SH 121/183 TEXpress
Continue on SH 183 TEXpress
Continue on SH 121/183 TEXpress
Continue on I 820 TEXpress
Take the exit slight right toward I 35W Express: Fort Worth, Denton
Keep slight right to continue on I 35W Express North: Denton
Merge slight left onto I 35W TEXpress
Take the exit slight right toward US 81 North, US 287 North: Decatur
Merge slight left
Continue straight
Continue on Lloyd Ruby Overpass
Continue on Central Freeway
Keep slight left to continue on Northwest Freeway
Continue on US Highway 287 East
Continue on Martin Luther King Jr Memorial Highway
Continue on US Highway 287 West
Continue on East 11th Street
Continue on Avenue F Northeast
Continue on US Highway 287
Continue on Burnett Street
Continue on US Highway 287
Turn straight onto Boykin Drive
Continue on East 2nd Street
Continue on US Highway 287
Continue on East 1st Street
Continue on US Highway 287
Keep slight right to continue on East Interstate Drive
Keep slight right to continue on Southeast 3rd Avenue
Take the ramp left
Merge slight left onto North Lakeside Drive
Take the exit slight right toward US 60, I 40 Business: Amarillo Boulevard
Turn left onto East Amarillo Boulevard
Continue straight
Continue on East Amarillo Boulevard
Arrive at your destination
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.
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 132 miles or 1h 58m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 301.1 miles or 4h 30m 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 301.1 miles or 4h 30m
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 6m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Amarillo, TX than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Houston, 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 Houston, TX
Aim for roughly 301 miles and 4.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Amarillo, TX
Aim for roughly 301 miles and 4.5 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 301.1 mi from Houston, TX · 4h 30m into the drive
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
199 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
397 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 Wichita Falls, TXNight 1
301 mi · about 4.5h in
A practical overnight split lands near Keller, TX after about 301 miles or 4.5 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 132 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 301.1 miles from Houston, 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 301 miles or 4.5 hours on the road.
The final approach into Amarillo, TX usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Amarillo, TX.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Amarillo, TX with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Regular Gas
$89.60 one way
$179.19 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.25 | $100.81 | $201.62 |
| premium | $4.59 | $108.85 | $217.69 |
| diesel | $3.99 | $94.67 | $189.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$90
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$220–$330
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 210.7 kg one way.
Driving Electric?
About $63 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 180.7 | 2 | $63.23 | $28.91 |
| Efficient EV | 150.6 | 1 | $52.69 | $24.09 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 240.9 | 3 | $84.31 | $38.54 |
Gas CO2
211 kg
EV CO2
70 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. If you're planning ahead, check the forecast closer to your travel date.
Origin
Late night in Houston on Saturday
Local time
5:55 AM
CDT
Current temp
70°F
Forecast unavailable right now
Destination
Late night in Amarillo on Saturday
Local time
5:55 AM
CDT
Current temp
46°F
Forecast unavailable right now
Along the Route
60°F
Mesquite, TX
199 mi in
58°F
Wichita Falls, TX
397 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
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
Explore more options from Houston, TX or browse trips ending in Amarillo, TX.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse TX road trips.
Explore maps for Houston, TX or Amarillo, TX on MapSof.net.