Origin
Idylwood, VA
Late night in Idylwood on Saturday
Local time
5:49 AM
EDT
Current temp
76°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Idylwood, VA to Arlington, 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
6.7 mi
11 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
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 12m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Idylwood, VA
Yaroslav Shuraev
Arlington, VA
Dominik Gryzbon
Trip Overview
Idylwood, VA to Arlington, VA is 6.7 miles and takes about 12m via Custis Memorial Parkway/Wilson Boulevard, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Virginia, connecting two points in the Southeast region. It’s a quick hop, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without a major commitment. Expect a mixed drive that’s mostly on parkways and boulevards, making it a straightforward option for local travel.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 12m. Total distance: 6.7 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 (58%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This drive offers a mixed experience, with 58% of it being on highway or parkway. You'll spend most of your time on the Custis Memorial Parkway and Wilson Boulevard. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 3.9 miles on the Custis Memorial Parkway, giving you a good sense of continuous travel before transitioning. The road character shifts subtly as you move from Idylwood towards Arlington, becoming more urbanized.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Custis Memorial Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 3.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in near VA 7 / Leesburg Pike.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 6.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 12m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (VA 7 / Leesburg Pike): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
VA 7 / Leesburg Pike
Turn right onto VA 7 / Leesburg Pike
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Take the ramp toward I 66: Metro, Washington, Front Royal
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 66: Metro, Washington, Front Royal
8
0.9 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 66 East: Metro, Washington
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 66 East: Metro, Washington
6
1.3 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Keep slight left at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward VA 120, VA 237
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 71
Toward VA 120, VA 237
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Idylwood, VA and Arlington, VA, road signs point toward Washington and Front Royal.
Washington
0.8 mi in
|
~1m
Front Royal
0.8 mi in
|
~1m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Custis Memorial Parkway | 3.9 mi | 5m |
| Idylwood Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Wilson Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Glebe Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Fairfax Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Leesburg Pike | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Custis Memorial Parkway
— 3.9 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Idylwood, VA and Arlington, VA.
1
Start on SR 695
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Idylwood Road
2
Turn right onto VA 7
113 ft
·
2 sec
·
Leesburg Pike
Use the right lane.
3
Take the ramp
426 ft
·
10 sec
Toward I 66: Metro, Washington, Front Royal
Use the slight right lane.
4
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Toward I 66 East: Metro, Washington
Use the slight left lane.
5
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 66
3.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Custis Memorial Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 71
Toward VA 120, VA 237
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Continue on Fairfax Drive
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Fairfax Drive
9
Turn right onto VA 120
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
North Glebe Road
Use the right lane.
10
Turn slight left onto Wilson Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Wilson Boulevard
Use the left lane.
11
Arrive at destination
Wilson Boulevard
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.04 one way
$2.09 round trip
$3.96/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.43 | $1.17 | $2.34 |
| premium | $4.78 | $1.26 | $2.52 |
| diesel | $5.62 | $1.48 | $2.97 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.3 kg one way.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2 | 0 | $0.70 | $0.32 |
| Efficient EV | 1.7 | 0 | $0.59 | $0.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.7 | 0 | $0.94 | $0.43 |
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
Arlington, VA
Late night in Arlington on Saturday
Local time
5:49 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°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
7 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
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Idylwood, VA to Arlington, VA covers 6.7 miles and takes about 12m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Custis Memorial Parkway, Idylwood Road, Wilson Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3.3 miles from Idylwood, VA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.04 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 short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 6.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 12m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (VA 7 / Leesburg Pike): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Idylwood, VA and Arlington, VA, road signs point toward Washington and Front Royal.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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