Origin
Laredo, TX
Morning in Laredo on Monday
Local time
8:15 AM
CDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Laredo, TX to Garland, TX
Drive Time
8h 41m
Distance
597 mi
961 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$91
one way
EV Charging
Loading...
station data
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
8h 34m
★
6 AM
8h 42m
8 AM
8h 57m
10 AM
8h 47m
12 PM
8h 45m
3 PM
8h 48m
5 PM
8h 56m
8 PM
8h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Laredo, TX
Jeff Stapleton
Trip Overview
The drive from Laredo, TX to Garland, TX covers 597 miles and takes about 8h 41m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on San Dario Avenue, Purple Heart Trail, South Pan Am Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is long-distance drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $91.20 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
298.5 miles from Laredo, TX
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 20m into the drive .
Drive Character
At 597 miles and 8h 41m of driving, this is a route where fuel stops, weather, and timing matter more than any single turn. The main roads are San Dario Avenue and Purple Heart Trail.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 24 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
San Dario Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
At 8h 41m, 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.
Route Complexity
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
The route itself is not hard, but at 8h 41m, 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 Laredo, TX to Garland, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| San Dario Avenue | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Purple Heart Trail | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| South Pan Am Expressway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| North Pan Am Expressway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Highway 35 | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| South Jack Kultgen Expressway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 35E | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 30 East | Unavailable | Refreshing |
Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.
Longest stretch:
San Dario Avenue
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Laredo, TX and Garland, TX.
1
Start on Matamoros Street
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
Matamoros Street
2
Turn left onto San Dario Avenue
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
San Dario Avenue
3
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
144 mi
·
2 hr 27 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
4
Continue on South Pan Am Expressway
9.3 mi
·
11 min
·
South Pan Am Expressway
5
Keep slight left to continue on South Pan Am Expressway
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
South Pan Am Expressway
6
Keep slight right to continue on South Pan Am Expressway
10 mi
·
13 min
·
South Pan Am Expressway
7
Keep slight left to continue on North Pan Am Expressway
7.4 mi
·
8 min
·
North Pan Am Expressway
8
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
12 mi
·
12 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
9
Continue on Interstate Highway 35
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Interstate Highway 35
10
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
48 mi
·
52 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
11
Keep slight right to continue on Purple Heart Trail
96 mi
·
1 hr 40 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
12
Continue on South Jack Kultgen Expressway
6.6 mi
·
7 min
·
South Jack Kultgen Expressway
13
Continue on Purple Heart Trail
33 mi
·
33 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
14
Keep slight right to continue on I 35E: Dallas
56 mi
·
58 min
·
I 35E: Dallas
15
Take the exit slight right toward I 30 East: Texarkana, Riverfront Boulevard, Griffin Street
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
I 30 East: Texarkana, Riverfront Boulevard, Griffin Street
16
Keep slight left to continue on I 35E North, I 30 West: Denton, Fort Worth, Texarkana
423 ft
·
6 sec
·
I 35E North, I 30 West: Denton, Fort Worth, Texarkana
17
Keep slight right to continue on I 30 East: Texarkana, Convention Center
0.4 mi
·
33 sec
·
I 30 East: Texarkana, Convention Center
18
Keep slight left to continue on I 30 East: Texarkana
384 ft
·
6 sec
·
I 30 East: Texarkana
19
Continue on East R L Thornton Freeway
7.5 mi
·
9 min
·
East R L Thornton Freeway
20
Keep slight left to continue on East R L Thornton Freeway
125 mi
·
2 hr 8 min
·
East R L Thornton Freeway
21
Take the exit slight right toward US 259: De Kalb, Daingerfield
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
US 259: De Kalb, Daingerfield
22
Turn left onto US Highway 259 North
17 mi
·
24 min
·
US Highway 259 North
23
Turn left
2.1 mi
·
5 min
24
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 298.5 miles from Laredo, TX, or about 4h 20m 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 131 miles or 1h 54m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 298.5 miles or 4h 20m 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 298.5 miles or 4h 20m
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 7h 49m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Garland, TX than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Laredo, 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 Laredo, TX
Aim for roughly 299 miles and 4.3 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Garland, TX
Aim for roughly 299 miles and 4.3 hours of wheel time on this day.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 131 miles from Laredo, 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.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 298.5 mi from Laredo, TX · 4h 20m into the drive
First major stop
Coffee and fuel
197 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
394 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 Grand Prairie, TXOvernight Options
Night 1
299 mi · about 4.3h in
A practical overnight split lands near Killeen, TX after about 299 miles or 4.3 hours of driving.
Find hotelsPacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 131 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 298.5 miles from Laredo, 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 299 miles or 4.3 hours on the road.
Arriving in Garland, TX
The final approach into Garland, 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 Garland, TX.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Garland, 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.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$91.20 one way
$182.39 round trip
$3.88/gal
25.4 MPG avg
209 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.25 | $99.94 | $199.88 |
| premium | $4.59 | $107.91 | $215.81 |
| diesel | $5.64 | $132.63 | $265.27 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$91
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$221–$331
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 208.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-06.
Driving Electric?
About $63 in charging · 2 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 179.1 | 2 | $62.68 | $28.66 |
| Efficient EV | 149.3 | 1 | $52.24 | $23.88 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 238.8 | 2 | $83.58 | $38.21 |
Gas CO2
209 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.
Destination
Garland, TX
Morning in Garland on Monday
Local time
8:15 AM
CDT
Current temp
63°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
8 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
8h 41m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Laredo, TX to Garland, TX covers 597 miles and takes about 8h 41m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are San Dario Avenue, Purple Heart Trail, South Pan Am Expressway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Yes. This route is usually more comfortable as a 2-day drive. A sensible stopping point is after roughly 299 miles on day one.
The midpoint is about 298.5 miles from Laredo, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $91.20 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
The route itself is not hard, but at 8h 41m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Laredo, TX to Garland, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Laredo, TX to Garland, TX does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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