Origin
McLean, VA
Late night in McLean on Saturday
Local time
5:05 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from McLean, VA to Falls Church, 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 12m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
McLean, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Falls Church, VA
Pavan Sai .D
Trip Overview
The drive from McLean, VA to Falls Church, 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 turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.2 miles on Great Falls Street. At current regular gas prices, budget about $0.69 one way before food or hotel costs.
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
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 12m drive with frequent turns across 4.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 9 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Great Falls Street is the longest continuous segment at about 2.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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.
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 7 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: Navigation decision point; near the start (VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Turn left onto VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road
Turn right onto SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road
Navigation decision point
6
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
SR 693 / Westmoreland Street
Turn left onto SR 693 / Westmoreland Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
2.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
SR 694 / Great Falls Street
At end of road, turn left onto SR 694 / Great Falls Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Great Falls Street | 2.2 mi | 5m |
| Westmoreland Street | 1 mi | 2m |
| Chain Bridge Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Lemon Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| North Washington Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Old Dominion Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Elm Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Great Falls Street
— 2.2 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between McLean, VA and Falls Church, VA.
1
Start on Elm Street
102 ft
·
8 sec
·
Elm Street
2
Turn left
128 ft
·
14 sec
3
Turn left onto VA 309
177 ft
·
11 sec
·
Old Dominion Drive
4
Turn right onto SR 3547
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Chain Bridge Road
5
Turn left onto SR 693
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Westmoreland Street
Use the left lane.
6
Turn right onto Lemon Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Lemon Road
7
At end of road, turn left onto SR 694
2.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Great Falls Street
Use the straight lane.
8
At end of road, turn right onto US 29; VA 237
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Washington Street
9
Arrive at destination
US 29; VA 237
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
Falls Church, VA
Late night in Falls Church on Saturday
Local time
5:05 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°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
2 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 McLean, VA to Falls Church, VA covers 4.4 miles and takes about 12m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Great Falls Street, Westmoreland Street, Chain Bridge Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 2.2 miles from McLean, VA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $0.69 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 straightforward 12m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; near the start (VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SR 3547 / Chain Bridge Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from McLean, VA to Falls Church, VA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Falls Church, VA
More trips to Falls Church, VA
Explore more options from McLean, VA or browse trips ending in Falls Church, VA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse VA road trips.