Origin
McLean, VA
Late night in McLean on Friday
Local time
4:16 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from McLean, VA to Dranesville, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
19m
Distance
12.4 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 18m
★
6 AM
0h 20m
8 AM
0h 23m
10 AM
0h 21m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 21m
5 PM
0h 23m
8 PM
0h 19m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
McLean, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Dranesville, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from McLean, VA to Dranesville, VA covers 12.4 miles and takes about 19m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Leesburg Pike, Dulles Toll Road, Dolley Madison Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.2 miles on Leesburg Pike. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.94 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 19m. Total distance: 12.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
19m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 19m drive with frequent turns across 12.4 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 13 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Leesburg Pike is the longest continuous segment at about 8.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Beverly Road.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 12.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 19m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Beverly Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
7
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Beverly Road
Turn left onto Beverly Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Turn right onto VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
1.5 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward Dulles Airport
Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Dulles Airport
9
3.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward VA 7: Tysons Corner, Leesburg, Leesburg Pike
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 16
Toward VA 7: Tysons Corner, Leesburg, Leesburg...
9
4.1 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Keep slight right at fork toward VA 7 West: Leesburg Pike, Leesburg
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward VA 7 West: Leesburg Pike, Leesburg
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between McLean, VA and Dranesville, VA, road signs point toward Dulles Airport and Leesburg.
Dulles Airport
1.5 mi in
|
~3m
Leesburg
3.8 mi in
|
~6m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Leesburg Pike | 8.2 mi | 12m |
| Dulles Toll Road | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Dolley Madison Boulevard | 1 mi | 2m |
| Old Dominion Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Elm Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Beverly Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Leesburg Pike
— 8.2 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between McLean, VA and Dranesville, VA.
1
Start on Elm Street
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Elm Street
2
Turn left onto Beverly Road
365 ft
·
15 sec
·
Beverly Road
Use the left lane.
3
Turn right onto VA 309
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
·
Old Dominion Drive
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Turn left onto VA 123
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Dolley Madison Boulevard
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Toward Dulles Airport
Use the slight right lane.
6
Merge onto VA 267
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Dulles Toll Road
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
22 sec
8
Merge onto VA 267
263 ft
·
4 sec
·
Dulles Toll Road
9
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 16
Toward VA 7: Tysons Corner, Leesburg, Leesburg Pike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Toward VA 7 West: Leesburg Pike, Leesburg
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
11
Merge onto VA 7
7.6 mi
·
11 min
·
Leesburg Pike
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on VA 7
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Leesburg Pike
Use the left / uturn lanes.
13
Arrive at destination
VA 7
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.94 one way
$3.88 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.12 | $4.24 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.29 | $4.59 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.74 | $5.48 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.33
Dulles Toll Road
(1.7 mi)
$0.33
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$0
Total
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.09 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.74 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Dranesville, VA
Late night in Dranesville on Friday
Local time
4:16 AM
EDT
Current temp
76°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
1 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
19m 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 Dranesville, VA covers 12.4 miles and takes about 19m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Leesburg Pike, Dulles Toll Road, Dolley Madison Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.2 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 $1.94 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 11 decision points packed into just 12.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 19m.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Beverly Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Between McLean, VA and Dranesville, VA, road signs point toward Dulles Airport and Leesburg.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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