Origin
Montopolis, TX
Night in Montopolis on Friday
Local time
10:45 PM
CDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
32.5 mi
52 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
San Marcos, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX covers 32.5 miles and takes about 39m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Bergstrom Expressway, Bastrop Highway, 183 Toll for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.91 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Arriving in San Marcos, TX
Full guide →San Marcos is a college town in the Central Hill Country region of Texas in the United States of America, about half an hour's drive south of the state's capital, Austin. The site of human habitation for over 10,000 years, it was settled in 1808 by Mexican families, and is now the home to Texas State University-San Marcos. In 2020, it had a population of 58,000 people.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 32.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m 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.
Drive Character
Expect a 39m drive with frequent turns across 32.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Bergstrom Expressway is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX is easy. At 39m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Bergstrom Expressway | — | — |
| Bastrop Highway | — | — |
| 183 Toll | — | — |
| I 35 South | — | — |
| Purple Heart Trail | — | — |
| TX 80 East | — | — |
| Interstate 35 | — | — |
| East Hopkins Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Bergstrom Expressway
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Montopolis, TX and San Marcos, TX.
1
Start on 183 Toll South: Lockhart
220 ft
·
5 sec
·
183 Toll South: Lockhart
2
Merge slight left onto Bergstrom Expressway
0.8 mi
·
47 sec
·
Bergstrom Expressway
3
Continue on Bastrop Highway
0.2 mi
·
14 sec
·
Bastrop Highway
4
Take the exit slight left toward 183 Toll: Ben White Boulevard
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
183 Toll: Ben White Boulevard
5
Merge slight right
3.1 mi
·
3 min
6
Take the exit slight right toward I 35 South, I 35 North, US 290 East: San Antonio, Waco
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
I 35 South, I 35 North, US 290 East: San Antonio, Waco
7
Keep slight left to continue on I 35 South: San Antonio
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
I 35 South: San Antonio
8
Merge slight left onto Purple Heart Trail
24 mi
·
25 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
9
Take the exit slight right toward TX 80 East, TX 142 East, TX 21 East: Bastrop, Luling
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
TX 80 East, TX 142 East, TX 21 East: Bastrop, Luling
10
Turn straight onto North Interstate 35
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Interstate 35
11
Turn slight right
472 ft
·
17 sec
12
Turn slight right onto East Hopkins Street
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
East Hopkins Street
13
Turn right onto North LBJ Drive
210 ft
·
9 sec
·
North LBJ Drive
14
Turn left
420 ft
·
36 sec
15
At the end of the road, turn left onto North Guadalupe Street
141 ft
·
3 sec
·
North Guadalupe Street
16
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.91 one way
$9.82 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $5.38 | $10.75 |
| premium | $4.54 | $5.80 | $11.61 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.18 | $14.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.41 | $1.56 |
| Efficient EV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.84 | $1.30 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13 | 0 | $4.55 | $2.08 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
San Marcos, TX
Night in San Marcos on Friday
Local time
10:45 PM
CDT
Current temp
62°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
39m 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 Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX covers 32.5 miles and takes about 39m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Bergstrom Expressway, Bastrop Highway, 183 Toll. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 16.2 miles from Montopolis, TX. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.91 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.
The drive from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX is easy. At 39m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Montopolis, TX to San Marcos, TX does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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 EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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