Origin
Alexandria, VA
Afternoon in Alexandria on Sunday
Local time
2:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Alexandria, VA to Brambleton, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
57m
Distance
39.5 mi
64 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 53m
★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 7m
10 AM
1h 1m
12 PM
1h 0m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Alexandria, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Brambleton, VA
LAVA
Trip Overview
This 39.5-mile drive from Alexandria, VA, to Brambleton, VA, is designed for a single day, taking about 57 minutes. You'll primarily navigate using the Capital Beltway and the Dulles Toll Road, with some local road segments. Given its short duration and modest $6 fuel cost, this trip is easily manageable without an overnight stay. The route generally stays within the Southeast region of Virginia, offering a straightforward journey. Expect a driving experience that involves frequent turns as you transition between these main thoroughfares and local streets.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Beltway | 12.5 mi | 15m |
| Dulles Toll Road | 11.3 mi | 15m |
| Capital Beltway (Local) | 5 mi | 6m |
| Dulles Greenway | 3.9 mi | 5m |
| Ryan Road | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Loudoun County Parkway | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Northstar Boulevard | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| South Washington Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Beltway
— 12.5 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Alexandria, VA and Brambleton, VA.
1
Start on VA 400
75 ft
·
6 sec
·
South Washington Street
2
Turn right onto King Street
314 ft
·
14 sec
·
King Street
3
Turn right onto South Saint Asaph Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
South Saint Asaph Street
4
Turn right onto Duke Street
334 ft
·
18 sec
·
Duke Street
5
Turn left onto VA 400
0.2 mi
·
50 sec
·
South Washington Street
6
Turn right onto Gibbon Street
0.2 mi
·
37 sec
·
Gibbon Street
7
Turn left onto US 1
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
South Patrick Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
8
Take the exit
438 ft
·
10 sec
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 495 East: Richmond, Baltimore
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto I 95; I 495
5.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Capital Beltway (Local)
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork onto I 495
0.7 mi
·
47 sec
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight lane.
12
Continue on I 495
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Capital Beltway
Exit 170A
Toward I 495 North: Tysons Corner
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork onto I 495
9.5 mi
·
11 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight lane.
14
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Exit 45
Toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulles Airport
Use the slight left lane.
15
Merge onto VA 267
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Dulles Toll Road
16
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
22 sec
17
Merge onto VA 267
10 mi
·
13 min
·
Dulles Toll Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Continue on VA 267
3.9 mi
·
5 min
·
Dulles Greenway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Exit 7
Toward VA 607: Loudoun County Parkway
Use the slight right lane.
20
Turn left onto SR 607
1.7 mi
·
3 min
·
Loudoun County Parkway
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
21
Turn right onto SR 772
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Ryan Road
22
Turn left onto SR 3171
0.4 mi
·
57 sec
·
Northstar Boulevard
23
Turn left onto Sullivans Cove Square
433 ft
·
23 sec
·
Sullivans Cove Square
Use the left lane.
24
Turn left onto Camilla Springs Square
257 ft
·
13 sec
·
Camilla Springs Square
25
Turn right onto Nelsonville Terrace
240 ft
·
16 sec
·
Nelsonville Terrace
26
Turn left
127 ft
·
14 sec
27
Turn left
126 ft
·
14 sec
28
Turn left
13 ft
·
1 sec
29
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 39.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19.8 miles from Alexandria, VA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 255 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 35 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.9 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the exit toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 495 East: Richmond, Baltimore
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.
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West, I 95 North, I 49...
8
1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 South, I 495 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 South, I 495 West
6
6.6 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
I 495 / Capital Beltway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 495 / Capital Beltway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
8
19.1 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulles Airport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left lane.
Exit 45
Toward VA 267 Toll West: Reston, Herndon, Dulle...
7
35 mi into trip
|
~48m in
Take the exit toward VA 607: Loudoun County Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 7
Toward VA 607: Loudoun County Parkway
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.18 one way
$12.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $6.75 | $13.51 |
| premium | $4.70 | $7.31 | $14.62 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.72 | $17.44 |
Estimated Tolls: $3.24
Dulles Toll Road
(11.3 mi)
$2.26
Dulles Greenway
(3.9 mi)
$0.98
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Tolls
$3
Total
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.9 | 0 | $4.15 | $1.90 |
| Efficient EV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.46 | $1.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.8 | 0 | $5.53 | $2.53 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Brambleton, VA
Afternoon in Brambleton on Sunday
Local time
2:06 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
17 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
57m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
The character of this drive leans towards a turn-heavy local experience, despite a 40% highway share. While you'll encounter stretches like the 12.5 miles on the Capital Beltway, much of your time will be spent navigating more complex local roads. The transition between the wider, faster highways and the more intricate local streets will define the rhythm of your journey. This isn't a monotonous interstate cruise; rather, it's a route where you'll need to stay engaged with navigation as you make your way through various road types.
Only 4% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
29 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.5 mi on Capital Beltway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
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 0.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 25 decision points packed into just 39.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 57m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.6 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Alexandria, VA and Brambleton, VA, road signs point toward Herndon and Dulles Airport.
Herndon
19.1 mi in
|
~26m
Dulles Airport
19.1 mi in
|
~26m
About the Cities
Starting in Alexandria, VA
Full guide →Alexandria is a city in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., in the United States.
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 57m. Total distance: 39.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
57m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.5 miles on Capital Beltway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $3.24 in tolls one way, starting with Dulles Toll Road. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Brambleton, VA before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 6.6 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Brambleton, VA before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner 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.
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