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Trip from Alexandria, VA to Lorton, VA

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

21m

Distance

14.6 mi

24 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m ★

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Alexandria, VA, VA

Alexandria, VA

Wikimedia Commons

census designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States

Lorton, VA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are planning a quick trip from Alexandria to Lorton, expect a straightforward journey covering approximately 14.6 miles. You can anticipate a driving time of about 21 minutes, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. The route relies entirely on local roads like King Street, South Saint Asaph Street, and Duke Street, with no highway driving involved. With an estimated fuel cost of just $2, it is a highly economical way to navigate through the Southeast region of Virginia. This drive is best viewed as a simple transit between two points rather than a multi-day expedition, offering you maximum flexibility for your schedule.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 95 7.6 mi 9m
Capital Beltway (Local) 5 mi 6m
South Washington Street 0.3 mi <1m
South Patrick Street 0.2 mi <1m
Gibbon Street 0.2 mi <1m
South Saint Asaph Street 0.2 mi <1m
Lorton Road 0.1 mi <1m
Duke Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 95 — 7.6 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Alexandria, VA and Lorton, 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 left at fork onto I 95

7.6 mi · 9 min · I 95
Use the slight left lane.
12

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Exit 163 Toward SR 642: Lorton, Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay Park Use the slight right lane.
13

Turn right onto SR 642

0.1 mi · 15 sec · Lorton Road
Use the right lane.
14

Turn left onto SR 747

199 ft · 16 sec · Sanger Street
Use the left lane.
15

Arrive at destination

SR 747

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.9 and 14.5 — 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 95

Keep slight left at fork onto I 95

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane.
8
14.2 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward SR 642: Lorton, Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay Park

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Exit 163 Toward SR 642: Lorton, Gunston Hall, Pohick Bay...
6
14.5 mi into trip | ~21m in | SR 642 / Lorton Road

Turn right onto SR 642 / Lorton Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.28 one way

$4.57 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $2.50 $4.99
premium $4.70 $2.70 $5.40
diesel $5.61 $3.22 $6.45

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.4 0 $1.53 $0.70
Efficient EV 3.7 0 $1.28 $0.58
EV Truck/SUV 5.8 0 $2.04 $0.93

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 21, 2026

Origin

Alexandria, VA

Morning in Alexandria on Tuesday

Local time

9:50 AM

EDT

Current temp

62°F

Sunny

S 2 to 8 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 21 at 3:49AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Wakefield VA

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 21 at 1:37AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Charleston WV

Destination

Lorton, VA

Morning in Lorton on Tuesday

Local time

9:50 AM

EDT

Current temp

69°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

7 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

21m on the road

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. Because the highway share for this route is 0%, your focus will remain on navigating urban streets rather than maintaining highway velocity. The path is characterized by frequent turns through local corridors, requiring your full attention as you transition from Alexandria toward Lorton. Since there are no long, uninterrupted stretches of road, the pace remains steady and controlled throughout the entire 14.6-mile distance. You will find that the road's personality is defined by its constant shifts in direction rather than long-distance highway stretches.

52% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.6 mi on I 95.

How Hard Is This Drive?

8/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. 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 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 14.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.

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 95): 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.

On the drive from Alexandria, VA to Lorton, VA, road signs begin pointing toward Baltimore along the way.

Baltimore

0.9 mi in | ~3m

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 21m. Total distance: 14.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

21m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (52%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.6 miles on I 95. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 Lorton, 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 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Lorton, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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