Origin
Arlington, VA
Afternoon in Arlington on Sunday
Local time
1:47 PM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arlington, VA to Dale City, VA
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
24.9 mi
40 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arlington, VA
Dominik Gryzbon
Dale City, VA
Kelly
Trip Overview
This 24.9-mile drive from Arlington, VA to Dale City, VA is a straightforward local journey that can easily be completed in about 38 minutes. With no highway driving, this route is best suited as a single-day trip, requiring just one day to complete. You can expect to spend around $4 on fuel for this short excursion. The drive primarily takes place within the Southeast region, keeping you within Virginia for the entire trip. Its turn-heavy nature suggests a more engaged driving experience than a simple interstate cruise.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway | 19.1 mi | 23m |
| North Glebe Road | 2.4 mi | 6m |
| Dale Boulevard | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Birchdale Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| North Oakland Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| North Pershing Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Wilson Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Bayfield Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway
— 19.1 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arlington, VA and Dale City, VA.
1
Start on Wilson Boulevard
90 ft
·
8 sec
·
Wilson Boulevard
2
Turn right onto North Oakland Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
North Oakland Street
3
Turn right onto North Pershing Drive
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
North Pershing Drive
4
Turn left onto VA 120
2.4 mi
·
6 min
·
North Glebe Road
Use the left / straight lanes.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward I 395 South: Richmond
6
Keep slight left at fork
315 ft
·
7 sec
Toward I 395 South: Richmond, Quaker Lane
7
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward I 395 South: Richmond
Use the slight left lane.
8
Merge onto I 395
5.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Continue on I 395
13 mi
·
16 min
·
Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway
Exit 1A
Toward I 95 South: Richmond
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 156B-A
Toward SR 784: Dale City, Rippon Landing, Rest Area
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 156B
Toward SR 784 West: Dale City
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
59 sec
Toward Dale City
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn right onto SR 784
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Dale Boulevard
Use the left lane.
14
Turn right onto SR 1811
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Birchdale Avenue
15
Turn right onto Bayfield Drive
41 ft
·
1 sec
·
Bayfield Drive
16
Arrive at destination
Bayfield Drive
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 3.3 and 23.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
3.3 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 395 South: Richmond, Quaker Lane
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 395 South: Richmond, Quaker Lane
8
3.4 mi into trip
|
~9m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 395 South: Richmond
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 395 South: Richmond
8
22.6 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Take the exit toward SR 784: Dale City, Rippon Landing, Rest Area
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 156B-A
Toward SR 784: Dale City, Rippon Landing, Rest...
9
22.9 mi into trip
|
~33m in
Keep slight right at fork toward SR 784 West: Dale City
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 156B
Toward SR 784 West: Dale City
7
23.1 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Dale City
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Dale City
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.89 one way
$7.79 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $4.26 | $8.52 |
| premium | $4.70 | $4.61 | $9.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.50 | $11.00 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.61 | $1.20 |
| Efficient EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.18 | $1.00 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10 | 0 | $3.49 | $1.59 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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
Dale City, VA
Afternoon in Dale City on Sunday
Local time
1:47 PM
EDT
Current temp
85°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
38m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 24.9-mile trip. With a 0% highway share, you'll be navigating through neighborhoods and local streets for the majority of the journey. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 19.1 miles along the Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway. This profile suggests a drive that requires attention to multiple turns and changes in direction rather than a consistent, high-speed cruise. You'll likely experience varied speed limits and more frequent stops.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.1 mi on Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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 3.3 miles in.
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 14 decision points packed into just 24.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
268 ft
61 ft
Total Climb
412 ft
Total Descent
448 ft
Highest Point
268 ft
Elevation Range
207 ft
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 Arlington, VA and Dale City, VA, road signs point toward Rippon Landing and Rest Area.
Rippon Landing
22.6 mi in
|
~32m
Rest Area
22.6 mi in
|
~32m
About the Cities
Starting in Arlington, VA
Full guide →Arlington (along with the cities of Falls Church to the west and Alexandria to the south) forms part of the urban conglomeration around Washington, D.C. - inside the beltway. In Northern Virginia, and directly across the Potomac River from D.C. proper, Arlington is one of America's most densely populated regions. It has a land area 26 sq mi (67 km2) and a population of 230,000. Despite its density, Arlington mixes the best of both big city and suburban environments. Like the greater Washington area, Arlington has grown over the last several decades in part due to growth of the federal government.
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 38m. Total distance: 24.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m 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 19.1 miles on Henry G. Shirley Memorial Highway. 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 Dale City, 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 3.3 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 22.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. 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 Dale City, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, 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 Dale City, VA
More trips to Dale City, VA
Explore more options from Arlington, VA or browse trips ending in Dale City, VA.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse VA road trips.