Origin
Arlington, VA
Morning in Arlington on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Arlington, VA to Great Falls, VA
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
15.6 mi
25 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 24m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 28m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Arlington, VA
Dominik Gryzbon
Great Falls, VA
Wilson Rodriguez
Trip Overview
Arlington, VA to Great Falls, VA is 15.6 miles and takes about 26 minutes via Dulles Toll Road/Custis Memorial Parkway/Leesburg Pike, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Virginia's Southeast region, offering a straightforward transition between two nearby locales. Expect a driving experience that involves frequent turns and local road navigation, making it ideal for a quick errand or a brief excursion. Given its brevity, this route doesn't require extensive planning but offers a practical way to move between these adjacent communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Dulles Toll Road | 4.6 mi | 6m |
| Custis Memorial Parkway | 3.3 mi | 4m |
| Leesburg Pike | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| Walker Road | 2 mi | 4m |
| Wilson Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Colvin Run Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Glebe Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Fairfax Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Dulles Toll Road
— 4.6 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Arlington, VA and Great Falls, VA.
1
Start on Wilson Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Wilson Boulevard
2
Turn slight right onto VA 120
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
North Glebe Road
Use the right lane.
3
Turn left onto Fairfax Drive
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
Fairfax Drive
Use the left lane.
4
Continue on this road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
this road
Toward I 66 Toll West
5
Merge onto I 66
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Custis Memorial Parkway
6
Keep slight right at fork onto VA 267
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Dulles Toll Road
Exit 67
Toward VA 267 West: Dulles Airport
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto VA 267
2.2 mi
·
3 min
·
Dulles Toll Road
Toward VA 267 West
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
22 sec
9
Merge onto VA 267
263 ft
·
4 sec
·
Dulles Toll Road
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Exit 16
Toward VA 7: Tysons Corner, Leesburg, Leesburg Pike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
Toward VA 7 West: Leesburg Pike, Leesburg
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
12
Merge onto VA 7
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Leesburg Pike
13
Turn right onto SR 743
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Colvin Run Road
Use the right lane.
14
Turn right onto SR 681
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Walker Road
15
Turn right onto VA 193
26 ft
·
0 sec
·
Georgetown Pike
Use the right lane.
16
Arrive at destination
VA 193
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 4.6 and 15.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
4.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road
Keep slight right at fork onto VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road toward VA 267 West: Dulles Airport
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 67
Toward VA 267 West: Dulles Airport
7
6.9 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road
Keep slight right at fork onto VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road toward VA 267 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward VA 267 West
9
9.5 mi into trip
|
~15m 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
9.8 mi into trip
|
~15m 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
6
15.6 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
VA 193 / Georgetown Pike
Turn right onto VA 193 / Georgetown Pike
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.44 one way
$4.88 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.67 | $5.33 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.89 | $5.77 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.44 | $6.89 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.92
Dulles Toll Road
(4.6 mi)
$0.92
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$1
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 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 | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.18 | $1.00 |
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.
Destination
Great Falls, VA
Morning in Great Falls on Tuesday
Local time
6:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
26m 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?
This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with only 21% of the journey on highways. You'll encounter a mix of road types, including stretches on the Dulles Toll Road, Custis Memorial Parkway, and Leesburg Pike. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll experience is 4.6 miles on the Dulles Toll Road, providing a brief period of steady driving before you transition back to more intricate local roads. Be prepared for frequent adjustments in direction and speed as you navigate through various local thoroughfares.
Only 21% 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: 4.6 mi on Dulles Toll Road.
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 4.6 miles in near VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road.
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 13 decision points packed into just 15.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.6 miles (VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.9 miles (VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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.
On the drive from Arlington, VA to Great Falls, VA, road signs begin pointing toward Leesburg along the way.
Leesburg
9.5 mi in
|
~15m
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 26m. Total distance: 15.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m 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 4.6 miles on Dulles Toll Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.92 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 Great Falls, 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 4.6 miles (VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.9 miles (VA 267 / Dulles Toll Road): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 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 Great Falls, 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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