Trip from Austin, TX to Big Sandy, TX

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 20, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

4h 44m

Distance

252 mi

406 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$35

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 41 min

4 AM

4h 31m ★

6 AM

4h 45m

8 AM

5h 12m

10 AM

4h 54m

12 PM

4h 51m

3 PM

4h 55m

5 PM

5h 10m

8 PM

4h 37m

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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Austin, TX

Wikimedia Commons

human settlement in Upshur County, Texas, United States of America

Big Sandy, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Austin, TX to Big Sandy, TX is 252 miles and takes about 4h 44m via Purple Heart Trail and State Highway 31, with a fuel budget near $37 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within the Great Plains region, transitioning from the Austin area to East Texas. The route primarily uses State Highway 31 after an initial stretch on the Purple Heart Trail. With only one recommended stop and a manageable drive time, it's a straightforward option for a single-day excursion.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.

Break Rhythm

1 planned break

Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.

Midpoint

126 miles from Austin, TX

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 16m into the drive .

Main Roads

Road	Distance	Duration
Purple Heart Trail	96.1 mi	1h 40m
State Highway 31	35.8 mi	38m
State Highway 31 East	21.1 mi	24m
Corsicana Bypass	11.8 mi	13m
State Highway 155 North	11.5 mi	12m
Northeast 2nd Street	9.9 mi	11m
State Highway 31 West	9.7 mi	11m
East State Highway 31	9.3 mi	10m

Longest stretch: Purple Heart Trail — 96.1 mi, about 1h 40m

Traffic on I-35

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 60 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

5 PM

~4,006 veh/hr typical

Quietest

3 AM

~683 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

5.9×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 51 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Austin, TX and Big Sandy, TX.

Start on East 5th Street

0.3 mi · 52 sec · East 5th Street

Use the straight / right lanes.

Turn left onto Red River Street

0.1 mi · 20 sec · Red River Street

Use the left lane.

Turn right onto East 7th Street

0.1 mi · 17 sec · East 7th Street

Use the right lane.

Turn left onto North Interstate 35

0.2 mi · 26 sec · North Interstate 35

Use the left lane.

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 22 sec

Toward I 35 North, US 290 East

Merge onto I 35; US 290

0.6 mi · 42 sec · Purple Heart Trail

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290

96 mi · 1 hr 40 min · Purple Heart Trail

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Continue on I 35

6.0 mi · 6 min · South Jack Kultgen Expressway

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 28 sec

Exit 338 Toward US 84: Waco Drive, Bellmead Drive Use the straight / slight right lanes.

Turn straight onto North Jack Kultgen Expressway

0.3 mi · 30 sec · North Jack Kultgen Expressway

Turn right onto US 84

0.3 mi · 52 sec · East Waco Drive

Continue on US 84

2.6 mi · 4 min · Bellmead Drive

Continue on US 84

2.7 mi · 3 min · East US Highway 84

Continue on TX 31

17 mi · 17 min · State Highway 31

Continue on TX 31

5.3 mi · 5 min · Hubbard Bypass

Continue on TX 31

19 mi · 21 min · State Highway 31

Turn right onto TX 31

12 mi · 13 min · Corsicana Bypass

Use the straight lane.

Turn right onto TX 31

9.3 mi · 10 min · East State Highway 31

Continue on TX 31

9.9 mi · 11 min · Northeast 2nd Street

Continue on TX 31

5.3 mi · 6 min · West Royall Boulevard

Continue on TX 31

4.1 mi · 4 min · State Highway 31 West

Turn left onto TX 31

0.2 mi · 34 sec · TX 31

Merge onto TX 31; Loop 7

6.2 mi · 7 min · Jed Robinson Loop

Take the exit onto TX 31

0.3 mi · 46 sec · TX 31

Turn left onto TX 31

21 mi · 24 min · State Highway 31 East

Continue on TX 31

2.0 mi · 2 min · West Highway 31

Continue on TX 31

5.6 mi · 6 min · State Highway 31 West

Continue on TX 31

1.9 mi · 2 min · Chandler Highway

Continue on TX 31

2.4 mi · 4 min · West Front Street

Turn left onto US 271; TX 155

1.0 mi · 1 min · South Beckham Avenue

Use the straight / right lanes.

Continue on US 271; TX 155

1.6 mi · 2 min · East Gentry Parkway

Continue on US 271; TX 155

5.5 mi · 6 min · US Highway 271

Turn left onto TX 155

4.9 mi · 5 min · State Highway 155 North

Continue on TX 155

1.1 mi · 1 min · South Main Street

Continue on TX 155

6.7 mi · 7 min · State Highway 155 North

At end of road, turn right onto US 80; TX 155

0.9 mi · 1 min · West Broadway Street

Turn left onto TX 155

86 ft · 1 sec · North Tyler Street

Use the left lane.

Arrive at destination

TX 155

Trip Plan

For this 4h 44m drive, consider an early morning departure from Austin to maximize your daylight hours and avoid potential afternoon traffic. The route is designed for a single day, so you can be flexible with your timing. With only one recommended stop, you can plan your breaks strategically. Keep an eye on your fuel, especially during the 96.1-mile stretch on the Purple Heart Trail, as services might be less frequent. The $37 fuel estimate should cover most standard vehicles.

Morning Departure

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

Evening Departure

A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.

You can normally do this drive in one day.

Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.

The halfway point lands around 126 miles from Austin, TX, or about 2h 16m into the drive.

The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 96.1 miles.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

Departure

Before you leave

Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.

First stop

Around 55 miles or 59m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 126 miles or 2h 16m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 3h 48m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Big Sandy, TX than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

Open the route before leaving Austin, TX so your first major turns are already loaded.

Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.

Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.

Day 1

Settle into the route from Austin, TX

This is one driving day of about 252 miles and 4h 44m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 55 miles from Austin, TX.

This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.

Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.

The longest stretch is on Purple Heart Trail for about 96.1 miles.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

town in Ellis County, Texas, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Italy, TX

126 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

Harker Heights, TX

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 55 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Italy, TX

Meal break

The midpoint is around 126 miles from Austin, TX, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Before the longest stretch

4.4 ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆

Near the start, right off the route

0.2 mi from route ~1 min detour

Austin, Texas

Hours: 9 am–10 pm

4.6 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Near the end, ~11 min detour

Home stretch 4.3 mi from route ~11 min detour

Tyler, Texas

Hours: 9 am–4:30 pm

+19035973130

Visit website

Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 230.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | Red River Street

Turn left onto Red River Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | East 7th Street

Turn right onto East 7th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

1.5 mi into trip | ~3m in | I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.

103.1 mi into trip | ~1h 50m in

Take the exit toward US 84: Waco Drive, Bellmead Drive

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 338 Toward US 84: Waco Drive, Bellmead Drive

230.6 mi into trip | ~4h 17m in | US 271; TX 155 / South Beckham Avenue

Turn left onto US 271; TX 155 / South Beckham Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$34.52 one way

$69.03 round trip

$3.48/gal 25.4 MPG avg 88 kg CO₂

Fuel Type	$/gal	One Way	Round Trip
midgrade	$3.89	$38.55	$77.11
premium	$4.23	$41.92	$83.83
diesel	$4.80	$47.58	$95.16

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$35

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$60–$85

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 88.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

Driving Electric?

About $26 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO₂

Vehicle Type	kWh	Stops	DC Fast	Home Charge
Average EV	75.6	0	$26.46	$12.10
Efficient EV	63	0	$22.05	$10.08
EV Truck/SUV	100.8	1	$35.28	$16.13

Gas CO2

88 kg

EV CO2

29 kg (67% less)

Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.

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 Jul 20, 2026

Origin

Austin, TX

Late night in Austin on Monday

Local time

3:08 AM

CDT

Current temp

75°F

Mostly Clear

SSE 5 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued July 19 at 8:33PM CDT until July 19 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 19 at 8:28PM CDT until July 20 at 10:00PM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX

Destination

Big Sandy, TX

Late night in Big Sandy on Monday

Local time

3:08 AM

CDT

Current temp

76°F

Clear

0 mph 2% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued July 19 at 8:33PM CDT until July 19 at 9:00PM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 19 at 8:28PM CDT until July 20 at 10:00PM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX

100°F

Italy, TX

126 mi in

Seasonal Notes

Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.

Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.

Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.

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 warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

4h 44m on the road

An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.

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

National Parks Near This Route

Worth a detour if your schedule allows.

Waco Mammoth National Monument

National Monument

Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation's first and...

5 mi from route ~11 min detour Free near mile 104.3

View on nps.gov

Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.

What kind of drive is this?

About 42% of this drive is on highways, with the remaining portion on surface roads. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 96.1 miles on the Purple Heart Trail before transitioning to State Highway 31. Expect a mixed driving experience with periods of higher-speed highway cruising followed by more rural surface road travel. Pay attention as you transition from highway to surface roads, as the pace will change.

42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.

38 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.

Longest single stretch: 96.1 mi on Purple Heart Trail.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 19 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Red River Street.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 252 miles you will encounter 19 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Red River Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.5 miles (East 7th Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles (I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Gently rolling terrain

855 ft 304 ft

Total Climb

1,119 ft

Total Descent

1,246 ft

Highest Point

855 ft

~36 mi in

Elevation Range

551 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Austin, TX

Full guide →

“City of the Violet Crown” · Founded 1835

Austin is a city of about 1,054,000 (2026) surpassing Fort Worth to become the 4th most populous city in Texas. It is on the southeast edge of the Hill Country region of Texas, making it the fourth-largest city in the state and the 11th-largest in the country. It is the capital of Texas and a college town, and also a center of an alternative culture away from the major cities on the US coasts, though the city is rapidly gentrifying with its rising popularity. Austin's attitude is commonly emblazoned about town on T-shirts and bumper stickers that read: "Keep Austin Weird." Austin is also marketed as the Live Music Capital of the World due to the large number of venues.

Top landmarks

• Texas State Capitol — capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas
• Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum — presidential library and museum for U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in Austin,...
• Texas State Cemetery — historic cemetery in Austin, Texas, USA

Arriving in Big Sandy, TX

Full guide →

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 4h 44m. Total distance: 252 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

4h 44m drive, comfortable solo distance.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 96.1 miles on Purple Heart Trail. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 12 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Big Sandy, TX before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.

Only with planning. This is a long drive for kids — consider splitting it into two days rather than pushing through. Plan at least 1 meaningful breaks. There are 12 rest areas along the route for bathroom stops.

Yes — Waco Mammoth National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Possible but tiring. At 4.7 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 9.5 hours — manageable with a long break at Big Sandy, TX, but most travelers stay overnight.

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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Trip from Austin, TX to Big Sandy, TX

Best Time to Leave

Trip Overview

Main Roads

Traffic on I-35

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Trip Plan

Before You Leave

Where to Stop

Pacing Suggestions

Stops Along Your Drive

Flying J Travel Plaza

Pilot Travel Center

Flying J Travel Center

Buc-ee's

Ascent Travel Center

Bell County Northbound Rest Area

Bell County Southbound Rest Area

QuikTrip

Walburg Travel Center & Food Court

Love's Travel Stop

Service Plaza

QuikTrip

Austin Bat Tours

Botanical Gates of Paradise

Cultural Activities Center

Tyler Rose Garden

Barton Creek Greenbelt

Village of Salado Visitors Center

Visit Tyler/SPORTyler

Tyler Rose Museum & Gift Shop

Heads-up: tricky spots

Fuel & Cost

Travel Intel

Austin, TX

Big Sandy, TX

Same local time

1 degrees warmer at arrival

4h 44m on the road

National Parks Near This Route

Waco Mammoth National Monument

What kind of drive is this?

How Hard Is This Drive?

Elevation Profile

About the Cities

Starting in Austin, TX

Arriving in Big Sandy, TX

Who Is This Route For?

Frequently Asked Questions

Which road carries most of the drive?

Are there rest areas on this route?

Should I avoid arriving after dark?

Is this a good trip with kids?

Where does this route get tricky?

Are there national parks near this route?

Can I do this as a round trip in one go?

How this page is built

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