Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
18.9 mi
30 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Austin, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Round Rock, TX
Wikimedia Commons
If you are planning a quick excursion from Austin to Round Rock, you are looking at a straightforward 18.9-mile transit. This trip typically takes about 23 minutes, making it an ideal candidate for a single-day journey that requires no overnight stay. You will traverse the Great Plains region for the duration of the drive, keeping your travel costs low with an estimated fuel budget of just $3. Because the route is so brief, it functions perfectly as a flexible local commute or a simple afternoon outing. You won't need to worry about complex logistics or multi-day planning, as this connection is designed for efficiency rather than long-distance touring.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Purple Heart Trail | 16.7 mi | 19m |
| East 5th Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Interstate 35 | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Round Rock Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East 7th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Red River Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| North Blair Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Austin, TX and Round Rock, TX.
Start on East 5th Street
Turn left onto Red River Street
Turn right onto East 7th Street
Turn left onto North Interstate 35
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 35; US 290
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290
Take the exit
Turn straight onto North Interstate 35
Turn right onto Round Rock Avenue
Enter roundabout onto North Blair Street
Continue on North Blair Street
Turn left onto West Main Street
Turn right onto South Mays Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 17.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Red River Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto East 7th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto North Interstate 35
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35; US 290 / Purple Heart Trail
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward RM 620: Round Rock Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.86 one way
$5.71 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.13 | $6.25 |
| premium | $4.54 | $3.37 | $6.75 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.17 | $8.35 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.98 | $0.91 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.76 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.65 | $1.21 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Austin on Sunday
Local time
1:04 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Patchy Drizzle
Destination
Late night in Round Rock on Sunday
Local time
1:04 AM
CDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged as you navigate away from the city center. Your path utilizes a mix of city streets like Red River Street and East 7th Street before transitioning to Interstate 35. With a highway share of 0%, this route emphasizes urban navigation over high-speed interstate cruising. You won't encounter any long, uninterrupted stretches of highway, so be prepared for consistent attention to traffic patterns and turns. The character of the road is distinctly local, reflecting a transition through the heart of the region rather than a remote bypass.
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 0.3 miles in near Red River Street.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 18.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
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 0.6 miles (North Interstate 35): Lane positioning matters here.
“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
Round Rock is a city in the Central Hill Country region of Texas, 19 miles north of downtown Austin.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 23m. Total distance: 18.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
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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