Origin
Balcones Heights, TX
Morning in Balcones Heights on Sunday
Local time
11:15 AM
CDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Balcones Heights, TX to San Antonio, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
11m
Distance
7.2 mi
12 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 11m
★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 14m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 12m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 14m
8 PM
0h 11m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Balcones Heights, TX
Jeff Stapleton
San Antonio, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a quick transition between Balcones Heights and San Antonio, this 7.2-mile journey is as straightforward as it gets. Expect a short 12-minute drive that serves as a simple local connection rather than a long-distance expedition. Because the duration is so brief, you certainly do not need to plan for an overnight stay; a single day is more than enough time to complete the trip. With a fuel budget of just $1, this route is incredibly economical for your travel wallet. Both locations sit within the Great Plains, ensuring a consistent regional feel from start to finish. It is the perfect option for those who prioritize efficiency over a scenic tour.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| McDermott Freeway | 4 mi | 4m |
| Interstate 10 West | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Pecos-La Trinidad | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Dolorosa Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Crossroads Boulevard | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Crossroads Boulevard | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Siesta Lane | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Fredericksburg Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
McDermott Freeway
— 4 mi, about 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Balcones Heights, TX and San Antonio, TX.
1
Start on this road
129 ft
·
14 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto Siesta Lane
454 ft
·
24 sec
·
Siesta Lane
3
Turn left onto Fredericksburg Road
259 ft
·
8 sec
·
Fredericksburg Road
4
Turn right onto Crossroads Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Crossroads Boulevard
Use the right lane.
5
Continue on North Crossroads Boulevard
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
North Crossroads Boulevard
Use the right lane.
6
Turn right onto Interstate 10 West
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Interstate 10 West
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 10 East
Use the left lane.
8
Merge onto I 10; US 87
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
McDermott Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto I 10; US 87
1.7 mi
·
2 min
·
McDermott Freeway
10
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 569C
Toward Santa Rosa Street, Downtown
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn straight onto North Pecos-La Trinidad
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
North Pecos-La Trinidad
12
Keep slight right at fork onto North Pecos-La Trinidad
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North Pecos-La Trinidad
Use the straight lane.
13
Turn left onto Dolorosa Street
0.5 mi
·
55 sec
·
Dolorosa Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
14
Arrive at destination
Dolorosa Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 6.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Siesta Lane
At end of road, turn left onto Siesta Lane
Navigation decision point
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Crossroads Boulevard
Turn right onto Crossroads Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
5.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward Santa Rosa Street, Downtown
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 569C
Toward Santa Rosa Street, Downtown
6
6.2 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
North Pecos-La Trinidad
Keep slight right at fork onto North Pecos-La Trinidad
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
6.7 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
Dolorosa Street
Turn left onto Dolorosa Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.09 one way
$2.18 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
3 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $1.19 | $2.38 |
| premium | $4.54 | $1.29 | $2.57 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.59 | $3.18 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.76 | $0.35 |
| Efficient EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.63 | $0.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.01 | $0.46 |
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 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
San Antonio, TX
Morning in San Antonio on Sunday
Local time
11:15 AM
CDT
Current temp
77°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
5 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
11m 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 as you navigate the 7.2 miles between these two Texas points. Since the route features 0% highway share, you will be sticking entirely to surface streets rather than dealing with high-speed interstate traffic. This setup creates a more technical, stop-and-go experience that requires your full attention on city navigation. Without any long, uninterrupted stretches, the drive maintains a steady, local pace from the moment you depart until you reach your destination. You won't be dealing with the monotony of open road cruising here, as the road character is defined by its urban, local nature.
67% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4 mi on McDermott Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on McDermott Freeway and Interstate 10 West. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Siesta Lane.
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 10 decision points packed into just 7.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 11m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Siesta Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Crossroads Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 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
837 ft
649 ft
Total Climb
9 ft
Total Descent
197 ft
Highest Point
837 ft
Elevation Range
188 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.
On the drive from Balcones Heights, TX to San Antonio, TX, road signs begin pointing toward Downtown along the way.
Downtown
5.5 mi in
|
~8m
About the Cities
Arriving in San Antonio, TX
Full guide →Founded 1718
San Antonio is the second largest city in the state of Texas and the 7th largest in the United States. It's the 24th largest metropolitan area in the country. Visited by more than 31 million annual visitors, San Antonio is a beautiful city at the axis of three different geological terrains: Hill Country, South Texas Plains and Prairie and Lakes. There's a lot to do in this city: fine art museums, historical missions and plenty of amusement parks in addition to great dining and lots of drinking. The culture and people are vibrant and interesting. San Antonio's downtown is one of the most lively in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Alamo Mission in San Antonio — historic place in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
- • San Antonio Missions National Historical Park — historic district in San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas
- • Fort Sam Houston — military base in San Antonio, Texas
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 11m. Total distance: 7.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
11m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (67%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4 miles on McDermott Freeway. 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 San Antonio, TX 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: near the start (Siesta Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Crossroads Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. 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 San Antonio, TX 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.
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