Origin
Carrollton, TX
Late night in Carrollton on Tuesday
Local time
4:02 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carrollton, TX to McKinney, TX
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
37m
Distance
27.4 mi
44 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 34m
★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 39m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carrollton, TX
Wikimedia Commons
McKinney, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 31-mile drive from Carrollton to McKinney, Texas, will take you about 34 minutes to complete. Designed as a single-day trip, this route is perfect for a quick excursion within the Great Plains region of Texas. You can expect a fuel cost of around $5 for this journey. The drive is characterized by numerous turns, making it a more engaging local experience rather than a straightforward highway cruise. With no designated stops and a relatively short duration, this trip offers plenty of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Sam Rayburn Tollway | 11 mi | 11m |
| Dallas North Tollway | 4.2 mi | 4m |
| President George Bush Turnpike | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| North Josey Lane | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| Spur 399 | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| South Tennessee Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| South McDonald Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| South Josey Lane | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Sam Rayburn Tollway
— 11 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carrollton, TX and McKinney, TX.
1
Start on East Belt Line Road
17 ft
·
5 sec
·
East Belt Line Road
2
Turn left onto South Josey Lane
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
South Josey Lane
3
Turn slight left
164 ft
·
7 sec
4
Turn slight left
70 ft
·
7 sec
5
Turn right
183 ft
·
15 sec
6
Turn uturn onto South Josey Lane
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
South Josey Lane
7
Continue on North Josey Lane
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
North Josey Lane
8
Turn slight right
162 ft
·
8 sec
9
Turn slight right onto TX 190
471 ft
·
8 sec
·
East Trinity Mills Road
Use the right lane.
10
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
Toward PGBT East
11
Merge onto PGBT
3.8 mi
·
4 min
·
President George Bush Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
Toward DNT: Dallas North Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
1 min
Toward DNT North: Dallas North Tollway North
Use the slight left lane.
14
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Merge onto DNT
4.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Dallas North Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward SRT TOLL South, SRT TOLL North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway North
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
18
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Merge onto SRT
11 mi
·
11 min
·
Sam Rayburn Tollway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Continue on Spur 399
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Spur 399
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
21
Continue on TX 5
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
South McDonald Street
22
Turn slight left
281 ft
·
10 sec
23
Continue on South Tennessee Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
South Tennessee Street
24
Arrive at destination
North Tennessee Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 12.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Josey Lane
Turn uturn onto South Josey Lane
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
7
7 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight left at fork toward DNT North: Dallas North Tollway North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward DNT North: Dallas North Tollway North
7
12.1 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward SRT TOLL South, SRT TOLL North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
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.
Toward SRT TOLL South, SRT TOLL North: Sam Rayb...
7
12.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Keep slight right at fork toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway North
7
12.9 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Keep slight left at fork toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward SRT North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.14 one way
$8.28 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $4.53 | $9.06 |
| premium | $4.54 | $4.89 | $9.78 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.05 | $12.10 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.52
Sam Rayburn Tollway
(11 mi)
$0.88
Dallas North Tollway
(4.2 mi)
$0.34
President George Bush Turnpike
(3.8 mi)
$0.30
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$2
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.88 | $1.32 |
| Efficient EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11 | 0 | $3.84 | $1.75 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
McKinney, TX
Late night in McKinney on Tuesday
Local time
4:02 AM
CDT
Current temp
82°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
37m 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 is a turn-heavy local drive that primarily utilizes roads like South Josey Lane, North Josey Lane, and East Trinity Mills Road. With a 0% highway share, you won't encounter any high-speed interstate travel. The longest uninterrupted stretch isn't specified, but the profile suggests frequent changes in direction are the norm. This means you'll be navigating through local streets, which can offer a more intimate feel of the Texas landscape between these two North Texas cities.
Only 14% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
24 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11 mi on Sam Rayburn Tollway.
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 0.2 miles in near South Josey Lane.
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 14 decision points packed into just 27.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (South Josey Lane): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.1 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.
Between Carrollton, TX and McKinney, TX, road signs point toward Pgbt East, Dnt: Dallas North Tollway, Dnt North: Dallas North Tollway North, Srt Toll South, Srt Toll North: Sam Rayburn Tollway and Srt North: Sam Rayburn Tollway North - among others.
Pgbt East
2.7 mi in
|
~6m
Dnt: Dallas North Tollway
6.8 mi in
|
~10m
Dnt North: Dallas North Tollway North
7 mi in
|
~11m
Srt Toll South
12.1 mi in
|
~17m
Srt Toll North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
12.1 mi in
|
~17m
Srt North: Sam Rayburn Tollway North
12.5 mi in
|
~18m
Srt North: Sam Rayburn Tollway
12.9 mi in
|
~19m
About the Cities
Starting in Carrollton, TX
Full guide →Founded 1913
Carrollton is a fast-growing suburb of Dallas, part of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, in the Prairies and Lakes region of Texas. In 2019, it was home to about 140,000 people.
Arriving in McKinney, TX
Full guide →Founded 1848
McKinney is a city in the Blackland Prairie region of 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 37m. Total distance: 27.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11 miles on Sam Rayburn Tollway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.52 in tolls one way, starting with Sam Rayburn Tollway. 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 McKinney, 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: at 0.2 miles (South Josey Lane): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 12.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at McKinney, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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