Origin
Dallas, TX
Late night in Dallas on Tuesday
Local time
5:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
84°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Dallas, TX to Denton, 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
46m
Distance
38 mi
61 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 54m
10 AM
0h 49m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 54m
8 PM
0h 44m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Dallas, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Denton, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking for a straightforward trip within the Great Plains, traveling the 38 miles from Dallas to Denton is a quick and manageable excursion. You can expect to spend about 46 minutes on the road, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. Budgeting approximately $6 for fuel is sufficient for the journey, which relies on a combination of I-35E North, North Stemmons Freeway, and Dallas Drive. Because the route is entirely contained within the state of Texas, you will experience a consistent regional feel from start to finish. Whether you are heading north for business or a change of pace, this direct connection offers a simple way to navigate between these two North Texas hubs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Stemmons Freeway | 34.6 mi | 39m |
| Spur 377 | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| South Locust Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| North Lamar Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| West Walnut Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West Hickory Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Eagle Drive | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| South Cedar Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Stemmons Freeway
— 34.6 mi, about 39m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Dallas, TX and Denton, TX.
1
Start on North Lamar Street
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
North Lamar Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Take the ramp
133 ft
·
3 sec
Toward I 35E North
3
Turn right
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
Toward I 35E North
4
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 35E North
Use the slight left lane.
5
Merge onto I 35E
3.5 mi
·
4 min
·
North Stemmons Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E
31 mi
·
34 min
·
North Stemmons Freeway
Toward I 35E North: Denton
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
Take the exit onto Spur 377
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Spur 377
Exit 464
Toward Dallas Drive
Use the slight right lane.
8
At end of road, turn left onto Spur 377
207 ft
·
7 sec
·
Eagle Drive
9
Turn right onto South Locust Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Locust Street
10
Turn left onto West Walnut Street
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
West Walnut Street
11
At end of road, turn right onto South Cedar Street
198 ft
·
10 sec
·
South Cedar Street
12
Turn right onto West Hickory Street
379 ft
·
18 sec
·
West Hickory Street
13
Arrive at destination
West Hickory Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 38 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19 miles from Dallas, TX, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 37.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 35E North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward I 35E North
5
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway
Merge onto I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
4.6 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway toward I 35E North: Denton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward I 35E North: Denton
7
35.7 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
Spur 377
Take the exit onto Spur 377 toward Dallas Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 464
Toward Dallas Drive
6
37.9 mi into trip
|
~45m in
|
South Cedar Street
At end of road, turn right onto South Cedar Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.74 one way
$11.48 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $6.28 | $12.57 |
| premium | $4.54 | $6.78 | $13.57 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.39 | $16.78 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.4 | 0 | $3.99 | $1.82 |
| Efficient EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.2 | 0 | $5.32 | $2.43 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Denton, TX
Late night in Denton on Tuesday
Local time
5:49 AM
CDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
66°F
Lewisville, TX
19 mi in
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
46m 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 rather than a monotonous highway cruise on this 38-mile trek. While you will utilize I-35E North and North Stemmons Freeway, the route lacks long, uninterrupted highway stretches, meaning you should stay alert for frequent transitions. Since the highway share is 0%, the drive emphasizes local navigation over high-speed interstate travel. You will navigate various turns as you transition between the primary roads, requiring you to pay close attention to your route markers. The character of this trip is defined by its technical, local nature, making it feel more like a suburban commute than a cross-country endurance test.
91% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 34.6 mi on North Stemmons Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on North Stemmons Freeway and Spur 377. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 38 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 46m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.6 miles (I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Dallas, TX
Full guide →“Big D” · Founded 1841
Dallas, with a population of more than 1.3 million residents, is the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas. It is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city. As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Dallas Museum of Art — art museum in Dallas, Texas
- • Texas School Book Depository — building in Dallas, Texas, United States
- • George W. Bush Presidential Center — Presidential library and museum for U.S. President George W. Bush, located in Da...
Arriving in Denton, TX
Full guide →Founded 1866
Denton is a city in Texas. It is a college town which forms the northern tip of what is known as the Golden Triangle, the other two points being Dallas and Fort Worth, approximately equidistant to the southeast and southwest.
Top landmarks
- • Denton County Courthouse-on-the-Square — historic place in Denton, Denton County, Texas
- • Pioneer Woman — monument in Denton, Denton County, 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 46m. Total distance: 38 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
46m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (91%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 34.6 miles on North Stemmons 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 Denton, 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 0.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles (I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 4.6 miles (I 35E / North Stemmons Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Denton, 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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