Origin
Denison, TX
Late night in Denison on Sunday
Local time
2:34 AM
CDT
Current temp
72°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Denison, TX to Plano, TX
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 5m
Distance
57.3 mi
92 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 0m
★
6 AM
1h 5m
8 AM
1h 16m
10 AM
1h 9m
12 PM
1h 8m
3 PM
1h 9m
5 PM
1h 15m
8 PM
1h 2m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Denison, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Plano, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to travel from Denison to Plano, you are facing a straightforward 56.8-mile journey across the Texas Great Plains. Expect to spend about 55 minutes behind the wheel, making this a perfect candidate for a quick day trip that requires no overnight stay. You will navigate primarily via North Austin Avenue, South Eisenhower Parkway, and TX 91. With a fuel budget of approximately $8, this drive is as cost-effective as it is efficient. Because you remain within the same region, the landscape remains consistent throughout the trip. It is a practical, no-nonsense route that gets you from point A to point B without any necessary stops.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Central Expressway | 26.9 mi | 28m |
| North Sam Rayburn Freeway | 12 mi | 12m |
| North Collins Freeway | 10.1 mi | 10m |
| South Eisenhower Parkway | 2 mi | 2m |
| Texoma Parkway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Grayson Drive | 1.2 mi | 1m |
| North Austin Avenue | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Central Expressway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
North Central Expressway
— 26.9 mi, about 28m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Denison, TX and Plano, TX.
1
Start on this road
61 ft
·
9 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left onto US 69
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
North Austin Avenue
3
Continue on Spur 503
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
South Eisenhower Parkway
4
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward TX 91: Texoma Parkway
5
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Toward TX 91 South: Sherman
6
Turn straight onto TX 91
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Texoma Parkway
7
Turn right onto FM 691
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Grayson Drive
8
Turn left onto North Sam Rayburn Freeway
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
North Sam Rayburn Freeway
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward US 75 South
10
Merge onto US 75
12 mi
·
12 min
·
North Sam Rayburn Freeway
11
Continue on US 75
10 mi
·
10 min
·
North Collins Freeway
12
Continue on US 75
27 mi
·
28 min
·
North Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 29
Toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Turn straight onto Central Expressway
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Expressway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
15
Turn left onto West 15th Street
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
West 15th Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
East 15th Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
29 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 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 28.7 miles from Denison, 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 55.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 69 / North Austin Avenue
Turn left onto US 69 / North Austin Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
3.1 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the exit toward TX 91: Texoma Parkway
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward TX 91: Texoma Parkway
6
3.4 mi into trip
|
~5m in
Keep slight right at fork toward TX 91 South: Sherman
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward TX 91 South: Sherman
4
5.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
FM 691 / Grayson Drive
Turn right onto FM 691 / Grayson Drive
Navigation decision point
8
55.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 1m in
Take the exit toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
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 29
Toward Park Boulevard, 15th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.66 one way
$17.32 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
20 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $9.48 | $18.95 |
| premium | $4.54 | $10.23 | $20.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $12.65 | $25.30 |
Estimated Tolls: $2.22
Central Expressway
(27.8 mi)
$2.22
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Tolls
$2
Total
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 20 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 17.2 | 0 | $6.02 | $2.75 |
| Efficient EV | 14.3 | 0 | $5.01 | $2.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 22.9 | 0 | $8.02 | $3.67 |
Gas CO2
20 kg
EV CO2
7 kg (65% 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
Plano, TX
Late night in Plano on Sunday
Local time
2:34 AM
CDT
Current temp
87°F
Mostly Sunny
S 10 to 15 mph
4% chance
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
15 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
1h 5m on the road
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.
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise, as this route contains 0% highway driving. You will be navigating local roads, which means the pace is determined by traffic flow and intersection turns rather than open-road cruising. There is no long-distance highway stretch to lean on, with the longest continuous segment being 0 miles on North Austin Avenue. Because the route relies entirely on local corridors, you should stay alert for frequent turns and changing road conditions. It is a hands-on driving experience that requires your full attention compared to a standard highway haul.
93% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 26.9 mi on North Central Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on North Central Expressway and North Sam Rayburn Freeway. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near US 69 / North Austin Avenue.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 57.3 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (US 69 / North Austin Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
About the Cities
Starting in Denison, TX
Full guide →Founded 1872
Denison is in the Blackland Prairie region.
Top landmarks
- • Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site — building in Denison, Grayson County, Texas
Arriving in Plano, TX
Full guide →Plano is a city of 285,000 people (2020) in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex region of Texas and is north of Dallas. It is home to the headquarters of several large corporations.
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 1h 5m. Total distance: 57.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 5m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (93%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 26.9 miles on North Central Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $2.22 in tolls one way, starting with Central Expressway. 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.
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 (US 69 / North Austin Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 3.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 3.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Plano, 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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