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Trip from Denton, 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

44m

Distance

36.9 mi

59 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 41m ★
6 AM
0h 44m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 47m
5 PM
0h 51m
8 PM
0h 42m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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city in Denton County, Texas, United States

Denton, TX

Wikimedia Commons

city in Collin and Denton counties in Texas, United States

Plano, TX

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

If you are planning a quick commute or day trip between Denton and Plano, you are looking at a straightforward 36.9-mile drive across the Great Plains. You can expect to reach your destination in about 44 minutes, making this a very manageable trip that does not require an overnight stay. With a fuel budget of just $6, it is an economical route for a single-day excursion. The path utilizes a combination of I-35E, the South Stemmons Freeway, and the President George Bush Turnpike to keep you moving efficiently. Since the entire drive stays within the Texas Great Plains, you will experience a consistent regional landscape throughout your journey.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
President George Bush Turnpike 13.3 mi 14m
South Stemmons Freeway 10.5 mi 11m
I 35E 6.3 mi 6m
Dallas Drive 1.3 mi 2m
East 15th Street 0.6 mi 1m
South Elm Street 0.5 mi 1m
Central Expressway 0.4 mi <1m
Spur 377 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: President George Bush Turnpike — 13.3 mi, about 14m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Denton, TX and Plano, TX.

1

Start on West Hickory Street

379 ft · 20 sec · West Hickory Street
2

Turn right onto South Austin Street

203 ft · 10 sec · South Austin Street
3

Turn right onto East Walnut Street

0.1 mi · 30 sec · East Walnut Street
4

Turn left onto South Elm Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · South Elm Street
5

Turn left onto Spur 377

0.1 mi · 9 sec · Eagle Drive
6

Turn right onto Spur 377

1.3 mi · 2 min · Dallas Drive
Use the left lane.
7

Take the ramp onto Spur 377

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Spur 377
Toward I 35E South, US 77 South
8

Merge onto I 35E; US 77

6.3 mi · 6 min · I 35E; US 77
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E

10 mi · 11 min · South Stemmons Freeway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Take the exit

1.2 mi · 1 min
Exit 445 Toward PGBT Toll: President George Bush Turnpike Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork

1.2 mi · 1 min
Toward PGBT Toll East: President George Bush Turnpike Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Merge onto PGBT

13 mi · 14 min · President George Bush Turnpike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward US 75 North: McKinney Use the slight left lane.
15

Turn slight right

0.3 mi · 32 sec
Exit 29 Toward 15th Street Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn straight onto Central Expressway

0.4 mi · 49 sec · Central Expressway
Use the straight / right lanes.
17

Turn right onto East 15th Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · East 15th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
18

Arrive at destination

East 15th Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 16

5 decision points cluster between mile 8.7 and 36.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
8.7 mi into trip | ~11m in | I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
19.1 mi into trip | ~23m in

Take the exit toward PGBT Toll: President George Bush Turnpike

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 445 Toward PGBT Toll: President George Bush Turnpik...
7
20.4 mi into trip | ~24m in

Keep slight right at fork toward PGBT Toll East: President George Bush Turnpike

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward PGBT Toll East: President George Bush Tu...
7
35 mi into trip | ~40m in

Keep slight left at fork toward US 75 North: McKinney

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward US 75 North: McKinney
6
36.4 mi into trip | ~43m in | East 15th Street

Turn right onto East 15th Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.58 one way

$11.15 round trip

$3.84/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.20 $6.10 $12.21
premium $4.54 $6.59 $13.18
diesel $5.61 $8.15 $16.29

Estimated Tolls: $1.09

President George Bush Turnpike (13.3 mi) $1.06
Central Expressway (0.4 mi) $0.03

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.9 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 11.1 0 $3.87 $1.77
Efficient EV 9.2 0 $3.23 $1.48
EV Truck/SUV 14.8 0 $5.17 $2.36

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.

Forecast as of Apr 13, 2026

Origin

Denton, TX

Late night in Denton on Sunday

Local time

12:57 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Mostly Cloudy

S 15 mph 12% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 12 at 9:00PM CDT until April 12 at 9:15PM CDT by NWS San Angelo TX

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued April 12 at 8:56PM CDT by NWS Fort Worth TX

Destination

Plano, TX

Late night in Plano on Sunday

Local time

12:57 AM

CDT

Current temp

68°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

S 15 mph 27% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Warning

Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued April 12 at 9:00PM CDT until April 12 at 9:15PM CDT by NWS San Angelo TX

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued April 12 at 8:56PM CDT by NWS Fort Worth TX

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

44m 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?

This 44-minute trek is primarily a highway-focused drive, with 82% of your time spent on major thoroughfares. You will navigate a mix of high-speed transit, including the South Stemmons Freeway and I-35E, before shifting onto the President George Bush Turnpike. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a 13.3-mile segment on the turnpike, which offers a steady rhythm for your drive. While the route lacks the complexity of rural backroads, the high percentage of highway usage ensures a predictable and efficient experience behind the wheel. Expect a functional, direct transition between these two North Texas hubs rather than a winding scenic detour.

82% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.3 mi on President George Bush Turnpike.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on President George Bush Turnpike and South Stemmons Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 8.7 miles in near I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway.

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 16 decision points packed into just 36.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 8.7 miles (I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

669 ft 450 ft

Total Climb

231 ft

Total Descent

219 ft

Highest Point

669 ft

~2.6 mi in

Elevation Range

219 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Denton, TX and Plano, TX, road signs point toward Pgbt Toll: President George Bush Turnpike and Pgbt Toll East: President George Bush Turnpike.

Pgbt Toll: President George Bush Turnpike

19.1 mi in | ~23m

Pgbt Toll East: President George Bush Turnpike

20.4 mi in | ~24m

About the Cities

Starting 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

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 44m. Total distance: 36.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

44m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (82%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 13.3 miles on President George Bush Turnpike. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $1.09 in tolls one way, starting with President George Bush Turnpike. 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 Plano, 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 8.7 miles (I 35E / South Stemmons Freeway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 19.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.4 miles: 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 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, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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