Origin
Dripping Springs, TX
Morning in Dripping Springs on Tuesday
Local time
11:59 AM
CDT
Current temp
86°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Dripping Springs, TX to Austin, 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
32m
Distance
23.1 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Dripping Springs, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Austin, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Dripping Springs to Austin is a quick 23.2-mile journey that typically takes about 33 minutes. Because of the short distance, this trip is easily managed as a simple day excursion, requiring no overnight stays. You will navigate through the Great Plains, utilizing a combination of Ranch Road 12, Highway 290, and Loop 1 North to reach your destination. With fuel costs estimated at just $3, this is an incredibly budget-friendly commute between the two Texas locations. It functions perfectly for those looking to transition from the outskirts into the city center without a long time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| East US Highway 290 | 12.2 mi | 16m |
| South Mopac Expressway | 4 mi | 4m |
| West US Highway 290 | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| US 290 | 1.6 mi | 1m |
| West 5th Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Ranch Road 12 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East 5th Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
East US Highway 290
— 12.2 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Dripping Springs, TX and Austin, TX.
1
Start on this road
332 ft
·
26 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right
104 ft
·
8 sec
3
Turn right onto RM 12
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
Ranch Road 12
4
Turn right onto US 290
12 mi
·
16 min
·
East US Highway 290
Use the right lane.
5
Continue on US 290
0.3 mi
·
18 sec
·
West US Highway 290
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
7
Continue on West US Highway 290
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
West US Highway 290
8
Continue on US 290; TX 71
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
US 290; TX 71
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward Loop 1 North
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Merge onto Loop 1
4.0 mi
·
4 min
·
South Mopac Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
Toward 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard, Cesar Chavez Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
Toward West 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight right at fork
120 ft
·
2 sec
Toward 5th Street
Use the slight right lane.
14
Turn straight onto West 5th Street
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
West 5th Street
Use the straight lane.
15
Arrive at destination
East 5th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 21.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
At end of road, turn right
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
16.6 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward Loop 1 North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Loop 1 North
7
21.2 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard, Cesar Chavez 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.
Toward 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard, Cesar...
9
21.4 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward West 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward West 5th Street, Lake Austin Boulevard
8
21.5 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight right at fork toward 5th Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward 5th Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.49 one way
$6.98 round trip
$3.84/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.20 | $3.82 | $7.64 |
| premium | $4.54 | $4.12 | $8.25 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.10 | $10.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.43 | $1.11 |
| Efficient EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.23 | $1.48 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Austin, TX
Morning in Austin on Tuesday
Local time
11:59 AM
CDT
Current temp
89°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
3 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
32m 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 interstate haul. Since the route features a 0% highway share, you won't be dealing with long, straight stretches of high-speed pavement. In fact, there is effectively no long, uninterrupted straightaway on Ranch Road 12, so keep your focus on the road ahead. The character of the drive is defined by its local nature, requiring you to remain alert through the various turns. It is a practical, functional transit that prioritizes local connectivity over the high-speed transit found on major interstates.
87% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.2 mi on East US Highway 290.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on East US Highway 290 and South Mopac Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 10 decision points packed into just 23.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 16.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 21.2 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
1,246 ft
454 ft
Total Climb
127 ft
Total Descent
794 ft
Highest Point
1,246 ft
~5 mi in
Elevation Range
792 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 Dripping Springs, TX to Austin, TX, road signs begin pointing toward Loop 1 North along the way.
Loop 1 North
16.6 mi in
|
~22m
About the Cities
Starting in Dripping Springs, TX
Full guide →Dripping Springs is in the Hill Country region of Texas.
Top landmarks
- • Dr. Joseph M. and Sarah Pound Farmstead — building in Dripping Springs, Hays County, Texas
Arriving in Austin, TX
Full guide →“City of the Violet Crown” · Founded 1835
Austin is a city of about 1,054,000 (2026) surpassing Fort Worth to become the 4th most populous city in Texas. It is on the southeast edge of the Hill Country region of Texas, making it the fourth-largest city in the state and the 11th-largest in the country. It is the capital of Texas and a college town, and also a center of an alternative culture away from the major cities on the US coasts, though the city is rapidly gentrifying with its rising popularity. Austin's attitude is commonly emblazoned about town on T-shirts and bumper stickers that read: "Keep Austin Weird." Austin is also marketed as the Live Music Capital of the World due to the large number of venues.
Top landmarks
- • Texas State Capitol — capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas
- • Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum — presidential library and museum for U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson in Austin,...
- • Texas State Cemetery — historic cemetery in Austin, Texas, USA
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 32m. Total distance: 23.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (87%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.2 miles on East US Highway 290. 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 Austin, 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 0.1 miles: Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 16.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 21.2 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 Austin, 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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