Origin
Franconia, VA
Morning in Franconia on Tuesday
Local time
9:44 AM
EDT
Current temp
67°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Franconia, VA to McLean, VA
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
24m
Distance
15.7 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Franconia, VA
Robert Śliwiński
McLean, VA
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Franconia, VA to McLean, VA is 15.7 miles and takes about 24 minutes via Capital Beltway and Dolley Madison Boulevard, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Virginia, connecting two points in the Southeast region. Expect a drive that involves frequent turns and navigating local roads, rather than a straightforward highway cruise. It's a practical local journey, ideal for a quick commute or a short errand, with minimal time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Beltway | 9.5 mi | 11m |
| Dolley Madison Boulevard | 1.7 mi | 4m |
| Franconia Road | 1.7 mi | 4m |
| Old Dominion Drive | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Commerce Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Elm Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Beltway
— 9.5 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Franconia, VA and McLean, VA.
1
Start on SR 644
113 ft
·
4 sec
·
Franconia Road
2
Continue on SR 644
1.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Franconia Road
Use the left lane.
3
Continue on Franconia Road
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
Franconia Road
Toward I 95, I 395, I 495: Frontier Drive, Loisdale Road, Commerce Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
Turn right onto SR 789
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
·
Commerce Street
5
Take the ramp
1.5 mi
·
2 min
Toward I 495 North: Tysons Corner
Use the right lane.
6
Merge onto I 495
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Capital Beltway
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 495
8.5 mi
·
10 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight lane.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Exit 46B
Toward VA 123 North: McLean
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn straight onto VA 123
1.7 mi
·
4 min
·
Dolley Madison Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
10
Turn right onto VA 309
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Old Dominion Drive
Use the right lane.
11
Turn sharp left onto Elm Street
101 ft
·
2 sec
·
Elm Street
12
Arrive at destination
Elm Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 15.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Take the ramp toward I 495 North: Tysons Corner
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 495 North: Tysons Corner
6
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
I 495 / Capital Beltway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 495 / Capital Beltway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
7
13.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward VA 123 North: McLean
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 46B
Toward VA 123 North: McLean
5
15.2 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Turn right onto VA 309 / Old Dominion Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
15.7 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
Elm Street
Turn sharp left onto Elm Street
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.46 one way
$4.91 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.68 | $5.37 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.91 | $5.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.47 | $6.93 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.75 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.37 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.20 | $1.00 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
McLean, VA
Morning in McLean on Tuesday
Local time
9:44 AM
EDT
Current temp
67°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
24m 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, with no highway mileage contributing to the total 15.7 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.5 miles on the Capital Beltway. The route mixes time on the Capital Beltway with segments on Franconia Road and Dolley Madison Boulevard, suggesting a progression from a potentially faster-paced highway section to more trafficked local streets. Be prepared for frequent adjustments in direction as you navigate through various local thoroughfares.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.5 mi on Capital Beltway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 2 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 8 decision points packed into just 15.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in McLean, VA
Full guide →McLean is a Northern Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. located in Fairfax County, Virginia, in the southern United States of America.
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 24m. Total distance: 15.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.5 miles on Capital Beltway. 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 McLean, VA 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 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 4.5 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at McLean, VA 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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