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Trip from Santa Fe, TX to Village of Tiki Island, TX

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 20, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

23m

Distance

14.4 mi

23 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 21m ★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m

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

Best Time
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Downtown Santa Fe, TX, TX

Santa Fe, TX

Mark Direen

Downtown Village of Tiki Island, TX, TX

Village of Tiki Island, TX

ZaetaFlow Sec

Trip Overview

Santa Fe, TX to the Village of Tiki Island, TX is 14.4 miles and takes about 23 minutes via Highway 6 and Gulf Freeway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short, straightforward drive keeps you within Texas, moving from the Great Plains region to a coastal area. It's a quick trip, primarily on highways, making it ideal for a simple transfer or a short excursion. You won't encounter any major logistical challenges on this brief journey, so you can decide to go with minimal planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Highway 6 11.2 mi 17m
Gulf Freeway 1.5 mi 1m
Tiki Drive 0.8 mi 1m
Gulf Freeway Frontage Road 0.4 mi <1m
Tahiti <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Highway 6 — 11.2 mi, about 17m

Traffic on I-45

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 4 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

5 PM

~3,016 veh/hr typical · worst 3,885

Quietest

2 AM

~129 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

23.4×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 50 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Santa Fe, TX and Village of Tiki Island, TX.

1

Start on TX 6

11 mi · 16 min · Highway 6
2

Continue on TX 6

0.5 mi · 1 min · Highway 6
3

Continue on TX 6

0.4 mi · 59 sec · Gulf Freeway Frontage Road
4

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Toward I 45 South
5

Merge onto I 45

1.5 mi · 1 min · Gulf Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Exit 4 Toward Village of Tiki Island Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork

171 ft · 4 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Turn left onto Tiki Drive

0.8 mi · 1 min · Tiki Drive
9

Turn right onto Tahiti

175 ft · 7 sec · Tahiti
10

Arrive at destination

Tahiti

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 6

5 decision points cluster between mile 11.6 and 13.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
11.6 mi into trip | ~18m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 45 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Toward I 45 South
5
11.8 mi into trip | ~18m in | I 45 / Gulf Freeway

Merge onto I 45 / Gulf Freeway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.4 mi into trip | ~20m in

Take the exit toward Village of Tiki Island

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 4 Toward Village of Tiki Island
7
13.5 mi into trip | ~21m in

Keep slight right at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
3
13.6 mi into trip | ~21m in | Tiki Drive

Turn left onto Tiki Drive

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.97 one way

$3.94 round trip

$3.48/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $3.89 $2.20 $4.41
premium $4.23 $2.40 $4.79
diesel $4.80 $2.72 $5.44

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 4.3 0 $1.51 $0.69
Efficient EV 3.6 0 $1.26 $0.58
EV Truck/SUV 5.8 0 $2.02 $0.92

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.

Forecast as of Jul 19, 2026

Origin

Santa Fe, TX

Late night in Santa Fe on Monday

Local time

5:55 AM

CDT

Current temp

93°F

Sunny

SW 0 to 10 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued July 19 at 6:53AM CDT until July 19 at 8:45AM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 19 at 3:32AM CDT until July 20 at 3:04AM CDT by NWS Corpus Christi TX

Destination

Village of Tiki Island, TX

Late night in Village of Tiki Island on Monday

Local time

5:55 AM

CDT

Current temp

90°F

Sunny

SW 10 to 15 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Flash Flood Warning

Flash Flood Warning issued July 19 at 6:53AM CDT until July 19 at 8:45AM CDT by NWS Midland/Odessa TX

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued July 19 at 3:32AM CDT until July 20 at 3:04AM CDT by NWS Corpus Christi 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

3 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

23m 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 is a highway-focused drive, with 91% of the trip taking place on main roads like Highway 6 and the Gulf Freeway. Expect a consistent pace for much of the journey, with the longest uninterrupted stretch covering 11.2 miles on Highway 6. The character of the drive is largely consistent, characterized by open highway conditions rather than winding backroads. You'll experience a smooth, efficient transit with minimal interruptions as you make your way to your destination.

91% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.2 mi on Highway 6.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Highway 6 and Gulf Freeway. You will hit about 6 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 11.6 miles in.

Driving Effort 6/10

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 14.4 miles you will encounter 6 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: at 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 11.8 miles (I 45 / Gulf Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

29 ft 5 ft

Total Climb

13 ft

Total Descent

36 ft

Highest Point

29 ft

Elevation Range

23 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Santa Fe, TX

Full guide →

Arriving in Village of Tiki Island, TX

Full guide →

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 23m. Total distance: 14.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

23m 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 11.2 miles on Highway 6. 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 Village of Tiki Island, 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 11.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 11.8 miles (I 45 / Gulf Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Village of Tiki Island, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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