Hill County Northbound Rest Area
0 mi from route
Trip from Schulenburg, TX to Dallas, TX
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 20, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
4h 20m
Distance
232.3 mi
374 km
Drive Score
10/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$32
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
4h 7m
★
6 AM
4h 21m
8 AM
4h 47m
10 AM
4h 30m
12 PM
4h 27m
3 PM
4h 31m
5 PM
4h 46m
8 PM
4h 13m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Schulenburg, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Dallas, TX
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Schulenburg to Dallas is 232.3 miles and takes about 4h 20m via I 35E, with a fuel budget near $36 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip travels through the Great Plains region of Texas, moving from one area to another without significant changes in terrain. The majority of the drive is on highways, offering a straightforward path between these two points. It's a practical route for getting from point A to point B efficiently, making it a good option if you need to cover ground without a lot of complexity.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
116.2 miles from Schulenburg, TX
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 2h 15m into the drive .
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 35E | 58.1 mi | 1h |
| North Travis Avenue | 48.6 mi | 55m |
| South Main Street | 48 mi | 57m |
| Purple Heart Trail | 33 mi | 33m |
| North US Highway 77 | 17.3 mi | 19m |
| Kessler Avenue | 15.9 mi | 18m |
| South Jack Kultgen Expressway | 3.8 mi | 4m |
| US 77 | 3.8 mi | 4m |
Longest stretch:
I 35E
— 58.1 mi, about 1h
Traffic on I-35
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,837 veh/hr typical · worst 5,660
Quietest
2 AM
~666 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
7.3×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 43 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 Schulenburg, TX and Dallas, TX.
1
Start on US 90
105 ft
·
6 sec
·
Summit Street
2
Turn right onto US 77
16 mi
·
18 min
·
Kessler Avenue
3
Continue on US 77
2.7 mi
·
3 min
·
South Jefferson Street
4
Continue on US 77
17 mi
·
19 min
·
North US Highway 77
5
Continue on US 77
48 mi
·
57 min
·
South Main Street
6
At end of road, turn left onto US 77; US 190; TX 36
3.6 mi
·
4 min
·
US 77; US 190; TX 36
7
Turn right onto US 77
49 mi
·
55 min
·
North Travis Avenue
Use the right lane.
8
Enter roundabout onto Circle Road
215 ft
·
11 sec
·
Circle Road
9
Continue on Circle Road
0.4 mi
·
54 sec
·
Circle Road
10
Turn straight onto South Jack Kultgen Expressway
0.5 mi
·
58 sec
·
South Jack Kultgen Expressway
11
Take the ramp
444 ft
·
10 sec
Toward I 35 North, US 77 North
12
Continue on US 77
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
US 77
13
Merge onto I 35; US 77
3.3 mi
·
3 min
·
South Jack Kultgen Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Continue on I 35; US 77
33 mi
·
33 min
·
Purple Heart Trail
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E
58 mi
·
1 hr
·
I 35E
Toward I 35E: Dallas
Use the slight right lane.
16
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Exit 429A
Toward Continental Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
17
Turn right onto Continental Avenue
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
Continental Avenue
Use the right lane.
18
Turn slight right onto North Lamar Street
433 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Lamar Street
19
Arrive at destination
North Lamar Street
Trip Plan
Given the 4h 20m drive time, this trip is easily completed in a single day. Leaving Schulenburg in the morning should give you ample time to reach Dallas well before dark. While there's only one recommended stop, consider breaking up the drive further with a short break around the halfway point to stretch your legs, especially since 58.1 miles can feel like a long stretch on I 35E. Keep an eye on your fuel, as the estimated cost is $36, and plan your final fueling before hitting the surface streets into Dallas. The flexibility of a single-day trip means you can depart when you feel most rested.
Morning Departure
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Evening Departure
A late afternoon start means arriving after dark. Morning is better.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 116.2 miles from Schulenburg, TX, or about 2h 15m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 58.1 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 51 miles or 59m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 116.2 miles or 2h 15m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 3h 36m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Dallas, TX than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Schulenburg, TX so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Schulenburg, TX
This is one driving day of about 232.3 miles and 4h 20m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 51 miles from Schulenburg, TX.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on I 35E for about 58.1 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
116 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 51 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 116.2 miles from Schulenburg, 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.
Stops Along Your Drive
Picked by where they fit in your drive — first break, midpoint reset, final stretch.
Rest Area
0 mi from route
Hill County Southbound Rest Area
0.1 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.1 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
0.1 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.1 mi from route
Petro Stopping Centers
0.1 mi from route
Service Plaza
0.1 mi from route
QuikTrip
0.1 mi from route
Road Ranger
0.2 mi from route
Buc-ee's
0.2 mi from route
TA
0.3 mi from route
Love's Travel Stop
0.9 mi from route
QuikTrip
1 mi from route
290 Travel Plaza
1 mi from route
Flying J Travel Center
1.1 mi from route
Service Plaza
2.3 mi from route
Pilot Travel Center
2.5 mi from route
City Park
4.6
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Near the end, short detour
Home stretch
1.4 mi from route
~3 min detour
Dallas, Texas
Hours: 10 am–5 pm
+19724823055
Visit websitePlace data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 87.5 and 232 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
87.5 mi into trip
|
~1h 42m in
|
US 77 / North Travis Avenue
Turn right onto US 77 / North Travis Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
137.4 mi into trip
|
~2h 41m in
|
I 35; US 77 / South Jack Kultgen Expressway
Merge onto I 35; US 77 / South Jack Kultgen Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
173.7 mi into trip
|
~3h 18m in
|
I 35E
Keep slight right at fork onto I 35E toward I 35E: Dallas
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 35E: Dallas
7
231.8 mi into trip
|
~4h 19m in
Take the exit toward Continental Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 429A
Toward Continental Avenue
6
232 mi into trip
|
~4h 19m in
|
Continental Avenue
Turn right onto Continental Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$31.82 one way
$63.64 round trip
$3.48/gal
25.4 MPG avg
81 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $3.89 | $35.54 | $71.08 |
| premium | $4.23 | $38.64 | $77.28 |
| diesel | $4.80 | $43.86 | $87.73 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$32
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$57–$82
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 81.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $24 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 69.7 | 0 | $24.39 | $11.15 |
| Efficient EV | 58.1 | 0 | $20.33 | $9.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 92.9 | 1 | $32.52 | $14.87 |
Gas CO2
81 kg
EV CO2
27 kg (67% less)
Plan for 0 charging stops, roughly every 270 miles. Allow 25-40 minutes per stop at a DC fast charger.
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.
Origin
Schulenburg, TX
Late night in Schulenburg on Monday
Local time
5:52 AM
CDT
Current temp
96°F
Mostly Sunny
S 5 to 10 mph
1% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued July 18 at 9:55AM CDT until July 19 at 11:00AM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued July 18 at 9:53AM CDT until July 19 at 7:15PM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX
Destination
Dallas, TX
Late night in Dallas on Monday
Local time
5:52 AM
CDT
Current temp
97°F
Mostly Sunny
S 5 to 10 mph
2% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued July 18 at 9:55AM CDT until July 19 at 11:00AM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued July 18 at 9:53AM CDT until July 19 at 7:15PM CDT by NWS Austin/San Antonio TX
96°F
Troy, TX
116 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
1 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
4h 20m on the road
An early start around 7-8 AM gets you there with plenty of daylight left.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Waco Mammoth National Monument
National Monument
Standing as tall as 14 feet and weighing 20,000 pounds, Columbian mammoths roamed across what is present-day Texas thousands of years ago. Today, the fossil specimens represent the nation's first and...
5 mi from route
~13 min detour
Free
near mile 144.2
View on nps.gov
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is 36% highway, meaning you'll spend a notable portion of your time on surface roads. The longest continuous stretch on the highway is 58.1 miles on I 35E, after which you'll transition to North Travis Avenue and South Main Street. Expect a mixed driving experience with periods of higher speed cruising followed by more local traffic and intersections. The transition from highway to these surface streets will likely involve more frequent stops and lower average speeds.
36% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 58.1 mi on I 35E.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 87.5 miles in near US 77 / North Travis 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 232.3 miles you will encounter 9 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 87.5 miles (US 77 / North Travis Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 137.4 miles (I 35; US 77 / South Jack Kultgen Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 173.7 miles (I 35E): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
651 ft
265 ft
Total Climb
557 ft
Total Descent
495 ft
Highest Point
651 ft
~182.6 mi in
Elevation Range
386 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Schulenburg, TX
Full guide →Schulenburg is a city in Fayette County in the Post Oak Savannah region of Texas. It bills itself as halfway to everywhere, since it's halfway between Houston and San Antonio on I-10 and halfway from Austin to Victoria north-south.
Arriving in Dallas, TX
Full guide →“Big D” · Founded 1841
Dallas, with a population of more than 1.3 million residents, is the ninth largest city in the United States and the third largest in the state of Texas. It is an impressive melting pot of culture and character. Boasting high-end luxury hotels, innumerable fine dining spots, and one of the busiest airports in the world, Dallas maintains an upscale ethos reflected by an affluent population, world-class museums, and a shimmering modern skyline. Its history was marred by the infamous assassination of U.S. President John F. Kennedy, but there is more historic and contemporary heritage to be discovered in the city. As a center of the oil and cotton industries in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Dallas was a classic American boom town and remains one of the fastest growing cities in the nation.
Top landmarks
- • Dallas Museum of Art — art museum in Dallas, Texas
- • Texas School Book Depository — building in Dallas, Texas, United States
- • George W. Bush Presidential Center — Presidential library and museum for U.S. President George W. Bush, located in Da...
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 4h 20m. Total distance: 232.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
4h 20m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (36%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 58.1 miles on I 35E. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 18 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 87.5 miles (US 77 / North Travis Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 137.4 miles (I 35; US 77 / South Jack Kultgen Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 173.7 miles (I 35E): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Waco Mammoth National Monument. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Possible but tiring. At 4.3 hours each way, an in-and-out day trip would put you behind the wheel for 8.7 hours — manageable with a long break at Dallas, TX, but most travelers stay overnight.
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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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