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Trip from Bowie, MD to Odenton, MD

Data updated 5 hours ago

Drive Time

22m

Distance

12.6 mi

20 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

None

0 DC fast

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m

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 Prince George's County, Maryland, United States

Bowie, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Odenton, MD, MD

Odenton, MD

RDNE Stock project

Trip Overview

This 12.6-mile drive from Bowie, MD to Odenton, MD is a quick trip, expected to take about 22 minutes. It's an ideal day trip, easily completed within a single day with no need for an overnight stay. The route primarily follows Robert Crain Highway and North East Crain Highway before concluding on Waugh Chapel Road. With a low estimated fuel cost of around $2, this journey is very budget-friendly. You'll experience a mostly local road drive with minimal highway time, making it a straightforward commute within the Northeast region of Maryland.

Trip Pace

Same-day drive is realistic

A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.

Break Rhythm

0 planned breaks

A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.

Midpoint

6.3 miles from Bowie, MD

A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 10m into the drive .

Loading map...

Drive Character

Expect a "turn-heavy local drive" for this 12.6-mile journey, with only about 10% of the route on highways. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 3.9 miles along Robert Crain Highway. This means you'll be navigating a series of local roads with frequent turns and traffic signals rather than long, uninterrupted highway cruising. The road character will likely shift as you move from the more arterial highways to the local streets leading into Odenton.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Robert Crain Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 3.9 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.

Route Complexity 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

This is a straightforward 22m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Evergreen Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (MD 197 / Collington Road): Navigation decision point.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 6 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
0 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Evergreen Parkway

Turn left onto Evergreen Parkway

Navigation decision point

3
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | MD 197 / Collington Road

Turn right onto MD 197 / Collington Road

Navigation decision point

4
1 mi into trip | ~2m in | US 301 / North East Crain Highway

Turn left onto US 301 / North East Crain Highway

Navigation decision point

6
11.5 mi into trip | ~19m in | Piney Orchard Parkway

Turn right onto Piney Orchard Parkway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Robert Crain Highway 3.9 mi 6m
North East Crain Highway 3.3 mi 5m
Waugh Chapel Road 3.2 mi 5m
Piney Orchard Parkway 1.1 mi 2m
Collington Road 0.7 mi 1m
Evergreen Parkway 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Robert Crain Highway — 3.9 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Bowie, MD and Odenton, MD.

1

Start on this road

110 ft · 8 sec · this road
2

Turn right

259 ft · 20 sec
3

Turn left onto Evergreen Parkway

0.2 mi · 35 sec · Evergreen Parkway
4

Turn right onto MD 197

0.7 mi · 1 min · Collington Road
5

Turn left onto US 301

3.3 mi · 5 min · North East Crain Highway
6

Continue on MD 3; MD 450

3.9 mi · 6 min · Robert Crain Highway
7

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 19 sec
8

Continue on Waugh Chapel Road

3.2 mi · 5 min · Waugh Chapel Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
9

Turn right onto Piney Orchard Parkway

1.1 mi · 2 min · Piney Orchard Parkway
Use the right lane.
10

Arrive at destination

Piney Orchard Parkway

Trip Plan

Given the short 22-minute duration and 12.6-mile distance, this trip offers great flexibility. You can depart at any time of day without much concern for pacing, and there are no designated stops recommended along this specific route. Keep an eye on local traffic, especially on Robert Crain Highway, as it can be a busy thoroughfare. With a minimal fuel cost of approximately $2, you won't need to worry much about refueling stops during this brief excursion within Maryland.

Morning Departure

Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.

Evening Departure

Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.

You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 6.3 miles from Bowie, MD, or about 10m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 3.9 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 12.6 miles or 22m in

Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.

Halfway reset

Around 6.3 miles or 10m in

This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.

Final approach

Final hour starts around 18m

Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Odenton, MD than in the middle of the route.

Before You Leave

+

Open the route before leaving Bowie, MD 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 Bowie, MD

This is one driving day of about 12.6 miles and 22m.

Your first comfortable stop window is around 80 miles from Bowie, MD.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
You may only need one short stretch stop if conditions stay smooth.
The longest stretch is on Robert Crain Highway for about 3.9 miles.

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 6.3 mi from Bowie, MD · 10m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Staten Island, NY

6 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

Staten Island, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Staten Island, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 6.3 miles from Bowie, MD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Odenton, MD

The final approach into Odenton, MD usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Odenton, MD.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

National Parks Near This Route

Worth a detour if your schedule allows.

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park

National Historical Park

Preserving America's early transportation history, the C&O Canal began as a dream of passage to Western wealth. Operating for nearly 100 years the canal was a lifeline for communities along the Potoma...

28 mi from route ~70 min detour $20
Caution: DC Water Sewer Overflow
Caution: Hiking in Gold Mine Tract
View on nps.gov

Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.09 one way

$4.18 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $2.29 $4.58
premium $4.93 $2.44 $4.89
diesel $5.61 $2.78 $5.56

No toll roads detected on this route.

Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)

Fuel

$2

Meals

$25–$50

Total

$27–$52

Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.8 0 $1.32 $0.60
Efficient EV 3.2 0 $1.10 $0.50
EV Truck/SUV 5 0 $1.76 $0.81

Gas CO2

4 kg

EV CO2

1 kg (75% 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 data refreshed 1 hour from now

Origin

Bowie, MD

Late night in Bowie on Wednesday

Local time

4:07 AM

EDT

Current temp

68°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Odenton, MD

Late night in Odenton on Wednesday

Local time

4:07 AM

EDT

Current temp

86°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

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

18 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

22m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from Bowie, MD to Odenton, MD covers 12.6 miles and takes about 22m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Robert Crain Highway, North East Crain Highway, Waugh Chapel Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 6.3 miles from Bowie, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.09 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 22m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Evergreen Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (MD 197 / Collington Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Bowie, MD to Odenton, MD does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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