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Trip from Cape Saint Claire, MD to Gaithersburg, MD

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 13m

Distance

54.2 mi

87 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 8m ★
6 AM
1h 14m
8 AM
1h 26m
10 AM
1h 18m
12 PM
1h 17m
3 PM
1h 19m
5 PM
1h 25m
8 PM
1h 10m

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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Downtown Cape Saint Claire, MD, MD

Cape Saint Claire, MD

Jay Johnson

Downtown Gaithersburg, MD, MD

Gaithersburg, MD

Kristopher Hines

Trip Overview

The drive from Cape Saint Claire, MD to Gaithersburg, MD covers 54.2 miles and takes about 1h 13m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on John Hanson Highway, Capital Beltway, I 270 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.4 miles on John Hanson Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $8.99 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
John Hanson Highway 18.4 mi 22m
Capital Beltway 16.4 mi 21m
I 270 10.9 mi 14m
Blue Star Memorial Highway 4.5 mi 6m
Cape Saint Claire Road 0.7 mi 1m
West Diamond Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Hampton Road 0.3 mi 1m
Hilltop Drive 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: John Hanson Highway — 18.4 mi, about 22m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cape Saint Claire, MD and Gaithersburg, MD.

1

Start on Dogwood Tree Drive

312 ft · 16 sec · Dogwood Tree Drive
2

Turn right onto Hampton Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · Hampton Road
3

Turn left onto Blue Ridge Drive

0.2 mi · 28 sec · Blue Ridge Drive
4

Turn right onto Hilltop Drive

0.2 mi · 35 sec · Hilltop Drive
5

Turn right onto Cape Saint Claire Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Cape Saint Claire Road
6

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 39 sec
Toward US 50 West, US 301 West: Washington
7

Merge onto US 50; US 301

4.5 mi · 6 min · Blue Star Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on US 50; US 301; MD 2

18 mi · 22 min · John Hanson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 57 sec
Exit 7B Toward I 95 North, I 495 North: Baltimore, Silver Spring
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.6 mi · 1 min
Exit 7B Toward I 495 North, I 95 North: Beltway Use the slight left lane.
11

Merge onto I 95; I 495

6.9 mi · 8 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Keep slight left at fork onto I 495

9.5 mi · 12 min · Capital Beltway
Toward I 495 West: Beltway, Silver Spring Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Keep slight right at fork onto I 270

3.6 mi · 4 min · I 270
Exit 35 Toward I 270 North: Frederick Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Keep slight right at fork onto I 270

7.3 mi · 9 min · I 270
Toward I 270 North Use the slight right lane.
15

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 42 sec
Toward MD 117, MD 124 South: Clopper Road, West Diamond Avenue, Quince Orchard Road
16

Turn left onto MD 117

0.5 mi · 50 sec · West Diamond Avenue
17

Turn left onto Meem Avenue

0.1 mi · 29 sec · Meem Avenue
18

Turn right onto Chestnut Street

0.2 mi · 35 sec · Chestnut Street
19

Turn right onto MD 355

251 ft · 6 sec · North Frederick Avenue
20

Turn right

85 ft · 6 sec
21

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

Downtown College Park, MD, MD

Mid-route town

Meal stop

College Park, MD

27 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

Crofton, MD

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

New Carrollton, MD

Meal break

The midpoint is around 27.1 miles from Cape Saint Claire, MD, 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.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 18

5 decision points cluster between mile 24.7 and 45.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
24.7 mi into trip | ~32m in

Take the exit toward I 95 North, I 495 North: Baltimore, Silver Spring

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 7B Toward I 95 North, I 495 North: Baltimore, Silv...
9
25.2 mi into trip | ~33m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 North, I 95 North: Beltway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left lane. Exit 7B Toward I 495 North, I 95 North: Beltway
8
32.7 mi into trip | ~44m in | I 495 / Capital Beltway

Keep slight left at fork onto I 495 / Capital Beltway toward I 495 West: Beltway, Silver Spring

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 495 West: Beltway, Silver Spring
8
42.2 mi into trip | ~56m in | I 270

Keep slight right at fork onto I 270 toward I 270 North: Frederick

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 35 Toward I 270 North: Frederick
7
45.7 mi into trip | ~1h 1m in | I 270

Keep slight right at fork onto I 270 toward I 270 North

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 270 North

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$8.99 one way

$17.97 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 19 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $9.84 $19.68
premium $4.93 $10.51 $21.02
diesel $5.61 $11.97 $23.93

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Estimated CO2 emission: 19 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 16.3 0 $5.69 $2.60
Efficient EV 13.6 0 $4.74 $2.17
EV Truck/SUV 21.7 0 $7.59 $3.47

Gas CO2

19 kg

EV CO2

6 kg (68% 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 Apr 17, 2026

Origin

Cape Saint Claire, MD

Afternoon in Cape Saint Claire on Saturday

Local time

3:23 PM

EDT

Current temp

71°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Gaithersburg, MD

Afternoon in Gaithersburg on Saturday

Local time

3:23 PM

EDT

Current temp

73°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

2 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

1h 13m 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?

54.2 mi in 1h 13m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 20% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 18.4 mi on John Hanson Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 24.7 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 54.2 miles you will encounter 18 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 24.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 25.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.7 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Cape Saint Claire, MD to Gaithersburg, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Silver Spring along the way.

Silver Spring

24.7 mi in | ~32m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 13m. Total distance: 54.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 13m 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 18.4 miles on John Hanson Highway. 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 Gaithersburg, MD 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 24.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 25.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.7 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Monocacy National Battlefield. 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 Gaithersburg, MD before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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