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Trip from College Park, MD to North Potomac, MD

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

Drive Time

41m

Distance

24.5 mi

39 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 38m ★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 40m

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 College Park, MD, MD

College Park, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown North Potomac, MD, MD

North Potomac, MD

Mark Stebnicki

Trip Overview

College Park, MD to North Potomac, MD is 24.5 miles and takes about 41 minutes via Capital Beltway and I-270, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, same-day trip primarily within Maryland's Northeast region. Expect a drive that balances highway cruising with local road navigation. Given its short duration and modest fuel cost, this route is ideal for a quick transfer or a day trip without significant planning.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Capital Beltway 7.6 mi 9m
I 270 6.5 mi 8m
Travilah Road 3.1 mi 6m
Adelphi Road 2.3 mi 4m
Darnestown Road 1.5 mi 3m
West Montgomery Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
Turkey Foot Road 0.6 mi 1m
Mowatt Lane 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Capital Beltway — 7.6 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between College Park, MD and North Potomac, MD.

1

Start on Knox Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · Knox Road
2

Turn right onto Mowatt Lane

0.4 mi · 1 min · Mowatt Lane
3

Enter roundabout onto Campus Drive

172 ft · 5 sec · Campus Drive
4

Continue on Campus Drive

0.4 mi · 1 min · Campus Drive
5

Turn right onto Adelphi Road

2.3 mi · 4 min · Adelphi Road
6

Turn right onto MD 650

0.3 mi · 36 sec · New Hampshire Avenue
7

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 19 sec
Toward I 495: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring, Baltimore, College Park Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight left at fork

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto I 495

7.6 mi · 9 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

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.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto I 270

2.9 mi · 4 min · I 270
Toward I 270 North Use the slight right lane.
12

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 29 sec
Exit 6B Toward MD 28 West: Darnestown Use the right lane.
13

Turn straight onto MD 28

0.7 mi · 1 min · West Montgomery Avenue
14

Turn slight left

372 ft · 16 sec
15

Turn left onto Darnestown Road

1.5 mi · 3 min · Darnestown Road
16

Turn left onto Travilah Road

2.7 mi · 5 min · Travilah Road
Use the left lane.
17

At end of road, turn left onto Travilah Road

0.3 mi · 39 sec · Travilah Road
18

Continue on Turkey Foot Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · Turkey Foot Road
19

Turn left onto Query Mill Road

115 ft · 3 sec · Query Mill Road
20

Arrive at destination

Query Mill Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 15

5 decision points cluster between mile 3.8 and 18.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
3.8 mi into trip | ~9m in

Take the ramp toward I 495: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring, Baltimore, College Park

Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 495: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring,...
8
4 mi into trip | ~9m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring

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

Use the slight left / slight right lanes. Toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Sp...
8
11.9 mi into trip | ~20m 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
15.4 mi into trip | ~24m 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
7
18.4 mi into trip | ~29m in

Take the exit toward MD 28 West: Darnestown

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

Use the right lane. Exit 6B Toward MD 28 West: Darnestown

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.06 one way

$8.12 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.45 $8.90
premium $4.93 $4.75 $9.50
diesel $5.61 $5.41 $10.82

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.4 0 $2.57 $1.18
Efficient EV 6.1 0 $2.14 $0.98
EV Truck/SUV 9.8 0 $3.43 $1.57

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (67% 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

College Park, MD

Afternoon in College Park on Saturday

Local time

2:07 PM

EDT

Current temp

75°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

North Potomac, MD

Afternoon in North Potomac on Saturday

Local time

2:07 PM

EDT

Current temp

77°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

41m 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 route offers a "Turn-heavy local drive" experience, with only 27% of the journey on highways like the Capital Beltway and I-270. You'll encounter a mix of faster highway segments and more intricate local roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 7.6 miles on the Capital Beltway, after which you'll transition to more frequent turns. Be prepared for a dynamic driving experience as you navigate between these two distinct road types.

Only 27% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.6 mi on Capital Beltway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

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 3.8 miles in.

Driving Effort 9/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 24.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.9 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between College Park, MD and North Potomac, MD, road signs point toward Silver Spring and Baltimore.

Silver Spring

3.8 mi in | ~9m

Baltimore

3.8 mi in | ~9m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 41m. Total distance: 24.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

41m 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 7.6 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 North Potomac, 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 3.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 11.9 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

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 North Potomac, 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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