Origin
Essex, MD
Afternoon in Essex on Saturday
Local time
12:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Essex, MD to Bel Air, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
35m
Distance
24 mi
39 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 37m
3 PM
0h 38m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 34m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bel Air, MD
Captured Hal ⁰
Trip Overview
The drive from Essex, MD to Bel Air, MD covers 24 miles and takes about 35m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, Southeast Freeway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 11.5 miles on John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.98 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Essex, MD
Full guide →Southeast Baltimore, fittingly, covers the areas in the southeast of Baltimore, ranging from industrial wastelands to charming neighborhoods both quiet and hip.
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 35m. Total distance: 24 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
35m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 35m drive with frequent turns across 24 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 19 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 11.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 4.5 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 13 decision points packed into just 24 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 13 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
8
4.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward I 95 South, I 95 North: Baltimore, New York
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 33
Toward I 95 South, I 95 North: Baltimore, New Y...
7
4.6 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Keep slight right at fork toward I 95 North: New York
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 North: New York
8
17.1 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Take the exit toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 77A
Toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood
7
17.5 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MD 24 North: Bel Air
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward MD 24 North: Bel Air
7
23.8 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
US 1 Business; MD 924 / South Main Street
Turn left onto US 1 Business; MD 924 / South Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight lanes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Essex, MD and Bel Air, MD, road signs point toward New York and Edgewood.
New York
4.5 mi in
|
~8m
Edgewood
17.1 mi in
|
~23m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway | 11.5 mi | 13m |
| Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway | 5.3 mi | 7m |
| Southeast Freeway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Baltimore Beltway | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Eastern Boulevard | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Baltimore Pike | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Marketplace Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| South Atwood Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
— 11.5 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Essex, MD and Bel Air, MD.
1
Start on this road
327 ft
·
25 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto North Woodward Drive
187 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Woodward Drive
3
Turn left onto MD 150
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Eastern Boulevard
4
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward MD 702 North: Beltway
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Merge onto MD 702
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Southeast Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto I 695
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Baltimore Beltway
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 33
Toward I 95 South, I 95 North: Baltimore, New York
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 North: New York
Use the slight right lane.
9
Merge onto I 95
12 mi
·
13 min
·
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 77A
Toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
Toward MD 24 North: Bel Air
Use the slight left lane.
12
Turn left onto MD 24
5.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto Marketplace Drive
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
·
Marketplace Drive
14
Continue on South Atwood Road
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
South Atwood Road
15
Turn right onto US 1 Business
0.3 mi
·
50 sec
·
Baltimore Pike
Use the straight / right lanes.
16
Continue on US 1 Business
363 ft
·
17 sec
·
Fulford Avenue
17
Turn left onto US 1 Business; MD 924
0.1 mi
·
27 sec
·
South Main Street
Use the left / straight lanes.
18
Turn right onto Courtland Place
109 ft
·
4 sec
·
Courtland Place
19
Arrive at destination
Courtland Place
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.98 one way
$7.96 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.36 | $8.72 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.65 | $9.31 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.30 | $10.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.10 | $0.96 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.36 | $1.54 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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.
Destination
Bel Air, MD
Afternoon in Bel Air on Saturday
Local time
12:49 PM
EDT
Current temp
72°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
35m 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 Essex, MD to Bel Air, MD covers 24 miles and takes about 35m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, Southeast Freeway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12 miles from Essex, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.98 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 short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 24 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 35m.
The main spots that need attention: at 4.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 17.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Essex, MD and Bel Air, MD, road signs point toward New York and Edgewood.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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