Origin
Fort Washington, MD
Morning in Fort Washington on Saturday
Local time
6:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fort Washington, MD to Chesapeake Beach, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 1m
Distance
37.9 mi
61 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Fair
3 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 56m
★
6 AM
1h 1m
8 AM
1h 11m
10 AM
1h 4m
12 PM
1h 3m
3 PM
1h 5m
5 PM
1h 10m
8 PM
0h 58m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fort Washington, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Chesapeake Beach, MD
Carly Dernetz
Trip Overview
The drive from Fort Washington, MD to Chesapeake Beach, MD covers 37.9 miles and takes about 1h 1m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on MD 260, Pennsylvania Avenue, Allentown Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 9 miles on MD 260. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.28 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 1m. Total distance: 37.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 1m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (25%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 1h 1m drive with frequent turns across 37.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
MD 260 is the longest continuous segment at about 9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Fort Washington Road.
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 37.9 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 0.3 miles (Fort Washington Road): Navigation decision point; at 15.3 miles (MD 4 / Pennsylvania Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.2 miles (MD 260): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Fort Washington Road
At end of road, turn right onto Fort Washington Road
Navigation decision point
5
15.3 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
MD 4 / Pennsylvania Avenue
Turn right onto MD 4 / Pennsylvania Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
28.2 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
MD 260
Take the exit onto MD 260 toward Maryland 260, Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, Recreation Areas
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight lane.
Toward Maryland 260, Chesapeake Beach, North Be...
6
37.2 mi into trip
|
~58m in
|
MD 261 / Bayside Road
At end of road, turn right onto MD 261 / Bayside Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
37.9 mi into trip
|
~1h in
|
C Street
Turn right onto C Street
Navigation decision point
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Fort Washington, MD and Chesapeake Beach, MD, road signs point toward Maryland 260, Beach and Recreation Areas.
Maryland 260
28.2 mi in
|
~43m
|
via MD 260
Beach
28.2 mi in
|
~43m
|
via MD 260
Recreation Areas
28.2 mi in
|
~43m
|
via MD 260
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| MD 260 | 9 mi | 15m |
| Pennsylvania Avenue | 6.3 mi | 8m |
| Allentown Road | 6.2 mi | 10m |
| Stephanie Roper Highway | 4.9 mi | 6m |
| Indian Head Highway | 3.7 mi | 5m |
| Southern Maryland Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Old Fort Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Palmer Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
MD 260
— 9 mi, about 15m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fort Washington, MD and Chesapeake Beach, MD.
1
Start on Warburton Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Warburton Drive
2
At end of road, turn right onto Fort Washington Road
0.3 mi
·
54 sec
·
Fort Washington Road
3
Turn right onto Old Fort Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Old Fort Road
4
Turn left onto MD 210
3.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Indian Head Highway
5
Turn right onto Palmer Road
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Palmer Road
6
Continue on Tucker Road
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Tucker Road
7
Continue on Allentown Road
6.2 mi
·
10 min
·
Allentown Road
Use the straight / left lanes.
8
Merge onto MD 337
0.5 mi
·
52 sec
·
Suitland Parkway
9
Turn right onto MD 4
6.3 mi
·
8 min
·
Pennsylvania Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on MD 4
4.9 mi
·
6 min
·
Stephanie Roper Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on MD 4
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Southern Maryland Boulevard
12
Take the exit onto MD 260
9.0 mi
·
15 min
·
MD 260
Toward Maryland 260, Chesapeake Beach, North Beach, Recreation Areas
Use the straight lane.
13
At end of road, turn right onto MD 261
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Bayside Road
Use the right lane.
14
Turn left onto 17th Street
480 ft
·
31 sec
·
17th Street
15
Turn right onto C Street
56 ft
·
3 sec
·
C Street
16
Arrive at destination
C Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 19 mi from Fort Washington, MD · 31m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
19 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 37.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19 miles from Fort Washington, MD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Chesapeake Beach, MD
The final approach into Chesapeake Beach, MD usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.28 one way
$12.57 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.88 | $13.76 |
| premium | $4.93 | $7.35 | $14.70 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.37 | $16.74 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.4 | 0 | $3.98 | $1.82 |
| Efficient EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.32 | $1.52 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.2 | 0 | $5.31 | $2.43 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Chesapeake Beach, MD
Morning in Chesapeake Beach on Saturday
Local time
6:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
74°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
5 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
1h 1m 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 Fort Washington, MD to Chesapeake Beach, MD covers 37.9 miles and takes about 1h 1m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are MD 260, Pennsylvania Avenue, Allentown Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 19 miles from Fort Washington, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.28 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 37.9 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.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Fort Washington Road): Navigation decision point; at 15.3 miles (MD 4 / Pennsylvania Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 28.2 miles (MD 260): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Fort Washington, MD and Chesapeake Beach, MD, road signs point toward Maryland 260, Beach and Recreation Areas.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad National Historical Park.
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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