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Trip from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

59m

Distance

43.2 mi

69 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 15 min
4 AM
0h 55m ★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 10m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Gaithersburg, MD, MD

Gaithersburg, MD

Kristopher Hines

Downtown Friendly, MD, MD

Friendly, MD

Iqbal farooz

Trip Overview

The drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD covers 43.2 miles and takes about 59m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on North Frederick Avenue, Chestnut Street, West Diamond Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.16 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 59m. Total distance: 43.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

59m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 59m drive with frequent turns across 43.2 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 18 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Frederick Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD is easy. At 59m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
North Frederick Avenue
Chestnut Street
West Diamond Avenue
I 270 South
Eisenhower Memorial Highway
I 270
Capital Beltway
Capital Beltway (Local)

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: North Frederick Avenue — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Gaithersburg, MD and Friendly, MD.

1

Start on the route

85 ft · 12 sec · the route
2

Turn left onto North Frederick Avenue

253 ft · 12 sec · North Frederick Avenue
3

Turn left onto Chestnut Street

0.3 mi · 50 sec · Chestnut Street
4

Turn right onto West Diamond Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · West Diamond Avenue
5

Take the ramp left toward I 270 South: Washington

0.3 mi · 39 sec · I 270 South: Washington
6

Merge slight left onto Eisenhower Memorial Highway

1.4 mi · 1 min · Eisenhower Memorial Highway
7

Keep slight left

6.6 mi · 9 min
8

Keep slight right to continue on I 270 Spur: Washington, Northern Virginia

2.0 mi · 2 min · I 270 Spur: Washington, Northern Virginia
9

Merge slight right onto Capital Beltway

1.4 mi · 1 min · Capital Beltway
10

Keep slight left to continue on Capital Beltway

2.7 mi · 3 min · Capital Beltway
11

Keep slight right to continue on Capital Beltway

19 mi · 23 min · Capital Beltway
12

Keep slight right to continue on Capital Beltway (Local)

4.3 mi · 5 min · Capital Beltway (Local)
13

Take the exit slight right toward MD 210 South: Indian Head

0.1 mi · 19 sec · MD 210 South: Indian Head
14

Continue on MD 210 South: Indian Head

1.1 mi · 2 min · MD 210 South: Indian Head
15

Keep slight left to continue on MD 210 South

0.3 mi · 34 sec · MD 210 South
16

Merge slight left onto Indian Head Highway

2.7 mi · 4 min · Indian Head Highway
17

Turn left onto Old Fort Road

0.9 mi · 1 min · Old Fort Road
18

Arrive at your destination

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 21.6 mi from Gaithersburg, MD · 29m into the drive

Downtown Falls Church, VA, VA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Falls Church, VA

22 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

Bethesda, MD

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Falls Church, VA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.6 miles from Gaithersburg, MD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Friendly, MD

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Friendly, MD if you are unfamiliar with the area.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.16 one way

$14.32 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $7.84 $15.69
premium $4.93 $8.38 $16.76
diesel $5.61 $9.54 $19.08

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13 0 $4.54 $2.07
Efficient EV 10.8 0 $3.78 $1.73
EV Truck/SUV 17.3 0 $6.05 $2.76

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 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

Gaithersburg, MD

Late night in Gaithersburg on Friday

Local time

4:55 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Friendly, MD

Late night in Friendly on Friday

Local time

4:55 AM

EDT

Current temp

76°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

3 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

59m 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 Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD covers 43.2 miles and takes about 59m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are North Frederick Avenue, Chestnut Street, West Diamond Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 21.6 miles from Gaithersburg, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.16 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.

The drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD is easy. At 59m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Gaithersburg, MD to Friendly, MD does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.

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