Origin
New Carrollton, MD
Late night in New Carrollton on Saturday
Local time
12:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from New Carrollton, MD to Fort Washington, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
42m
Distance
27.1 mi
44 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 39m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 50m
10 AM
0h 45m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 49m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
New Carrollton, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Fort Washington, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from New Carrollton, MD to Fort Washington, MD covers 27.1 miles and takes about 42m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Capital Beltway, Indian Head Highway, Old Fort Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 15.9 miles on Capital Beltway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.49 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in New Carrollton, MD
Full guide →New Carrollton is in Maryland.
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 42m. Total distance: 27.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
42m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 42m drive with frequent turns across 27.1 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 17 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Capital Beltway is the longest continuous segment at about 15.9 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 1.7 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 27.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17.8 miles (I 95; I 495 / Capital Beltway (Local)): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.4 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.
7
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Turn left toward I 95 South, I 495 South: Richmond Virginia, Andrews Air Force Base
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward I 95 South, I 495 South: Richmond Virgin...
8
17.8 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
I 95; I 495 / Capital Beltway (Local)
Keep slight right at fork onto I 95; I 495 / Capital Beltway (Local) toward I 95 Local, I 495 Local
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 Local, I 495 Local
8
18.4 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 3
Toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
6
18.5 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Continue toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight left / slight right lanes.
Exit 3
Toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
6
18.6 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MD 210 South: Indian Head
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward MD 210 South: Indian Head
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between New Carrollton, MD and Fort Washington, MD, road signs point toward Andrews Air Force Base and Forest Heights.
Andrews Air Force Base
1.7 mi in
|
~3m
Forest Heights
18.4 mi in
|
~26m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Beltway | 15.9 mi | 21m |
| Indian Head Highway | 6.5 mi | 9m |
| Old Fort Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Riverdale Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Lamont Drive | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Capital Beltway (Local) | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Annapolis Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Washington Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Beltway
— 15.9 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between New Carrollton, MD and Fort Washington, MD.
1
Start on Carrollton Parkway
108 ft
·
12 sec
·
Carrollton Parkway
2
Turn left onto Lamont Drive
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Lamont Drive
3
At end of road, turn left onto Riverdale Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Riverdale Road
4
Turn left onto MD 450
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
·
Annapolis Road
5
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 95 South, I 495 South: Richmond Virginia, Andrews Air Force Base
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto I 95; I 495
16 mi
·
21 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Keep slight right at fork onto I 95; I 495
0.5 mi
·
44 sec
·
Capital Beltway (Local)
Toward I 95 Local, I 495 Local
Use the slight right lane.
8
Take the exit
411 ft
·
10 sec
Exit 3
Toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
Use the slight right lane.
9
Continue on this road
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
this road
Exit 3
Toward MD 210: Indian Head, Forest Heights
Use the straight / slight left / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
447 ft
·
15 sec
Toward MD 210 South: Indian Head
11
Turn left onto MD 210
6.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Indian Head Highway
Use the left lane.
12
Turn right onto Old Fort Road
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Old Fort Road
13
Turn left onto Washington Drive
0.2 mi
·
46 sec
·
Washington Drive
14
Continue on Diggers Lane
0.2 mi
·
48 sec
·
Diggers Lane
15
At end of road, turn left onto Reid Lane
314 ft
·
17 sec
·
Reid Lane
16
Turn right onto Warburton Drive
0.1 mi
·
32 sec
·
Warburton Drive
17
Arrive at destination
Warburton Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.49 one way
$8.99 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.92 | $9.84 |
| premium | $4.93 | $5.26 | $10.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.98 | $11.97 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.5 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 | 8.1 | 0 | $2.85 | $1.30 |
| Efficient EV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.37 | $1.08 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.8 | 0 | $3.79 | $1.73 |
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.
Destination
Fort Washington, MD
Late night in Fort Washington on Saturday
Local time
12:18 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°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
42m 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 New Carrollton, MD to Fort Washington, MD covers 27.1 miles and takes about 42m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Capital Beltway, Indian Head Highway, Old Fort Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.6 miles from New Carrollton, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.49 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 27.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 42m.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17.8 miles (I 95; I 495 / Capital Beltway (Local)): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 18.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between New Carrollton, MD and Fort Washington, MD, road signs point toward Andrews Air Force Base and Forest Heights.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Chesapeake & Ohio Canal 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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