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Trip from North Bethesda, MD to Cape Saint Claire, MD

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

Drive Time

1h 2m

Distance

44.9 mi

72 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 15 min
4 AM
0h 57m ★
6 AM
1h 2m
8 AM
1h 12m
10 AM
1h 6m
12 PM
1h 5m
3 PM
1h 6m
5 PM
1h 12m
8 PM
0h 59m

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 North Bethesda, MD, MD

North Bethesda, MD

Kelly

Downtown Cape Saint Claire, MD, MD

Cape Saint Claire, MD

Jay Johnson

Trip Overview

The drive from North Bethesda, MD to Cape Saint Claire, MD covers 44.9 miles and takes about 1h 2m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on John Hanson Highway, Capital Beltway, Blue Star Memorial Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.7 miles on John Hanson Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.44 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
John Hanson Highway 18.7 mi 21m
Capital Beltway 16.1 mi 20m
Blue Star Memorial Highway 4.1 mi 5m
Rockville Pike 1.8 mi 3m
Cape Saint Claire Road 0.9 mi 2m
Busch's Frontage Road 0.4 mi <1m
Nicholson Lane 0.3 mi <1m
Hampton Road 0.3 mi 1m
Longest stretch: John Hanson Highway — 18.7 mi, about 21m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between North Bethesda, MD and Cape Saint Claire, MD.

1

Start on Tudor Lane

146 ft · 8 sec · Tudor Lane
2

At end of road, turn left onto Tudor Lane

338 ft · 20 sec · Tudor Lane
3

Turn left onto Commonwealth Drive

347 ft · 17 sec · Commonwealth Drive
4

Turn right onto Nicholson Lane

0.3 mi · 58 sec · Nicholson Lane
5

Turn right onto MD 355

1.8 mi · 3 min · Rockville Pike
Use the right lane.
6

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 36 sec
Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7

Merge onto I 495

16 mi · 20 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

1.0 mi · 2 min
Exit 19A Toward US 50 East: Annapolis Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Merge onto US 50

19 mi · 21 min · John Hanson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Continue on US 50; US 301; MD 2

4.1 mi · 5 min · Blue Star Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 23 sec
Exit 29A Toward MD 179: Saint Margarets Road, Busch's Frontage Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12

Continue on Busch's Frontage Road

0.4 mi · 49 sec · Busch's Frontage Road
Use the straight lane.
13

Turn left onto MD 179

0.1 mi · 22 sec · Saint Margarets Road
14

Continue on MD 179

0.9 mi · 2 min · Cape Saint Claire Road
15

Turn left onto Hilltop Drive

0.2 mi · 37 sec · Hilltop Drive
16

Turn left onto Blue Ridge Drive

0.2 mi · 29 sec · Blue Ridge Drive
17

Turn right onto Hampton Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · Hampton Road
18

Turn left onto Dogwood Tree Drive

312 ft · 13 sec · Dogwood Tree Drive
19

Arrive at destination

Dogwood Tree Drive

Where to Stop

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

city in Prince George’s County, Maryland, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

New Carrollton, MD

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

Kemp Mill, MD

Fuel and coffee

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

New Carrollton, MD

Meal break

The midpoint is around 22.5 miles from North Bethesda, MD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

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

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 42.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | Tudor Lane

At end of road, turn left onto Tudor Lane

Navigation decision point

6
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in | MD 355 / Rockville Pike

Turn right onto MD 355 / Rockville Pike

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
2.3 mi into trip | ~5m in

Take the ramp toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring

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

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring
7
18.7 mi into trip | ~26m in

Take the exit toward US 50 East: Annapolis

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 19A Toward US 50 East: Annapolis
8
42.6 mi into trip | ~56m in

Take the exit toward MD 179: Saint Margarets Road, Busch's Frontage Road

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 29A Toward MD 179: Saint Margarets Road, Busch's Fr...

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.44 one way

$14.89 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 16 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $8.15 $16.31
premium $4.93 $8.71 $17.42
diesel $5.61 $9.91 $19.83

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.5 0 $4.71 $2.16
Efficient EV 11.2 0 $3.93 $1.80
EV Truck/SUV 18 0 $6.29 $2.87

Gas CO2

16 kg

EV CO2

5 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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

North Bethesda, MD

Afternoon in North Bethesda on Saturday

Local time

2:10 PM

EDT

Current temp

77°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Cape Saint Claire, MD

Afternoon in Cape Saint Claire on Saturday

Local time

2:10 PM

EDT

Current temp

71°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

6 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 2m 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?

44.9 mi in 1h 2m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 18.7 mi on John Hanson Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

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 early in the drive near Tudor Lane.

Driving Effort 7/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 44.9 miles you will encounter 13 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: near the start (Tudor Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (MD 355 / Rockville Pike): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

395 ft 46 ft

Total Climb

239 ft

Total Descent

550 ft

Highest Point

395 ft

Elevation Range

349 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

On the drive from North Bethesda, MD to Cape Saint Claire, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Silver Spring along the way.

Silver Spring

2.3 mi in | ~5m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 2m. Total distance: 44.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 2m 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 18.7 miles on John Hanson Highway. 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 Cape Saint Claire, 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: near the start (Tudor Lane): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (MD 355 / Rockville Pike): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

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 Cape Saint Claire, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Cape Saint Claire, MD to North Bethesda, MD

Plan the drive back the other way.

44.5 mi 1h 1m

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