Skip to main content
Trip.ovh Logo
Trip.ovh

Trip from North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD

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

Drive Time

40m

Distance

24.2 mi

39 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 11 min
4 AM
0h 37m ★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 39m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown North Potomac, MD, MD

North Potomac, MD

Mark Stebnicki

Downtown College Park, MD, MD

College Park, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD is 24.2 miles and takes about 40m via Capital Beltway and I 270, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a single-day trip entirely within Maryland's Northeast region. Expect a drive that involves several turns and navigating local roads, rather than a straightforward highway cruise. It's a short hop, perfect for when you need to get from point A to point B without a major time commitment.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Capital Beltway 7.3 mi 9m
I 270 6.5 mi 8m
Adelphi Road 2.3 mi 4m
Travilah Road 2.2 mi 3m
Shady Grove Road 1.6 mi 3m
Darnestown Road 0.8 mi 1m
Turkey Foot Road 0.6 mi 1m
West Montgomery Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Capital Beltway — 7.3 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between North Potomac, MD and College Park, MD.

1

Start on Query Mill Road

115 ft · 6 sec · Query Mill Road
2

Turn right onto Turkey Foot Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · Turkey Foot Road
3

Continue on Travilah Road

0.4 mi · 41 sec · Travilah Road
4

Continue on Travilah Road

1.8 mi · 3 min · Travilah Road
5

Turn right onto Piney Meetinghouse Road

0.3 mi · 38 sec · Piney Meetinghouse Road
6

Turn left onto Shady Grove Road

1.6 mi · 3 min · Shady Grove Road
7

Turn right onto Darnestown Road

0.8 mi · 1 min · Darnestown Road
8

Turn right onto MD 28

0.5 mi · 54 sec · West Montgomery Avenue
9

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 43 sec
Toward I 270 South: Washington
10

Merge onto I 270

3.7 mi · 5 min · I 270
11

Keep slight left at fork onto I 270

2.8 mi · 3 min · I 270
Toward I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park Use the slight left / straight lanes.
12

Merge onto I 495

7.3 mi · 9 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 40 sec
Exit 28B Toward MD 650 South: New Hampshire Avenue South, Takoma Park Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Turn straight onto MD 650

0.4 mi · 55 sec · New Hampshire Avenue
15

Turn left onto Adelphi Road

2.3 mi · 4 min · Adelphi Road
Use the left lane.
16

Turn left onto Campus Drive

0.4 mi · 1 min · Campus Drive
17

Enter roundabout onto Mowatt Lane

46 ft · 1 sec · Mowatt Lane
18

Continue on Mowatt Lane

0.4 mi · 1 min · Mowatt Lane
19

Turn left onto Knox Road

0.4 mi · 1 min · Knox Road
20

Arrive at destination

Knox Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 14

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 20.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in | Travilah Road

Enter roundabout onto Travilah Road

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

8
10 mi into trip | ~17m in | I 270

Keep slight left at fork onto I 270 toward I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight left / straight lanes. Toward I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park
5
12.7 mi into trip | ~21m in | I 495 / Capital Beltway

Merge onto I 495 / Capital Beltway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20 mi into trip | ~30m in

Take the exit toward MD 650 South: New Hampshire Avenue South, Takoma Park

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 28B Toward MD 650 South: New Hampshire Avenue South...
6
20.7 mi into trip | ~32m in | Adelphi Road

Turn left onto Adelphi Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.01 one way

$8.02 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.39 $8.79
premium $4.93 $4.69 $9.39
diesel $5.61 $5.34 $10.69

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.5 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 7.3 0 $2.54 $1.16
Efficient EV 6.1 0 $2.12 $0.97
EV Truck/SUV 9.7 0 $3.39 $1.55

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.

Forecast as of Apr 17, 2026

Origin

North Potomac, MD

Afternoon in North Potomac on Saturday

Local time

2:07 PM

EDT

Current temp

77°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

College Park, MD

Afternoon in College Park on Saturday

Local time

2:07 PM

EDT

Current temp

75°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

40m 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?

This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' suggesting a dynamic experience behind the wheel. With only a 27% highway share, you'll spend most of your time on local roads, punctuated by stretches on the Capital Beltway and I 270. The longest uninterrupted stretch is 7.3 miles on the Capital Beltway, offering a brief period of faster travel before you transition back to more involved navigation. Be prepared for frequent adjustments in direction as you navigate through various local areas.

Only 27% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.3 mi on Capital Beltway.

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 around 0.6 miles in near Travilah Road.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 24.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (Travilah Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 10 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.7 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Potomac, MD to College Park, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Takoma Park along the way.

Takoma Park

20 mi in | ~30m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 24.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

40m 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 7.3 miles on Capital Beltway. 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 College Park, 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: at 0.6 miles (Travilah Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 10 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.7 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

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 College Park, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Return Trip

College Park, MD to North Potomac, MD

Plan the drive back the other way.

24.5 mi 41m

Continue From College Park, MD

Frostburg, MD 143.5 mi · 2h 56m Cumberland, MD 133.7 mi · 2h 39m Salisbury, MD 112.1 mi · 2h 40m South Bel Air, MD 59.6 mi · 1h 21m

More from North Potomac, MD

Salisbury, MD 135.2 mi · 3h 9m North Bethesda, MD 11.3 mi · 21m

More trips to College Park, MD

North Bel Air, MD 59.5 mi Perry Hall, MD 46.8 mi Randallstown, MD 37 mi Severna Park, MD 32.5 mi Green Haven, MD 31.6 mi Baltimore, MD 31.4 mi
Weekend drives from North Potomac, MD Scenic drives in MD

Explore more options from North Potomac, MD or browse trips ending in College Park, MD.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MD road trips.