Origin
North Potomac, MD
Morning in North Potomac on Saturday
Local time
10:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
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.
North Potomac, MD
Mark Stebnicki
College Park, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD covers 24.2 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Turkey Foot Road, Travilah Road, Piney Meetinghouse Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.01 one way before food or hotel costs.
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.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 40m drive with frequent turns across 24.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Turkey Foot Road 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 North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD is easy. At 40m 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 North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Turkey Foot Road | — | — |
| Travilah Road | — | — |
| Piney Meetinghouse Road | — | — |
| Shady Grove Road | — | — |
| Darnestown Road | — | — |
| West Montgomery Avenue | — | — |
| I 270 South | — | — |
| Capital Beltway | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Turkey Foot Road
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
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
·
7 sec
·
Query Mill Road
2
Turn right onto Turkey Foot Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Turkey Foot Road
3
Exit the roundabout onto 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
·
39 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 West Montgomery Avenue
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
West Montgomery Avenue
9
Take the ramp straight toward I 270 South: Washington
0.3 mi
·
44 sec
·
I 270 South: Washington
10
Merge slight left
3.7 mi
·
5 min
11
Keep slight left to continue on I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park
12
Merge slight right onto Capital Beltway
7.3 mi
·
9 min
·
Capital Beltway
13
Take the exit slight right toward MD 650 South: New Hampshire Avenue South, Takoma Park
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
MD 650 South: New Hampshire Avenue South, Takoma Park
14
Turn straight onto New Hampshire Avenue
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
New Hampshire Avenue
15
Turn left onto Adelphi Road
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Adelphi Road
16
Turn left onto Campus Drive
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Campus Drive
17
Enter the roundabout and take exit 1 toward Mowatt Lane
46 ft
·
1 sec
·
Mowatt Lane
18
Exit the roundabout onto 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 your destination
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.
Destination
College Park, MD
Morning in College Park on Saturday
Local time
10:01 AM
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD covers 24.2 miles and takes about 40m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Turkey Foot Road, Travilah Road, Piney Meetinghouse Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.1 miles from North Potomac, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.01 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 North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD is easy. At 40m 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 North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from North Potomac, MD to College Park, MD does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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