Origin
University Park, MD
Late night in University Park on Saturday
Local time
4:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
78°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from University Park, MD to Gaithersburg, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
22.9 mi
37 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
7 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
University Park, MD
DΛVΞ GΛRCIΛ
Gaithersburg, MD
Kristopher Hines
Trip Overview
The drive from University Park, MD to Gaithersburg, MD covers 22.9 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Intercounty Connector, New Hampshire Avenue, Adelphi Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.4 miles on Intercounty Connector. At current regular gas prices, budget about $3.80 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 22.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (5%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 38m drive with frequent turns across 22.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Intercounty Connector is the longest continuous segment at about 10.4 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Van Buren Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Van Buren Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (Wells Parkway East): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Adelphi Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Van Buren Street
Turn left onto Van Buren Street
Navigation decision point
3
0.5 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Wells Parkway East
Turn right onto Wells Parkway East
Navigation decision point
5
1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Adelphi Road
Turn right onto Adelphi Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
3.8 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Turn right onto MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20.8 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
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 2
Toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intercounty Connector | 10.4 mi | 13m |
| New Hampshire Avenue | 5.7 mi | 10m |
| Adelphi Road | 2.8 mi | 5m |
| South Frederick Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| I 370 | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Van Buren Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Wells Parkway | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Frederick Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Intercounty Connector
— 10.4 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between University Park, MD and Gaithersburg, MD.
1
Start on Queens Chapel Road
279 ft
·
18 sec
·
Queens Chapel Road
2
Turn left onto Van Buren Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Buren Street
3
Turn right onto Wells Parkway East
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Wells Parkway East
4
Continue on Wells Parkway
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Wells Parkway
5
Turn right onto Adelphi Road
2.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Adelphi Road
Use the right lane.
6
Turn right onto MD 650
5.7 mi
·
10 min
·
New Hampshire Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
8
Merge onto MD 200 Toll
4.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Intercounty Connector
9
Continue on MD 200 Toll
6.2 mi
·
7 min
·
Intercounty Connector
Exit 8A
10
Continue on I 370
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
I 370
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Exit 2
Toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn right onto MD 355
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Frederick Road
13
Continue on MD 355
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
South Frederick Avenue
14
Turn left
85 ft
·
6 sec
15
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.80 one way
$7.59 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.16 | $8.32 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.44 | $8.88 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.06 | $10.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.40 | $1.10 |
| Efficient EV | 5.7 | 0 | $2.00 | $0.92 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
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
Gaithersburg, MD
Late night in Gaithersburg on Saturday
Local time
4:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
89°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 12 mph
12% chance
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
11 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
38m on the road
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from University Park, MD to Gaithersburg, MD covers 22.9 miles and takes about 38m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Intercounty Connector, New Hampshire Avenue, Adelphi Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 11.5 miles from University Park, MD. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $3.80 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 straightforward 38m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Van Buren Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (Wells Parkway East): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Adelphi Road): Lane positioning matters here.
The route from University Park, MD to Gaithersburg, MD does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Monocacy National Battlefield.
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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