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Trip from Baltimore, MD to Essex, MD

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

21m

Distance

8.5 mi

14 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m

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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Trip Overview

If you are looking for a quick transition from Baltimore to Essex, this 11.7-mile trip is an ideal candidate for a single-day journey. You can expect the drive to take roughly 21 minutes, making it a highly efficient connection within the Northeast region of Maryland. Because the entire route is comprised of local roads, you won't need to worry about long-distance highway fatigue. With an estimated fuel cost of just $2, this is an incredibly budget-friendly way to move between these two points. It is a straightforward, no-frills transit that works best when you need to get from the city center to the suburbs without any unnecessary detours.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Fayette Street 1.5 mi 4m
Eastern Avenue 1.5 mi 2m
Pulaski Highway 1.2 mi 3m
Eastern Boulevard 1 mi 2m
East Baltimore Street 0.8 mi 2m
North Point Boulevard 0.7 mi 1m
Erdman Avenue 0.6 mi 1m
North Point Road 0.5 mi 1m
Longest stretch: East Fayette Street — 1.5 mi, about 4m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Baltimore, MD and Essex, MD.

1

Start on East Fayette Street

487 ft · 23 sec · East Fayette Street
2

Turn left onto MD 2

312 ft · 16 sec · Saint Paul Street
Use the left lane.
3

Turn left onto East Baltimore Street

0.8 mi · 2 min · East Baltimore Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
4

Turn left onto North Central Avenue

409 ft · 14 sec · North Central Avenue
5

Turn right onto East Fayette Street

1.4 mi · 4 min · East Fayette Street
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6

Turn left onto North Ellwood Avenue

267 ft · 13 sec · North Ellwood Avenue
7

Turn right onto US 40

1.2 mi · 3 min · Pulaski Highway
8

Continue on this road

518 ft · 17 sec · this road
Toward I 895 South, MD 151 South
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.1 mi · 25 sec
Toward MD 151 South Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10

Turn straight onto MD 151

0.6 mi · 1 min · Erdman Avenue
11

Continue on MD 151

0.5 mi · 1 min · North Point Road
Use the right lane.
12

Continue on MD 151

0.7 mi · 1 min · North Point Boulevard
Use the left lane.
13

Turn right

0.2 mi · 30 sec
Toward MD 150 East: Essex Use the right lane.
14

Turn straight onto MD 150

1.5 mi · 2 min · Eastern Avenue
15

Continue on MD 150

1.0 mi · 2 min · Eastern Boulevard
16

Turn left onto North Taylor Avenue

211 ft · 13 sec · North Taylor Avenue
17

Turn right

521 ft · 38 sec
18

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 5.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | MD 2 / Saint Paul Street

Turn left onto MD 2 / Saint Paul Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | East Baltimore Street

Turn left onto East Baltimore Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.
5
1 mi into trip | ~3m in | East Fayette Street

Turn right onto East Fayette Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight / right lanes.
8
3.8 mi into trip | ~10m in

Keep slight left at fork toward MD 151 South

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Toward MD 151 South
6
5.8 mi into trip | ~14m in

Turn right toward MD 150 East: Essex

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Toward MD 150 East: Essex

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.41 one way

$2.82 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $1.54 $3.09
premium $4.93 $1.65 $3.30
diesel $5.61 $1.88 $3.75

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.6 0 $0.89 $0.41
Efficient EV 2.1 0 $0.74 $0.34
EV Truck/SUV 3.4 0 $1.19 $0.54

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Apr 20, 2026

Origin

Baltimore, MD

Late night in Baltimore on Tuesday

Local time

4:49 AM

EDT

Current temp

44°F

Chance Rain Showers

W 6 mph 9% chance Live forecast

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 2:47AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Wakefield VA

Freeze Warning

Freeze Warning issued April 20 at 2:25AM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Essex, MD

Late night in Essex on Tuesday

Local time

4:49 AM

EDT

Current temp

64°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

20 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

21m 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.

What kind of drive is this?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous highway slog, as this route features zero highway miles. You will navigate through urban and suburban corridors using Saint Paul Street, East Baltimore Street, and North Central Avenue. Because this path relies exclusively on city streets, you should prepare for frequent stops and consistent adjustments to your speed. The personality of this drive is defined by its stop-and-go nature, requiring your full attention as you transition between these specific local thoroughfares. It is a practical, utilitarian drive that prioritizes navigation through the local grid over high-speed cruising.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 1.5 mi on East Fayette Street.

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 0.1 miles in near MD 2 / Saint Paul Street.

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 10 decision points packed into just 8.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (MD 2 / Saint Paul Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (East Baltimore Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (East Fayette Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

114 ft 0 ft

Total Climb

287 ft

Total Descent

284 ft

Highest Point

114 ft

~5.7 mi in

Elevation Range

114 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Baltimore, MD

Full guide →

“Bodymore, Murderland” · Founded 1729

Slices of American history are around every corner in Baltimore. Maryland's largest city is a gritty old seaport town that's perhaps most famous as the site of Fort McHenry, where, at the height of the War of 1812, the sight of a tattered but defiant American flag flying over the harbor, despite a furious British bombardment, inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem that was later adapted into the U.S. national anthem "Star-Spangled Banner". Nowadays, Baltimore's nonstop nightlife, temperate climate, tradition of hospitality (they don't call this place "Charm City" for nothing), and cultural attractions — not to mention its prime location on the juncture of Chesapeake Bay — made it one of the major tourist destinations of the Mid-Atlantic region.

Top landmarks

  • • Johns Hopkins Hospital — hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, United States
  • • Walters Art Museum — art museum in Baltimore, Maryland, US
  • • Baltimore Museum of Art — art museum in Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Arriving in Essex, MD

Full guide →

Southeast Baltimore, fittingly, covers the areas in the southeast of Baltimore, ranging from industrial wastelands to charming neighborhoods both quiet and hip.

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 21m. Total distance: 8.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

21m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 1.5 miles on East Fayette Street. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Essex, 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 0.1 miles (MD 2 / Saint Paul Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.2 miles (East Baltimore Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1 miles (East Fayette Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Essex, MD before heading back.

How this page is built

Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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