Origin
Bethesda, MD
Late night in Bethesda on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bethesda, MD to Laurel, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
30m
Distance
19.2 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bethesda, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Laurel, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Bethesda, MD to Laurel, MD is 19.2 miles and takes about 30m via Capital Beltway/I-95, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Maryland, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Expect a drive with many turns, characteristic of local travel, rather than a long, scenic highway journey. It's a straightforward point-to-point drive, perfect for when you need to get from one area to another efficiently without a major time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Beltway | 6.5 mi | 8m |
| I 95 | 3.1 mi | 3m |
| Jones Bridge Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Gorman Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| Sandy Spring Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Wisconsin Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Connecticut Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Edgemoor Lane | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Beltway
— 6.5 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bethesda, MD and Laurel, MD.
1
Start on this road
44 ft
·
5 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Bethesda Avenue
510 ft
·
24 sec
·
Bethesda Avenue
3
Turn left onto Arlington Road
0.3 mi
·
55 sec
·
Arlington Road
4
Turn right onto Edgemoor Lane
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Edgemoor Lane
5
Turn left onto MD 355
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Wisconsin Avenue
6
Continue on MD 355
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Rockville Pike
7
Turn right onto Jones Bridge Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Jones Bridge Road
8
Turn left onto MD 185
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Connecticut Avenue
Use the left / slight left lanes.
9
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring
Use the slight right lane.
10
Merge onto I 495
6.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Exit 27
Toward I 95 North: Baltimore
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
1.1 mi
·
2 min
Toward I 95 North: Baltimore, New York
13
Merge onto I 95
3.1 mi
·
3 min
·
I 95
14
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
31 sec
Exit 31; 32; 33
Toward MD 200 Toll, MD 198: Konterra Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
26 sec
Toward MD 200 Toll West, MD 198
16
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
39 sec
Toward MD 198: Konterra Drive
17
Keep slight left at fork
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward MD 198: Laurel, Burtonsville
18
Keep slight right at fork
1.0 mi
·
1 min
Exit 33A
Toward MD 198 East: Laurel
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Turn straight onto MD 198
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Sandy Spring Road
20
Continue on MD 198
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Gorman Avenue
21
Turn left onto US 1
388 ft
·
9 sec
·
2nd Street
22
Turn slight left
190 ft
·
7 sec
Use the left lane.
23
Turn slight left onto MD 198
109 ft
·
3 sec
·
Talbott Avenue
24
Turn left
86 ft
·
2 sec
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
25
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 185 decision points cluster between mile 2.8 and 16.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, Silver Spring
7
9.6 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward I 95 North: Baltimore
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 27
Toward I 95 North: Baltimore
6
9.9 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 North: Baltimore, New York
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 95 North: Baltimore, New York
8
14.1 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward MD 200 Toll, MD 198: Konterra Drive
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 31; 32; 33
Toward MD 200 Toll, MD 198: Konterra Drive
8
16.4 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 198 East: Laurel
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 33A
Toward MD 198 East: Laurel
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.18 one way
$6.37 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.49 | $6.97 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.72 | $7.45 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.24 | $8.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.02 | $0.92 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.69 | $1.23 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Laurel, MD
Late night in Laurel on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
76°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
1 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
30m 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 drive has a turn-heavy local feel, with only about 16% of the journey on highways like the Capital Beltway and I-95. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 6.5 miles on the Capital Beltway. As you navigate, you'll likely experience a mix of city streets and occasional highway segments. Be prepared for frequent changes in direction as you transition between local roads and the main arteries.
Only 16% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.5 mi on Capital Beltway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
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 2.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
10/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 19.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Bethesda, MD and Laurel, MD, road signs point toward Silver Spring, New York and Burtonsville.
Silver Spring
2.8 mi in
|
~7m
New York
9.9 mi in
|
~16m
Burtonsville
15.5 mi in
|
~24m
About the Cities
Starting in Bethesda, MD
Full guide →Bethesda is in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1½ miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Wealthy and well-educated, Bethesda is best known for its numerous restaurants and as the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health.
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 30m. Total distance: 19.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m 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 6.5 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 Laurel, 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 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 9.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Laurel, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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