Origin
Buckeystown, MD
Night in Buckeystown on Friday
Local time
11:56 PM
EDT
Current temp
81°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Buckeystown, MD to Bethesda, MD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
51m
Distance
33.9 mi
55 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 48m
★
6 AM
0h 52m
8 AM
1h 0m
10 AM
0h 55m
12 PM
0h 54m
3 PM
0h 55m
5 PM
1h 0m
8 PM
0h 49m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Buckeystown, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Bethesda, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Buckeystown to Bethesda is 33.9 miles and takes about 51 minutes via Eisenhower Memorial Highway and I-270, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Maryland, moving from the Northeast region towards the Northeast region. Expect a trip primarily on surface roads, with a significant portion on the highway. It's a straightforward commute-like drive, ideal for a quick trip when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Memorial Highway | 16.5 mi | 21m |
| I 270 | 9.1 mi | 12m |
| Fingerboard Road | 3.5 mi | 6m |
| Rockville Pike | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Michaels Mill Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Wisconsin Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Arlington Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Edgemoor Lane | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Eisenhower Memorial Highway
— 16.5 mi, about 21m
Traffic on I-270
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 28 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
5 PM
~6,085 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~400 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.2×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 96 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Buckeystown, MD and Bethesda, MD.
1
Start on MD 85
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
Buckeystown Pike
2
Turn left onto Michaels Mill Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Michaels Mill Road
3
Turn left onto MD 80
3.3 mi
·
6 min
·
Fingerboard Road
4
Keep slight left at fork onto MD 80
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Fingerboard Road
5
Enter roundabout
17 ft
·
0 sec
Toward I 270 South
6
Continue
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward I 270 South
7
Merge onto I 270
17 mi
·
21 min
·
Eisenhower Memorial Highway
8
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
6.6 mi
·
9 min
·
I 270
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
I 270
Toward I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
Toward MD 355 South: Bethesda
Use the slight left lane.
11
Turn straight onto MD 355
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Rockville Pike
12
Continue on MD 355
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Wisconsin Avenue
13
Turn right onto Commerce Lane
340 ft
·
17 sec
·
Commerce Lane
14
Continue on Edgemoor Lane
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
Edgemoor Lane
15
Turn left onto Arlington Road
0.3 mi
·
55 sec
·
Arlington Road
16
Turn right onto Bethesda Avenue
510 ft
·
22 sec
·
Bethesda Avenue
17
Turn left
44 ft
·
3 sec
18
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 33.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 17 miles from Buckeystown, MD, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 4.9 and 33.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
4.9 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Enter roundabout toward I 270 South
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Toward I 270 South
6
21.6 mi into trip
|
~31m in
|
I 270
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
28.2 mi into trip
|
~40m 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
6
30.7 mi into trip
|
~44m in
Take the exit toward MD 355 South: Bethesda
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward MD 355 South: Bethesda
5
33.6 mi into trip
|
~50m in
|
Arlington Road
Turn left onto Arlington Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.66 one way
$11.33 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $6.23 | $12.47 |
| premium | $5.01 | $6.69 | $13.38 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $7.47 | $14.95 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.56 | $1.63 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.97 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.75 | $2.17 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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.
Destination
Bethesda, MD
Night in Bethesda on Friday
Local time
11:56 PM
EDT
Current temp
69°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
12 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
51m 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 mostly surface roads, with about 27% on the highway. You'll experience a longest stretch of 16.5 miles on the Eisenhower Memorial Highway before transitioning to surface roads. Be prepared for numerous exits and merges as you navigate through populated areas. The transition from highway to surface roads is noticeable as the pace changes.
Only 27% 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: 16.5 mi on Eisenhower Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 4.9 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 33.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 51m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 4.9 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 21.6 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.2 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
598 ft
261 ft
Total Climb
440 ft
Total Descent
399 ft
Highest Point
598 ft
~13.1 mi in
Elevation Range
337 ft
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.
On the drive from Buckeystown, MD to Bethesda, MD, road signs begin pointing toward College Park along the way.
College Park
28.2 mi in
|
~40m
|
via I 270
About the Cities
Starting in Buckeystown, MD
Full guide →Arriving 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.
Top landmarks
- • Robert Llewellyn Wright House — historic house in Bethesda, Maryland
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 51m. Total distance: 33.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
51m 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 16.5 miles on Eisenhower Memorial Highway. 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 Bethesda, 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 4.9 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 21.6 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.2 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Monocacy National Battlefield, Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail (5 total within detour distance). 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 Bethesda, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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