Origin
Capitol Heights, MD
Evening in Capitol Heights on Saturday
Local time
6:00 PM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Capitol Heights, MD to Silver Spring, 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
25m
Distance
12 mi
19 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 26m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 27m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 30m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Capitol Heights, MD
Mark Stebnicki
Silver Spring, MD
www.kaboompics.com
Trip Overview
Capitol Heights, MD to Silver Spring, MD is 12 miles and takes about 25m via Eastern Avenue Northeast, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Maryland's Northeast region, offering a straightforward drive between two close-by communities. It's a practical route for local travel, connecting neighborhoods without requiring extensive planning. Consider this drive if you need to get from point A to point B efficiently within this part of the state.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Avenue Northeast | 3.1 mi | 6m |
| Chillum Road | 2 mi | 4m |
| Kenilworth Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Blair Road Northwest | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| 38th Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Bladensburg Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Georgia Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Windom Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Eastern Avenue Northeast
— 3.1 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Capitol Heights, MD and Silver Spring, MD.
1
Start on Chamber Avenue
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Chamber Avenue
2
At end of road, turn left onto Davey Street
285 ft
·
11 sec
·
Davey Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto Southern Avenue Southeast
367 ft
·
9 sec
·
Southern Avenue Southeast
4
Continue on Southern Avenue Northeast
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Southern Avenue Northeast
5
Continue on 63rd Street Northeast
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
63rd Street Northeast
6
Turn left onto Eastern Avenue Northeast
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Eastern Avenue Northeast
Use the straight / left / right lanes.
7
Turn right onto Kenilworth Avenue
355 ft
·
12 sec
·
Kenilworth Avenue
Use the right lane.
8
Take the ramp
377 ft
·
9 sec
Toward MD 295 North, MD 201 North
9
Merge onto MD 201
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Kenilworth Avenue Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight right at fork onto MD 201
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Kenilworth Avenue
Toward MD 201 North, US 50 West: Kenilworth Avenue, New York Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn slight right
440 ft
·
16 sec
12
Keep slight left at fork onto 48th Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
48th Street
13
Turn left onto MD 450
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
Annapolis Road
14
Continue on MD 450
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Bladensburg Road
15
Turn right onto MD 208
0.2 mi
·
22 sec
·
38th Avenue
16
Continue on MD 208
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
38th Street
17
Turn left onto Windom Road
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
Windom Road
18
At end of road, turn right onto 34th Street
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
34th Street
19
Continue on Chillum Road
2.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Chillum Road
20
Turn left onto MD 212
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Riggs Road
Use the left lane.
21
Turn right onto Eastern Avenue Northeast
1.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Eastern Avenue Northeast
Use the right lane.
22
Continue on Carroll Street Northwest
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
Carroll Street Northwest
23
Continue on Cedar Street Northwest
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Cedar Street Northwest
24
Turn slight right onto Blair Road Northwest
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Blair Road Northwest
Use the right lane.
25
Turn right onto US 29
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
·
Georgia Avenue
26
Turn right
158 ft
·
13 sec
27
Turn right
85 ft
·
6 sec
28
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 175 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 6.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Davey Street
At end of road, turn left onto Davey Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Southern Avenue Southeast
At end of road, turn right onto Southern Avenue Southeast
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue Freeway
Merge onto MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue Freeway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
2.9 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue toward MD 201 North, US 50 West: Kenilworth Avenue, New York Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward MD 201 North, US 50 West: Kenilworth Ave...
6
6.8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
34th Street
At end of road, turn right onto 34th Street
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.01 one way
$4.01 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $2.21 | $4.41 |
| premium | $5.01 | $2.37 | $4.74 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $2.65 | $5.29 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.26 | $0.58 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.05 | $0.48 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Silver Spring, MD
Evening in Silver Spring on Saturday
Local time
6:00 PM
EDT
Current temp
81°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
25m 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 only about 20% of the drive on highways. You'll spend the majority of your time navigating local streets, with the longest continuous stretch on a single road being 3.1 miles on Eastern Avenue Northeast. Expect to encounter typical urban traffic patterns as you transition between these main arteries. The profile suggests a consistent pace without significant highway speed.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
28 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.1 mi on Eastern Avenue Northeast.
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 0.3 miles in near Davey Street.
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 17 decision points packed into just 12 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 25m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Davey Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Southern Avenue Southeast): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.7 miles (MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
342 ft
11 ft
Total Climb
401 ft
Total Descent
179 ft
Highest Point
342 ft
~21.8 mi in
Elevation Range
331 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Capitol Heights, MD
Full guide →Founded 1910
Arriving in Silver Spring, MD
Full guide →Founded 1887
Silver Spring is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is considered to be an "edge city". It sits next door to Washington, DC, and had about 82,000 residents in 2018. It has redeveloped its downtown district with an outdoor shopping plaza called "Downtown Silver Spring", and is criss-crossed by four creeks that are the basis for parks offering hiking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and tennis courts.
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 25m. Total distance: 12 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m 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 3.1 miles on Eastern Avenue Northeast. 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 Silver Spring, 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 0.3 miles (Davey Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (Southern Avenue Southeast): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.7 miles (MD 201 / Kenilworth Avenue Freeway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Silver Spring, 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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