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Trip from Catonsville, MD to Frederick, 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

49m

Distance

41.6 mi

67 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m

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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census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States

Catonsville, MD

Wikimedia Commons

city in Frederick County, Maryland, United States

Frederick, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Connecting Catonsville to Frederick, this 41.1-mile journey is a straightforward transit across Maryland. You can expect to spend about 43 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that doesn't require an overnight stay. With a modest fuel budget of approximately $7, the trip is as economical as it is quick. You will navigate primarily via Frederick Road and the Baltimore Beltway (I-695 North). Because both towns are located within the Northeast region, you will experience a consistent local atmosphere throughout the entire drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
I 70 36.7 mi 39m
Baltimore Beltway 2 mi 2m
East Street 0.5 mi <1m
Frederick Road 0.5 mi 1m
South Carroll Street 0.2 mi <1m
East Patrick Street 0.2 mi <1m
East South Street 0.1 mi <1m
Buckeystown Pike <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: I 70 — 36.7 mi, about 39m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Catonsville, MD and Frederick, MD.

1

Start on this road

37 ft · 8 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto MD 144

0.5 mi · 1 min · Frederick Road
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Toward I 695 North Use the left lane.
4

Merge onto I 695

2.0 mi · 2 min · Baltimore Beltway
5

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 23 sec
Exit 16A-B Toward I 70: Frederick, Local Traffic Use the slight right lane.
6

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 1 min
Exit 16A Toward I 70 West: Frederick Use the slight left lane.
7

Merge onto I 70

14 mi · 15 min · I 70
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Continue on I 70; US 40

12 mi · 12 min · I 70; US 40
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 70; US 40

11 mi · 11 min · I 70; US 40
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 18 sec
Exit 54 Toward MD 85: Buckeystown, Downtown Frederick Use the slight right lane.
11

Keep slight right at fork

419 ft · 10 sec
Toward Downtown Frederick, East Street Use the slight right lane.
12

Turn straight onto MD 85

426 ft · 9 sec · Buckeystown Pike
13

Continue on East Street

0.1 mi · 15 sec · East Street
14

Enter roundabout onto East Street

119 ft · 2 sec · East Street
15

Continue on East Street

0.3 mi · 33 sec · East Street
16

Turn left onto MD 144

0.1 mi · 24 sec · East South Street
17

Turn right onto South Carroll Street

0.2 mi · 45 sec · South Carroll Street
18

Turn left onto MD 144

0.2 mi · 25 sec · East Patrick Street
19

Arrive at destination

MD 144

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

town in Carroll and Frederick Counties, Maryland, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Mount Airy, MD

21 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

Ballenger Creek, MD

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 41.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Mount Airy, MD

Meal break

The midpoint is around 20.8 miles from Catonsville, 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 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 40.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

7
0.5 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the ramp toward I 695 North

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane. Toward I 695 North
8
2.6 mi into trip | ~4m in

Take the exit toward I 70: Frederick, Local Traffic

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 16A-B Toward I 70: Frederick, Local Traffic
8
2.8 mi into trip | ~5m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 70 West: Frederick

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Exit 16A Toward I 70 West: Frederick
8
40.3 mi into trip | ~46m in

Take the exit toward MD 85: Buckeystown, Downtown Frederick

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 54 Toward MD 85: Buckeystown, Downtown Frederick
9
40.5 mi into trip | ~46m in

Keep slight right at fork toward Downtown Frederick, East Street

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward Downtown Frederick, East Street

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$6.90 one way

$13.79 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $7.55 $15.11
premium $4.93 $8.07 $16.14
diesel $5.61 $9.18 $18.37

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 14.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 12.5 0 $4.37 $2.00
Efficient EV 10.4 0 $3.64 $1.66
EV Truck/SUV 16.6 0 $5.82 $2.66

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 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

Catonsville, MD

Morning in Catonsville on Tuesday

Local time

9:53 AM

EDT

Current temp

64°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Frederick, MD

Morning in Frederick on Tuesday

Local time

9:53 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

63°F

Mount Airy, MD

21 mi in

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

49m 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?

Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a monotonous interstate cruise. Since the route has a highway share of 0%, you should prepare for a more hands-on experience navigating local corridors and surface streets. The road profile demands your full attention as you transition out of the Catonsville area. Without long, uninterrupted highway stretches to rely on, the pace remains steady but consistent with local traffic patterns. You will find that the character of the road changes frequently as you work your way toward Frederick.

88% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 36.7 mi on I 70.

How Hard Is This Drive?

9/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 70 and Baltimore Beltway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 miles in.

Driving Effort 9/10

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 12 decision points packed into just 41.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

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 Catonsville, MD to Frederick, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Local Traffic along the way.

Local Traffic

2.6 mi in | ~4m

About the Cities

Arriving in Frederick, MD

Full guide →

Frederick is a charming city of approximately 80,000 people (2020) in Maryland. It is a major antique center with many shops, eateries, galleries and antique dealers.

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 49m. Total distance: 41.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

49m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 36.7 miles on I 70. 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 Frederick, 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 0.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 2.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Monocacy National Battlefield, Antietam National Battlefield and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (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 Frederick, 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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