Origin
Colesville, MD
Late night in Colesville on Sunday
Local time
3:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Colesville, MD to Bowie, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
21.4 mi
35 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 29m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 37m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 33m
3 PM
0h 34m
5 PM
0h 37m
8 PM
0h 30m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Colesville, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Bowie, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This quick 21.4-mile journey from Colesville, MD to Bowie, MD will take approximately 31 minutes, making it an easy day trip. You'll primarily navigate via the Capital Beltway and John Hanson Highway, with a portion on New Hampshire Avenue. Given its short distance and modest fuel cost of around $4, this route is best tackled in a single go. Both destinations are within the Northeast region, offering a straightforward drive without regional transitions. It's a practical option for local travel or a short segment of a larger trip.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Beltway | 8.8 mi | 11m |
| John Hanson Highway | 5.7 mi | 6m |
| New Hampshire Avenue | 4.3 mi | 7m |
| Collington Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Evergreen Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| East Randolph Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Beltway
— 8.8 mi, about 11m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Colesville, MD and Bowie, MD.
1
Start on East Randolph Road
15 ft
·
5 sec
·
East Randolph Road
2
Turn right onto MD 650
4.3 mi
·
7 min
·
New Hampshire Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, College Park
Use the right lane.
4
Merge onto I 495
8.8 mi
·
11 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
1.0 mi
·
2 min
Exit 19A
Toward US 50 East: Annapolis
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Merge onto US 50
5.7 mi
·
6 min
·
John Hanson Highway
7
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 11
Toward MD 197: Bowie
Use the slight right lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork
273 ft
·
6 sec
Toward MD 197
Use the left / right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto MD 197
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Collington Road
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto Evergreen Parkway
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Evergreen Parkway
11
Turn right
259 ft
·
20 sec
12
Turn left
110 ft
·
8 sec
13
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 115 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 20.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Turn right onto MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
4.3 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the ramp toward I 495 East: Baltimore, College Park
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Toward I 495 East: Baltimore, College Park
7
13.3 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward US 50 East: Annapolis
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 19A
Toward US 50 East: Annapolis
7
20 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward MD 197: Bowie
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11
Toward MD 197: Bowie
7
20.4 mi into trip
|
~29m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 197
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward MD 197
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.55 one way
$7.10 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.89 | $7.77 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.15 | $8.30 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.72 | $9.45 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 57% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.25 | $1.03 |
| Efficient EV | 5.4 | 0 | $1.87 | $0.86 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.6 | 0 | $3.00 | $1.37 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (57% 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
Bowie, MD
Late night in Bowie on Sunday
Local time
3:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°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
5 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
31m 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 for much of this route, though you will experience an 8.8-mile stretch on the Capital Beltway. With a highway share of 1 (meaning almost entirely highway driving), the pace is generally brisk. The transition between major highways and local roads means you'll need to stay alert for changes in speed limits and traffic patterns. This drive offers a mix of faster highway travel and more localized road conditions.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.8 mi on Capital Beltway.
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 early in the drive near MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue.
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 11 decision points packed into just 21.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.
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 Colesville, MD to Bowie, MD, road signs begin pointing toward College Park along the way.
College Park
4.3 mi in
|
~8m
About the Cities
Arriving in Bowie, MD
Full guide →Bowie is a suburban bedroom community of Washington, D.C. in Prince George's County, 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 31m. Total distance: 21.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m 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 8.8 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 Bowie, 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: near the start (MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Bowie, 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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