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Trip from Columbia, MD to Hampton, 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

36m

Distance

25.1 mi

40 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

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 34m ★
6 AM
0h 37m
8 AM
0h 43m
10 AM
0h 39m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 43m
8 PM
0h 35m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

planned community in Howard County, Maryland, United States

Columbia, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Hampton, MD, MD

Hampton, MD

RDNE Stock project

Trip Overview

This relatively short drive from Columbia, MD to Hampton, MD covers 25.1 miles and should take about 36 minutes. It's an easy, one-day trip with a modest fuel cost of around $4. You'll primarily navigate via the Baltimore Beltway and Columbia Pike, with a small portion on I-70. The route is characterized by frequent turns, making it more of a local navigation challenge than a long-haul journey. Given its brevity, no overnight stay is necessary, allowing for maximum flexibility in your schedule.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Baltimore Beltway 13.4 mi 18m
Columbia Pike 3.9 mi 5m
I 70 3.8 mi 4m
Saint Francis Road 0.8 mi 2m
Clarksville Pike 0.6 mi 1m
Dulaney Valley Road 0.4 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Baltimore Beltway — 13.4 mi, about 18m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Columbia, MD and Hampton, MD.

1

Start on this road

404 ft · 9 sec · this road
Exit 21B Toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Search, Harper's Choice
2

Turn straight onto MD 108

0.2 mi · 19 sec · Clarksville Pike
3

Continue on MD 108

0.4 mi · 56 sec · Clarksville Pike
Use the left / straight lanes.
4

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward US 29 North: Baltimore
5

Merge onto US 29

3.9 mi · 5 min · Columbia Pike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.7 mi · 1 min
Exit 25A Toward I 70 East: Baltimore Use the slight right lane.
7

Merge onto I 70

3.8 mi · 4 min · I 70
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 16 sec
Exit 91B-A Toward I 695 North, I 695 South: New York, Towson, Baltimore, Glen Burnie Use the slight right lane.
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.8 mi · 1 min
Exit 91B Toward I 695 North: New York, Towson Use the slight left lane.
10

Merge onto I 695

13 mi · 18 min · Baltimore Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 53 sec
Exit 27B Toward MD 146 North: Dulaney Valley Road Use the right lane.
12

Turn straight onto MD 146

0.4 mi · 55 sec · Dulaney Valley Road
Use the left / right lanes.
13

Turn right onto Saint Francis Road

0.8 mi · 2 min · Saint Francis Road
14

Keep slight right at fork onto Saint Francis Road

93 ft · 3 sec · Saint Francis Road
15

Arrive at destination

Saint Francis Road

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 23.7 — 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

Depart toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Search, Harper's Choice

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 21B Toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Searc...
7
4.9 mi into trip | ~7m in

Take the exit toward I 70 East: Baltimore

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 25A Toward I 70 East: Baltimore
8
9.3 mi into trip | ~12m in

Take the exit toward I 695 North, I 695 South: New York, Towson, Baltimore, Glen Burnie

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 91B-A Toward I 695 North, I 695 South: New York, Tows...
9
9.5 mi into trip | ~12m in

Keep slight left at fork toward I 695 North: New York, Towson

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

Use the slight left lane. Exit 91B Toward I 695 North: New York, Towson
7
23.7 mi into trip | ~32m in

Take the exit toward MD 146 North: Dulaney Valley Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 27B Toward MD 146 North: Dulaney Valley Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.16 one way

$8.32 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.56 $9.12
premium $4.93 $4.87 $9.74
diesel $5.61 $5.54 $11.08

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.5 0 $2.64 $1.20
Efficient EV 6.3 0 $2.20 $1.00
EV Truck/SUV 10 0 $3.51 $1.61

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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

Columbia, MD

Morning in Columbia on Tuesday

Local time

6:48 AM

EDT

Current temp

64°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Hampton, MD

Morning in Hampton on Tuesday

Local time

6:48 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°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

9 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

36m 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 the majority of this 25.1-mile trip. While only 15% of the route involves highway driving, you'll experience a 13.4-mile stretch on the Baltimore Beltway which offers a brief period of faster travel. The road character shifts as you move from the more open highway segments to Columbia Pike and then to the local roads leading into Hampton, requiring your attention for frequent turns and potential traffic. This drive is less about scenic vistas and more about efficient navigation through varied road types.

Only 15% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.4 mi on Baltimore 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 early in the drive.

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 12 decision points packed into just 25.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. 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.

Between Columbia, MD and Hampton, MD, road signs point toward Towson, Baltimore and Glen Burnie.

Towson

9.3 mi in | ~12m

Baltimore

9.3 mi in | ~12m

Glen Burnie

9.3 mi in | ~12m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 25.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m 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 13.4 miles on Baltimore 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 Hampton, 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: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 4.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. 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 Hampton, 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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