Origin
Columbia, MD
Morning in Columbia on Tuesday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Columbia, MD to North Potomac, MD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
49m
Distance
34.1 mi
55 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 47m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Columbia, MD
Wikimedia Commons
North Potomac, MD
Mark Stebnicki
Trip Overview
The drive from Columbia, MD to North Potomac, MD covers 34.1 miles and takes about 49m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Intercounty Connector, Columbia Pike, I 370 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13 miles on Intercounty Connector. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.70 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intercounty Connector | 13 mi | 16m |
| Columbia Pike | 12.3 mi | 16m |
| I 370 | 3.3 mi | 5m |
| Dufief Mill Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| Muddy Branch Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Turkey Foot Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Travilah Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Clarksville Pike | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Intercounty Connector
— 13 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Columbia, MD and North Potomac, 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
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
Clarksville Pike
Use the left / straight lanes.
4
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
51 sec
Toward US 29 South: Columbia, Town Center
5
Merge onto US 29
12 mi
·
16 min
·
Columbia Pike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
Toward MD 200 Toll
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
0.6 mi
·
1 min
Toward MD 200 Toll West
Use the slight right lane.
8
Merge onto MD 200 Toll
6.7 mi
·
8 min
·
Intercounty Connector
9
Continue on MD 200 Toll
6.2 mi
·
7 min
·
Intercounty Connector
Exit 8A
10
Continue on I 370
3.3 mi
·
5 min
·
I 370
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Turn right onto MD 119
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
Great Seneca Highway
12
Turn left onto Muddy Branch Road
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Muddy Branch Road
13
Continue on Dufief Mill Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Dufief Mill Road
14
Continue on Travilah Road
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Travilah Road
15
Continue on Turkey Foot Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Turkey Foot Road
16
Turn left onto Query Mill Road
115 ft
·
3 sec
·
Query Mill Road
17
Arrive at destination
Query Mill Road
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 34 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 17.1 miles from Columbia, 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 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 33.5 — 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...
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 29 / Columbia Pike
Merge onto US 29 / Columbia Pike
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
13.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward MD 200 Toll
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward MD 200 Toll
7
13.2 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 200 Toll West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward MD 200 Toll West
6
33.5 mi into trip
|
~48m in
|
Turkey Foot Road
Enter roundabout onto Turkey Foot Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.70 one way
$11.40 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $6.27 | $12.54 |
| premium | $5.01 | $6.73 | $13.46 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $7.52 | $15.03 |
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 | $3.58 | $1.64 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.98 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.77 | $2.18 |
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
North Potomac, MD
Morning in North Potomac on Tuesday
Local time
11:56 AM
EDT
Current temp
85°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
3 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
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?
34.1 mi in 49m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 10% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13 mi on Intercounty Connector.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 10 decision points packed into just 34.1 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: near the start: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.8 miles (US 29 / Columbia Pike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
501 ft
255 ft
Total Climb
336 ft
Total Descent
488 ft
Highest Point
501 ft
~26.8 mi in
Elevation Range
246 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Columbia, MD
Full guide →Founded 1967
Columbia is a planned city in Howard County, Central Maryland. It differs strongly from most notions of what constitutes a "city," as the planner divided the densely populated, but decidedly suburban in character, city into ten "villages," each of which are divided into several neighborhoods, leaving the city with a less obvious center.
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: 34.1 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.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13 miles on Intercounty Connector. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 North Potomac, 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 0.8 miles (US 29 / Columbia Pike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.1 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 North Potomac, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
More trips to North Potomac, MD
Explore more options from Columbia, MD or browse trips ending in North Potomac, MD.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MD road trips.