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Trip from Cottage City, MD to South Bel Air, MD

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 24m

Distance

59.9 mi

96 km

Drive Score

9/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$10

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 19 min
4 AM
1h 18m ★
6 AM
1h 24m
8 AM
1h 37m
10 AM
1h 29m
12 PM
1h 27m
3 PM
1h 29m
5 PM
1h 36m
8 PM
1h 20m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
Downtown Cottage City, MD, MD

Cottage City, MD

Efrem Efre

Downtown South Bel Air, MD, MD

South Bel Air, MD

Da Khatri

Trip Overview

Cottage City, MD to South Bel Air, MD is 59.9 miles and takes about 1h 24m via Baltimore-Washington Parkway, with a fuel budget near $10 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip keeps you within the Northeast region, traversing Maryland for its entirety. Expect a mixed drive that balances efficient highway travel with potentially more varied road conditions as you approach your destination. Given the relatively short duration and distance, this route is well-suited for a single-day excursion, allowing for flexibility in your departure and arrival times.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Baltimore-Washington Parkway 25.4 mi 34m
Express Toll Lanes 8.5 mi 9m
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway 7.3 mi 8m
Harbor Tunnel Thruway 7 mi 10m
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway 4.3 mi 6m
Annapolis Road 1.4 mi 2m
Baltimore Harbor Tunnel 1.4 mi 2m
Harbor Tunnel Throughway 1 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Baltimore-Washington Parkway — 25.4 mi, about 34m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cottage City, MD and South Bel Air, MD.

1

Start on Parkwood Street

127 ft · 5 sec · Parkwood Street
2

Turn right onto Bunker Hill Road

141 ft · 6 sec · Bunker Hill Road
3

Turn right onto 42nd Avenue

0.1 mi · 36 sec · 42nd Avenue
4

Turn left onto US 1 ALT

0.3 mi · 31 sec · Bladensburg Road
5

Continue on MD 450

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Bladensburg Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Continue on MD 450

0.8 mi · 1 min · Annapolis Road
7

Turn slight left onto MD 450

0.7 mi · 1 min · Annapolis Road
Use the slight left lane.
8

Turn left

0.2 mi · 26 sec
Toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore Use the left lane.
9

Merge onto Baltimore-Washington Parkway

25 mi · 34 min · Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 32 sec
Toward I 895 North: Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Merge onto I 895

1.1 mi · 1 min · Harbor Tunnel Thruway
12

Continue on I 895

1.0 mi · 1 min · Harbor Tunnel Throughway
13

Continue on I 895

2.2 mi · 3 min · Harbor Tunnel Thruway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Continue on I 895

1.4 mi · 2 min · Baltimore Harbor Tunnel
15

Continue on I 895

3.7 mi · 5 min · Harbor Tunnel Thruway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Keep slight left at fork onto I 895

8.5 mi · 9 min · Express Toll Lanes
Use the slight left lane.
17

Keep slight right at fork

297 ft · 3 sec
18

Merge onto I 95

7.3 mi · 8 min · John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Exit 77A Toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward MD 24 North: Bel Air Use the slight left lane.
21

Turn left onto MD 24

4.3 mi · 6 min · Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
22

Turn right onto West Ring Factory Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · West Ring Factory Road
Use the right lane.
23

Turn left onto MD 924

0.6 mi · 1 min · Emmorton Road
24

Continue on MD 924

496 ft · 17 sec · South Main Street
25

Turn right onto East MacPhail Road

0.3 mi · 44 sec · East MacPhail Road
26

Turn left onto South Shamrock Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · South Shamrock Road
27

Arrive at destination

South Shamrock Road

Where to Stop

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

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Baltimore, MD

30 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

Laurel, MD

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Baltimore, MD

Meal break

The midpoint is around 30 miles from Cottage City, 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 19

5 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 53.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

8
2 mi into trip | ~4m in

Turn left toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore

Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left lane. Toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington Internation...
6
27.6 mi into trip | ~39m in

Take the exit toward I 895 North: Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 895 North: Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thr...
6
37.3 mi into trip | ~53m in | I 895 / Express Toll Lanes

Keep slight left at fork onto I 895 / Express Toll Lanes

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane.
8
53.2 mi into trip | ~1h 11m in

Take the exit toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 77A Toward MD 24: Bel Air, Edgewood
7
53.5 mi into trip | ~1h 12m in

Keep slight left at fork toward MD 24 North: Bel Air

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward MD 24 North: Bel Air

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$9.93 one way

$19.86 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 21 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $10.88 $21.75
premium $4.93 $11.62 $23.23
diesel $5.61 $13.23 $26.45

Estimated Tolls: $0.49

Harbor Tunnel Thruway (7 mi) $0.49

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$10

Tolls

$0

Total

$10

Estimated CO2 emission: 21 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 18 0 $6.29 $2.88
Efficient EV 15 0 $5.24 $2.40
EV Truck/SUV 24 0 $8.39 $3.83

Gas CO2

21 kg

EV CO2

7 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 17, 2026

Origin

Cottage City, MD

Morning in Cottage City on Sunday

Local time

10:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

78°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

South Bel Air, MD

Morning in South Bel Air on Sunday

Local time

10:56 AM

EDT

Current temp

72°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

6 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

1h 24m 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 drive offers a mixed experience, with 42% of the journey on highways, providing a good balance between speed and exploration. You'll encounter stretches on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, and Express Toll Lanes, suggesting a blend of parkway driving and potentially faster-paced toll road segments. The longest continuous stretch you'll navigate is 25.4 miles on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway, offering a significant period of uninterrupted travel before you need to consider navigating other road types. The character of the drive will likely evolve, shifting from more open parkway to potentially more urban or suburban road conditions as you near South Bel Air.

42% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
27 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 25.4 mi on Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2 miles in.

Driving Effort 10/10

Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 59.9 miles you will encounter 19 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 27.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 37.3 miles (I 895 / Express Toll Lanes): 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 Cottage City, MD to South Bel Air, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Edgewood along the way.

Edgewood

53.2 mi in | ~1h 11m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 24m. Total distance: 59.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 24m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (42%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 25.4 miles on Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.49 in tolls one way, starting with Harbor Tunnel Thruway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.

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 South Bel Air, 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 2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 27.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 37.3 miles (I 895 / Express Toll Lanes): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

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 South Bel Air, 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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