Origin
Dunkirk Town Center, MD
Late night in Dunkirk Town Center on Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Dunkirk Town Center, MD to Bowie, MD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
19.3 mi
31 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Fair
2 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Dunkirk Town Center, MD
Irina Iriser
Bowie, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Dunkirk Town Center to Bowie is 19.3 miles and takes about 29 minutes via South East Crain Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive keeps you within Maryland for the entire journey, moving from the Northeast region towards another in the Northeast. Expect a primarily local road experience with frequent turns, making it a straightforward, quick trip. It's a convenient option for a quick connection between these two Maryland locations, perfect for a same-day excursion.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| South East Crain Highway | 7.4 mi | 10m |
| Southern Maryland Boulevard | 5 mi | 7m |
| Stephanie Roper Highway | 4 mi | 5m |
| Crain Highway | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Collington Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Evergreen Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
South East Crain Highway
— 7.4 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Dunkirk Town Center, MD and Bowie, MD.
1
Start on this road
467 ft
·
39 sec
·
this road
2
Turn left
115 ft
·
11 sec
3
Turn right
238 ft
·
17 sec
4
Merge onto MD 4
5.0 mi
·
7 min
·
Southern Maryland Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on MD 4
4.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Stephanie Roper Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
1 min
Toward US 301 North: Baltimore
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Merge onto US 301
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Crain Highway
8
Continue on US 301
7.4 mi
·
10 min
·
South East Crain Highway
Use the straight lane.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Toward MD 197 North
Use the slight left lane.
10
Turn straight onto MD 197
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Collington Road
Use the left lane.
11
Turn left onto Evergreen Parkway
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Evergreen Parkway
12
Turn right
259 ft
·
20 sec
13
Turn left
110 ft
·
8 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 18.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
MD 4 / Southern Maryland Boulevard
Merge onto MD 4 / Southern Maryland Boulevard
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
9.2 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward US 301 North: Baltimore
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward US 301 North: Baltimore
6
18.2 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward MD 197 North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward MD 197 North
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.20 one way
$6.40 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.50 | $7.01 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.74 | $7.49 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.26 | $8.52 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.8 | 0 | $2.03 | $0.93 |
| Efficient EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.69 | $0.77 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.70 | $1.24 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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 Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°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
14 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
29m 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 route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' with a highway share of only 100%, meaning you'll be navigating local roads for most of the trip. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 7.4 miles on South East Crain Highway. Expect a driving experience that involves frequent changes in direction rather than long, open stretches. The progression will likely feel like a series of neighborhood and main street drives rather than a highway cruise.
Only 1% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.4 mi on South East Crain Highway.
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 around 0.1 miles in.
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 19.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (MD 4 / Southern Maryland Boulevard): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Bowie, MD
Full guide →Founded 1882
Bowie is a suburban bedroom community of Washington, D.C. in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Top landmarks
- • Belair Mansion — mansion located in Collington, Maryland, United States of America
- • Bowie Railroad Buildings — railway building and museum in Bowie, Maryland, USA
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 29m. Total distance: 19.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m 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 7.4 miles on South East Crain Highway. 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: at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (MD 4 / Southern Maryland Boulevard): Merge point - match speed before joining. 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 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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