Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 9m
Distance
46.3 mi
74 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Frederick, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Brentwood, MD
RDNE Stock project
This 46.3-mile journey from Frederick, MD to Brentwood, MD is a manageable one-day trip, taking approximately 1 hour and 9 minutes to complete. Primarily utilizing the Eisenhower Memorial Highway, I-270, and the Capital Beltway, you'll experience a mix of highway driving and more local roads. With an estimated fuel cost of $8, this drive is budget-friendly for a single day. The route stays within the Northeast region, specifically within Maryland, offering a straightforward transition between two points. Consider this a practical option when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Eisenhower Memorial Highway | 21.6 mi | 27m |
| I 270 | 9.4 mi | 12m |
| Capital Beltway | 5.8 mi | 7m |
| University Boulevard East | 2.6 mi | 5m |
| Buckeystown Pike | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Ager Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Riggs Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| 38th Street | 0.7 mi | 2m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 14 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
5 PM
~6,103 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~397 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Frederick, MD and Brentwood, MD.
Start on MD 144
Turn right onto North Market Street
Turn right onto East Church Street
Turn right onto North East Street
Enter roundabout onto East Street
Continue on East Street
Continue on MD 85
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 270
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
Merge onto I 495
Take the exit
Turn straight onto MD 193
Turn right onto MD 212
Turn left onto MD 410
Keep slight right at fork onto Ager Road
Turn left onto Hamilton Street
Turn right onto MD 208
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
23 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.
A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 23.1 miles from Frederick, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 43.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto North East Street
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 270 toward I 270 South: Silver Spring, College Park
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward MD 193 East: Langley Park
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto Ager Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$7.38 one way
$14.76 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.48 | $8.17 | $16.34 |
| premium | $4.81 | $8.76 | $17.53 |
| diesel | $4.80 | $8.74 | $17.48 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 13.9 | 0 | $4.86 | $2.22 |
| Efficient EV | 11.6 | 0 | $4.05 | $1.85 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 18.5 | 0 | $6.48 | $2.96 |
Gas CO2
16 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (69% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Frederick on Sunday
Local time
11:24 AM
EDT
Current temp
67°F
Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Brentwood on Sunday
Local time
11:24 AM
EDT
Current temp
70°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Expect a "turn-heavy local drive" for much of this 46.3-mile route, though it does incorporate some highway sections. About 20% of your drive will be on faster roads like I-270 and the Capital Beltway. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 21.6 miles on the Eisenhower Memorial Highway. This means you'll be navigating a variety of road types, transitioning between higher-speed travel and more frequent turns as you get closer to your destination.
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 0.4 miles in near North East Street.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 46.3 miles you will encounter 15 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 0.4 miles (North East Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 24.7 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.3 miles (I 270): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
437 ft
Total Descent
694 ft
Highest Point
505 ft
~16.5 mi in
Elevation Range
481 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Frederick, MD to Brentwood, MD, road signs begin pointing toward College Park along the way.
College Park
Tagged by where each one fits in your drive — first break, midpoint, final stretch.
Cafe
Near the end, short detour
Silver Spring, MD
Cuisine: coffee_shop
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the end, short detour
Silver Spring, MD
Cuisine: sandwich;pizza;italian
Hours: Mo-Sa 10:00-20:00
Visit websiteFast_food
Near the end, short detour
Silver Spring, MD
Cuisine: pizza
Hours: Mo-Th 10:00-24:00; Fr-Sa 10:00-01:00; Su...
Visit websiteRestaurant
Around the midpoint, short detour
Derwood, MD
Cuisine: seafood
Visit websiteFast_food
Near the end, short detour
Silver Spring, MD
Cuisine: sandwich
Restaurant
Around the midpoint, short detour
Rockville, MD
Cuisine: indian
Hours: Mo-Th 17:00-21:00; Fr 11:30-14:30,16:00-...
Visit websiteRestaurant
Near the end, short detour
Silver Spring, MD
Cuisine: indian
Visit websitePark
Around the midpoint, right off the route
Park
Near the start, right off the route
Park
Near the end, right off the route
Park
Near the end, right off the route
Park
Later in the drive, short detour
Rockville, MD
Visit websitePark
Near the end, right off the route
District
Near the end, right off the route
School
Later in the drive, short detour
Yes
Later in the drive, short detour
Museum
Near the start, short detour
MD
Artwork
Near the end, short detour
Artwork
Near the end, short detour
Hotel
Around the midpoint, short detour
Rockville, MD
Visit websiteHotel
Later in the drive, short detour
Bethesda, MD
Visit websitePoints of interest from OpenStreetMap contributors. Listings may not reflect current hours or availability.
Founded 1745
Frederick is a charming city of approximately 80,000 people (2020) in Maryland. It is a major antique center with many shops, eateries, galleries and antique dealers.
Top landmarks
Founded 1922
Mount Rainier is a city of 8,000 people (2019) in Prince George's County. A large area of Mount Rainier is considered a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. Mount Rainier still has many of the charms and attractive features that it had in the early 1900s. This article also covers the neighboring community of Brentwood.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 9m. Total distance: 46.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 9m 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.
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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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