Origin
Frederick, MD
Late night in Frederick on Tuesday
Local time
5:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Frederick, MD to Thurmont, 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
25m
Distance
15.8 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 30m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Frederick, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Thurmont, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Frederick, MD to Thurmont, MD is 15.8 miles and takes about 25m via Catoctin Mountain Highway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Maryland, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a local drive with a lot of turns, making it feel more like navigating through towns than a typical highway journey. Given its brief length, this route is perfect for a quick excursion or an add-on to a larger trip in the area, offering a straightforward connection between these two nearby communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Catoctin Mountain Highway | 11.8 mi | 16m |
| Catoctin Furnace Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Market Street | 0.8 mi | 2m |
| Frederick Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Motter Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Frederick Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Blue Mountain Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| West 9th Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Catoctin Mountain Highway
— 11.8 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Frederick, MD and Thurmont, MD.
1
Start on MD 144
122 ft
·
7 sec
·
East Patrick Street
2
Turn right onto North Market Street
0.8 mi
·
2 min
·
North Market Street
3
Turn left onto West 9th Street
0.1 mi
·
17 sec
·
West 9th Street
4
Turn right onto Motter Avenue
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
Motter Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
38 sec
Toward US 15 North
6
Merge onto US 15
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Frederick Freeway
7
Continue on US 15
12 mi
·
16 min
·
Catoctin Mountain Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Turn right onto Blue Mountain Road
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Blue Mountain Road
9
Turn left onto MD 806
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Catoctin Furnace Road
10
Continue on MD 806
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Frederick Road
11
At end of road, turn left onto Water Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
Water Street
12
Turn right onto MD 77; MD 550
202 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Main Street
13
Arrive at destination
MD 77; MD 550
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
North Market Street
Turn right onto North Market Street
Navigation decision point
4
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
West 9th Street
Turn left onto West 9th Street
Navigation decision point
6
1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
Motter Avenue
Turn right onto Motter Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
14 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
Blue Mountain Road
Turn right onto Blue Mountain Road
Navigation decision point
5
15.8 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
MD 77; MD 550 / East Main Street
Turn right onto MD 77; MD 550 / East Main Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.62 one way
$5.24 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.87 | $5.74 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.06 | $6.13 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.49 | $6.98 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.66 | $0.76 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.38 | $0.63 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.3 | 0 | $2.21 | $1.01 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Thurmont, MD
Late night in Thurmont on Tuesday
Local time
5:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
2 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
25m 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 is a turn-heavy local drive, meaning you'll be navigating a series of turns rather than cruising on a straight highway. With only a 20% highway share, expect to spend most of your time on local roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.8 miles on Catoctin Mountain Highway. As you drive, the route will feel like a series of connected local roads, potentially winding through different community settings rather than a continuous high-speed journey.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.8 mi on Catoctin Mountain Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near North Market Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 25m drive. You will face about 9 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (North Market Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (West 9th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Motter Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Frederick, MD
Full guide →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.
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 25m. Total distance: 15.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (2%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.8 miles on Catoctin Mountain Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 (North Market Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.8 miles (West 9th Street): Navigation decision point; at 1 miles (Motter Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Monocacy National Battlefield, Antietam National Battlefield and Harpers Ferry National Historical Park (5 total within detour distance). 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 Thurmont, 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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