Origin
Gaithersburg, MD
Late night in Gaithersburg on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Gaithersburg, MD to Gambrills, 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
54m
Distance
34.8 mi
56 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 50m
★
6 AM
0h 55m
8 AM
1h 4m
10 AM
0h 58m
12 PM
0h 57m
3 PM
0h 58m
5 PM
1h 3m
8 PM
0h 52m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Gaithersburg, MD
Kristopher Hines
Gambrills, MD
Joachim Hoholm
Trip Overview
This 34.8-mile drive from Gaithersburg, MD to Gambrills, MD takes approximately 54 minutes and is best suited as a single-day trip. You'll navigate primarily via the Intercounty Connector, Laurel Fort Meade Road, and Annapolis Road. With a projected fuel cost of $6, this is an economical short haul. Since both locations are within the Northeast region and the same state (MD), expect a familiar driving environment. This route offers a straightforward and efficient way to travel between these two Maryland communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intercounty Connector | 17.2 mi | 21m |
| Laurel Fort Meade Road | 4.4 mi | 7m |
| Annapolis Road | 3 mi | 5m |
| Baltimore Avenue | 2.6 mi | 4m |
| Patuxent Freeway | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| South Frederick Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Shady Grove Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Fort Meade Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Intercounty Connector
— 17.2 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Gaithersburg, MD and Gambrills, MD.
1
Start on this road
85 ft
·
8 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto MD 355
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
·
North Frederick Avenue
3
Continue on MD 355
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
South Frederick Avenue
4
Continue on MD 355
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
Frederick Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Turn left onto Shady Grove Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Shady Grove Road
6
Turn left
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Toward MD 200 Toll East
Use the left lane.
7
Merge onto MD 200 Toll
17 mi
·
21 min
·
Intercounty Connector
8
Keep slight left at fork onto MD 200 Toll
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
MD 200 Toll
Toward US 1 North: Laurel
Use the slight left lane.
9
Turn straight onto US 1
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Baltimore Avenue
10
Continue on US 1
465 ft
·
13 sec
·
Baltimore Street
11
Continue on US 1
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Baltimore Avenue
12
Continue on US 1
0.1 mi
·
19 sec
·
Baltimore Street
13
Turn slight right
421 ft
·
10 sec
14
Turn straight onto MD 198
344 ft
·
8 sec
·
Gorman Avenue
15
Continue on MD 198
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Fort Meade Road
16
Continue on MD 198
4.4 mi
·
7 min
·
Laurel Fort Meade Road
Use the straight lane.
17
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
Toward MD 32 East: Odenton
18
Merge onto MD 32
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Patuxent Freeway
19
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
Exit 6
Toward MD 175: Odenton, Fort Meade
Use the slight right lane.
20
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
Toward MD 175 East: Odenton
Use the slight right lane.
21
Turn straight onto MD 175
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Annapolis Road
22
Enter roundabout onto MD 175
185 ft
·
3 sec
·
Annapolis Road
23
Continue on MD 175
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Annapolis Road
24
Turn left onto Gambrills Road
475 ft
·
15 sec
·
Gambrills Road
25
Turn right onto Maple Road
0.2 mi
·
43 sec
·
Maple Road
26
Arrive at destination
Maple 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 34.8 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 17.4 miles from Gaithersburg, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 3.1 and 34.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
3.1 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Turn left toward MD 200 Toll East
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward MD 200 Toll East
7
20.8 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
MD 200 Toll
Keep slight left at fork onto MD 200 Toll toward US 1 North: Laurel
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward US 1 North: Laurel
8
31 mi into trip
|
~46m in
Take the exit toward MD 175: Odenton, Fort Meade
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 6
Toward MD 175: Odenton, Fort Meade
7
31.4 mi into trip
|
~47m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 175 East: Odenton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward MD 175 East: Odenton
5
34.6 mi into trip
|
~53m in
|
Maple Road
Turn right onto Maple Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.77 one way
$11.54 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.32 | $12.64 |
| premium | $4.93 | $6.75 | $13.50 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.68 | $15.37 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.65 | $1.67 |
| Efficient EV | 8.7 | 0 | $3.04 | $1.39 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.9 | 0 | $4.87 | $2.23 |
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
Gambrills, MD
Late night in Gambrills on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°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
7 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
54m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for much of this 54-minute journey. While 5% of the route involves highway driving, the majority is on local roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 17.2 miles on the Intercounty Connector, offering a brief period of higher-speed travel. As you transition from the Intercounty Connector to Laurel Fort Meade Road and then Annapolis Road, the character shifts to a more local, potentially busier, road experience with more frequent intersections and varying speed limits.
Only 5% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
26 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.2 mi on Intercounty Connector.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
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 3.1 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 11 decision points packed into just 34.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 54m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.8 miles (MD 200 Toll): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 31 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
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 Gaithersburg, MD to Gambrills, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Fort Meade along the way.
Fort Meade
31 mi in
|
~46m
About the Cities
Starting in Gaithersburg, MD
Full guide →Gaithersburg is a city of 70,000 people (2020) in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is a suburb of Washington, D.C.
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 54m. Total distance: 34.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
54m 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 17.2 miles on Intercounty Connector. 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 Gambrills, 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 3.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 20.8 miles (MD 200 Toll): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 31 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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 Gambrills, 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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