Origin
Highfield-Cascade, MD
Afternoon in Highfield-Cascade on Sunday
Local time
3:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Highfield-Cascade, MD to Frederick, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
25.5 mi
41 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Highfield-Cascade, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Frederick, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Highfield-Cascade, MD to Frederick, MD covers 25.5 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Catoctin Mountain Highway, Sabillasville Road, West 7th Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 14.2 miles on Catoctin Mountain Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.23 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Catoctin Mountain Highway | 14.2 mi | 19m |
| Sabillasville Road | 7.6 mi | 13m |
| West 7th Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Frederick Freeway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Maxwell Avenue | 0.6 mi | 2m |
| Military Road | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Cascade Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Highfield Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Catoctin Mountain Highway
— 14.2 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Highfield-Cascade, MD and Frederick, MD.
1
Start on Cascade Road
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Cascade Road
2
Turn right onto Highfield Road
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
Highfield Road
3
Turn left onto MD 550
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
Military Road
4
Continue on MD 550
7.6 mi
·
13 min
·
Sabillasville Road
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward US 15 South: Frederick
6
Merge onto US 15
14 mi
·
19 min
·
Catoctin Mountain Highway
Use the right lane.
7
Continue on US 15
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Frederick Freeway
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 15
Toward 7th Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
134 ft
·
8 sec
Toward Frederick
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn left onto West 7th Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
West 7th Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Turn right onto Maxwell Avenue
0.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Maxwell Avenue
12
Turn right onto MD 144
418 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Patrick Street
13
Arrive at destination
MD 144
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 24 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Highfield Road
Turn right onto Highfield Road
Navigation decision point
5
8.7 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
US 15 / Catoctin Mountain Highway
Merge onto US 15 / Catoctin Mountain Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
23.8 mi into trip
|
~36m in
Take the exit toward 7th Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 15
Toward 7th Street
8
24 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Frederick
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Frederick
6
24 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
West 7th Street
Turn left onto West 7th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.23 one way
$8.46 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.63 | $9.26 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.95 | $9.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.63 | $11.26 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| Efficient EV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.23 | $1.02 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.57 | $1.63 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Frederick, MD
Afternoon in Frederick on Sunday
Local time
3:17 PM
EDT
Current temp
67°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
41m 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?
25.5 mi in 41m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.
Only 3% 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: 14.2 mi on Catoctin Mountain Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Highfield Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 25.5 miles you will encounter 9 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 0.2 miles (Highfield Road): Navigation decision point; at 8.7 miles (US 15 / Catoctin Mountain Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving 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 41m. Total distance: 25.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 14.2 miles on Catoctin Mountain Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 2 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Frederick, 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 0.2 miles (Highfield Road): Navigation decision point; at 8.7 miles (US 15 / Catoctin Mountain Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 23.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Frederick, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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