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Trip from Hillandale, MD to Bethesda, MD

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Oct 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

17m

Distance

9.5 mi

15 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 16m ★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 17m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
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Downtown Hillandale, MD, MD

Hillandale, MD

RDNE Stock project

unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland, United States

Bethesda, MD

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Hillandale, MD to Bethesda, MD covers 9.5 miles and takes about 17m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Capital Beltway, Jones Bridge Road, Wisconsin Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.2 miles on Capital Beltway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.55 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Capital Beltway 5.2 mi 6m
Jones Bridge Road 1.1 mi 2m
Wisconsin Avenue 0.6 mi 1m
Connecticut Avenue 0.5 mi <1m
Overlook Drive 0.3 mi 1m
Arlington Road 0.3 mi <1m
New Hampshire Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
Edgemoor Lane 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Capital Beltway — 5.2 mi, about 6m

Traffic on I-495

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 14 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

3 PM

~6,323 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~550 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

11.5×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 33 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Hillandale, MD and Bethesda, MD.

1

Start on this road

175 ft · 13 sec · this road
2

Turn right onto Overlook Drive

0.3 mi · 1 min · Overlook Drive
3

Turn left onto MD 650

0.3 mi · 38 sec · New Hampshire Avenue
4

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring
5

Merge onto I 495

5.2 mi · 6 min · Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 54 sec
Exit 33 Toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork

246 ft · 8 sec
Toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South, Chevy Chase Use the left lane.
8

Turn left onto MD 185

0.5 mi · 50 sec · Connecticut Avenue
Use the right lane.
9

Turn right onto Jones Bridge Road

1.1 mi · 2 min · Jones Bridge Road
Use the right lane.
10

Turn left onto MD 355

0.1 mi · 25 sec · Rockville Pike
Use the left / straight lanes.
11

Continue on MD 355

0.6 mi · 1 min · Wisconsin Avenue
12

Turn right onto Commerce Lane

340 ft · 17 sec · Commerce Lane
13

Continue on Edgemoor Lane

0.2 mi · 41 sec · Edgemoor Lane
14

Turn left onto Arlington Road

0.3 mi · 55 sec · Arlington Road
15

Turn right onto Bethesda Avenue

510 ft · 22 sec · Bethesda Avenue
16

Turn left

44 ft · 3 sec
17

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.6 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the ramp toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Spring

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 495 West: Northern Virginia, Silver Sp...
5
0.8 mi into trip | ~2m in | I 495 / Capital Beltway

Merge onto I 495 / Capital Beltway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
6.1 mi into trip | ~9m in

Take the exit toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 33 Toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase
8
6.5 mi into trip | ~10m in

Keep slight left at fork toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South, Chevy Chase

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left lane. Toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South,...
6
7 mi into trip | ~11m in | Jones Bridge Road

Turn right onto Jones Bridge Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.55 one way

$3.11 round trip

$4.16/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.76 $1.78 $3.56
premium $5.07 $1.90 $3.79
diesel $6.34 $2.37 $4.74

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.3 kg one way.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.9 0 $1.00 $0.46
Efficient EV 2.4 0 $0.83 $0.38
EV Truck/SUV 3.8 0 $1.33 $0.61

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Oct 16, 2026

Origin

Hillandale, MD

Morning in Hillandale on Saturday

Local time

11:44 AM

EDT

Current temp

48°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

NW 14 mph 84% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued October 16 at 6:57PM EDT until October 16 at 10:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued October 16 at 6:16PM EDT by NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC

Destination

Bethesda, MD

Morning in Bethesda on Saturday

Local time

11:44 AM

EDT

Current temp

47°F

Showers And Thunderstorms

NW 14 mph 84% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued October 16 at 6:57PM EDT until October 16 at 10:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Special Weather Statement

Special Weather Statement issued October 16 at 6:16PM EDT by NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC

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

1 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

17m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

9.5 mi in 17m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.2 mi on Capital Beltway.

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 0.6 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 13 decision points packed into just 9.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 17m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.8 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

353 ft 224 ft

Total Climb

221 ft

Total Descent

174 ft

Highest Point

353 ft

~8.9 mi in

Elevation Range

129 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Hillandale, MD and Bethesda, MD, road signs point toward Silver Spring and Chevy Chase.

Silver Spring

0.6 mi in | ~1m

Chevy Chase

6.1 mi in | ~9m

About the Cities

Starting in Hillandale, MD

Full guide →

Arriving in Bethesda, MD

Full guide →

Bethesda is in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1½ miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Wealthy and well-educated, Bethesda is best known for its numerous restaurants and as the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health.

Top landmarks

  • • Robert Llewellyn Wright House — historic house in Bethesda, Maryland

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 17m. Total distance: 9.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

17m 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 5.2 miles on Capital Beltway. 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 Bethesda, 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 0.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.8 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.1 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 Bethesda, 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, 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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