Origin
Kensington, MD
Morning in Kensington on Tuesday
Local time
11:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Kensington, MD to Gaithersburg, 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
23m
Distance
12.3 mi
20 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 22m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 23m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Kensington, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Gaithersburg, MD
Kristopher Hines
Trip Overview
If you are planning a quick trip from Kensington to Gaithersburg, you are looking at a short 12.3-mile journey that typically takes about 23 minutes. Because of the limited distance, this is a straightforward day trip that requires no overnight planning. You can expect to spend roughly $2 on fuel, making it a highly economical drive within the Maryland region. Since the route relies entirely on local roads, you won't have to worry about highway tolls or congestion. It is an ideal commute or errand-running path for those staying within the Northeast corridor. Ultimately, this drive is about efficiency rather than a scenic getaway, offering a practical way to connect these two Maryland communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Veirs Mill Road | 4 mi | 6m |
| East Gude Drive | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| Frederick Road | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Connecticut Avenue | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| South Frederick Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| First Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Norbeck Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Veirs Mill Road
— 4 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Kensington, MD and Gaithersburg, MD.
1
Start on MD 185
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Connecticut Avenue
2
Keep slight left at fork onto MD 185
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Connecticut Avenue
Use the left lane.
3
Turn left onto MD 586
4.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Veirs Mill Road
Use the left lane.
4
Turn right onto MD 28
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
First Street
5
Continue on MD 28
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
Norbeck Road
6
Turn left onto East Gude Drive
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
East Gude Drive
7
Turn right onto MD 355
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Frederick Road
Use the right lane.
8
Continue on MD 355
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
South Frederick Avenue
9
Turn left
85 ft
·
6 sec
10
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 12.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.4 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue
Keep slight left at fork onto MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
4
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
MD 586 / Veirs Mill Road
Turn left onto MD 586 / Veirs Mill Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
8.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
MD 355 / Frederick Road
Turn right onto MD 355 / Frederick Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
3
12.3 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.04 one way
$4.08 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.23 | $4.47 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.39 | $4.77 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.72 | $5.43 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.29 | $0.59 |
| Efficient EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.9 | 0 | $1.72 | $0.79 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Gaithersburg, MD
Morning in Gaithersburg on Tuesday
Local time
11:13 AM
EDT
Current temp
87°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 8 to 15 mph
12% chance
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
21 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
23m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive as you navigate your way through Montgomery County. With zero percent of this trip spent on highways, you will be navigating surface streets for the entire 12.3 miles. Your time behind the wheel will be defined by steady, moderate paces rather than long-distance cruising. The longest uninterrupted stretch you will encounter is a 4-mile segment along Veirs Mill Road, which serves as the backbone of your travel. Because you are shifting between Veirs Mill Road, East Gude Drive, and Frederick Road, you should stay alert for frequent intersections and changing traffic patterns throughout the 23-minute duration.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
10 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4 mi on Veirs Mill Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 4 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue.
Driving Effort
5/10
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 12.3 miles you will encounter 4 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 (MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (MD 586 / Veirs Mill Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.8 miles (MD 355 / Frederick Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Starting in Kensington, MD
Full guide →Kensington is a suburb of Washington, D.C. in the Capital Region of Maryland with a population of about 2,100 people in 2020. The main reasons to visit are antique shopping at Antique Row, to see the enormous Mormon Temple, and one great pizza place. Aside from that, it's just a quiet suburban town with some odd quirks. Sections of the "Town of Kensington" are really beautiful, with big old Victorian homes set in a nice community by parks and Antique Row—looking much as it did when Kensington was a summer getaway from the big city.
Arriving 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 23m. Total distance: 12.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 4 miles on Veirs Mill Road. 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: at 0.4 miles (MD 185 / Connecticut Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (MD 586 / Veirs Mill Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.8 miles (MD 355 / Frederick Road): Lane positioning matters here.
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 Gaithersburg, 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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