Origin
Maryland City, MD
Morning in Maryland City on Sunday
Local time
10:40 AM
EDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Maryland City, MD to Columbia, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
15 mi
24 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Maryland City, MD
Styves Exantus
Columbia, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to travel from Maryland City to Columbia, you are in for a quick, efficient 15-mile transit across the Northeast region. This trip typically takes about 27 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day journey that doesn't require any overnight stops. With a very modest estimated fuel cost of just $2, it is an incredibly budget-friendly commute. You will navigate via Washington Boulevard, MD 100, and Waterloo Road to reach your destination. Because the entire route stays within Maryland, you can expect a familiar, straightforward driving experience that is ideal for those who prefer short, low-stress trips over long-haul excursions.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Boulevard | 4.6 mi | 7m |
| MD 100 | 3 mi | 4m |
| Waterloo Road | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Rouse Parkway | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Whiskey Bottom Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Brock Bridge Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Columbia Pike | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Old Line Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Washington Boulevard
— 4.6 mi, about 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Maryland City, MD and Columbia, MD.
1
Start on Vale Summit South
458 ft
·
25 sec
·
Vale Summit South
2
Turn left onto Wye Mills South
0.2 mi
·
39 sec
·
Wye Mills South
3
At end of road, turn right onto Park Hall South
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Park Hall South
4
Turn right onto Old Line Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Old Line Avenue
5
Continue on Laureldale Drive
479 ft
·
30 sec
·
Laureldale Drive
6
Turn left onto MD 198
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Laurel Fort Meade Road
7
Turn right onto Brock Bridge Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Brock Bridge Road
8
Turn left onto Whiskey Bottom Road
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Whiskey Bottom Road
9
Turn right onto US 1
4.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Washington Boulevard
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto MD 175
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Rouse Parkway
11
Turn right onto MD 108
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
Waterloo Road
Use the straight lane.
12
Turn right onto Snowden River Parkway
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
Snowden River Parkway
13
Enter roundabout
168 ft
·
2 sec
Toward MD 100 West: Ellicott City
14
Continue
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward MD 100 West: Ellicott City
15
Merge onto MD 100
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
MD 100
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight left at fork
0.6 mi
·
47 sec
Toward US 29 South: Washington
Use the slight left lane.
17
Merge onto US 29
0.5 mi
·
30 sec
·
Columbia Pike
18
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 21B
Toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Search, Harper's Choice
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
19
Arrive at destination
Exit 21B
Toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Search, Harper's Choice
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 14.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Park Hall South
At end of road, turn right onto Park Hall South
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
6
2.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
US 1 / Washington Boulevard
Turn right onto US 1 / Washington Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
7
10.3 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Enter roundabout toward MD 100 West: Ellicott City
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Toward MD 100 West: Ellicott City
7
13.5 mi into trip
|
~25m in
Keep slight left at fork toward US 29 South: Washington
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward US 29 South: Washington
8
14.6 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Take the exit toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Search, Harper's Choice
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 21B
Toward MD 108 West: Clarksville, Dorsey's Searc...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.49 one way
$4.97 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.72 | $5.45 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.91 | $5.82 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.31 | $6.62 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
| Efficient EV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.31 | $0.60 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6 | 0 | $2.10 | $0.96 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Columbia, MD
Morning in Columbia on Sunday
Local time
10:40 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°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
1 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
27m 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 that keeps you engaged rather than lulled into a monotonous highway trance. With only 29% of the journey spent on highways, the experience feels much more grounded in local infrastructure than a typical interstate trek. Your longest uninterrupted stretch is 4.6 miles along Washington Boulevard, which serves as the primary backbone of your trip before you transition onto other local roads. You will find that the route shifts between distinct road types, requiring you to remain alert for turns as you navigate the transition from Maryland City toward Columbia.
Only 29% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 4.6 mi on Washington Boulevard.
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 0.2 miles in near Park Hall South.
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 16 decision points packed into just 15 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Park Hall South): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.3 miles (US 1 / Washington Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.3 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
509 ft
144 ft
Total Climb
612 ft
Total Descent
408 ft
Highest Point
509 ft
~11.8 mi in
Elevation Range
365 ft
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 27m. Total distance: 15 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m 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 4.6 miles on Washington Boulevard. 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 Columbia, 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 (Park Hall South): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 2.3 miles (US 1 / Washington Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.3 miles: Roundabout - know your exit number before entering.
Yes — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park. 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 Columbia, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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