Origin
Mount Rainier, MD
Late night in Mount Rainier on Friday
Local time
5:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mount Rainier, MD to Essex, MD
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 4, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 4m
Distance
41.7 mi
67 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 59m
★
6 AM
1h 4m
8 AM
1h 14m
10 AM
1h 8m
12 PM
1h 7m
3 PM
1h 8m
5 PM
1h 14m
8 PM
1h 1m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mount Rainier, MD
Alex Moliski
Essex, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Mount Rainier, MD to Essex, MD covers 41.7 miles and takes about 1h 4m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Baltimore-Washington Parkway, I 95, Eastern Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 28.2 miles on Baltimore-Washington Parkway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.97 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Washington Parkway | 28.2 mi | 38m |
| I 95 | 5.6 mi | 7m |
| Eastern Avenue | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| Annapolis Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Eastern Boulevard | 1 mi | 2m |
| Bladensburg Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Bunker Hill Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| 31st Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
— 28.2 mi, about 38m
Traffic on I-95
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 20 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~6,164 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~629 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.8×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 105 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 Mount Rainier, MD and Essex, MD.
1
Start on 31st Street
0.2 mi
·
46 sec
·
31st Street
2
Turn left onto Bunker Hill Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Bunker Hill Road
3
At end of road, turn right onto MD 208
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
·
38th Street
4
Continue on MD 208
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
38th Avenue
5
Turn left onto US 1 Alternate
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Bladensburg Road
6
Continue on MD 450
0.1 mi
·
13 sec
·
Bladensburg Road
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on MD 450
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Annapolis Road
8
Turn slight left onto MD 450
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Annapolis Road
Use the slight left lane.
9
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore
Use the left lane.
10
Merge onto Baltimore-Washington Parkway
28 mi
·
38 min
·
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 North: New York
Use the slight right lane.
12
Merge onto I 95
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 59
Toward MD 150: Eastern Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork
256 ft
·
8 sec
Toward MD 150 East: Eastern Avenue, East Essex
Use the right lane.
16
Turn right onto MD 150
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Eastern Avenue
Use the straight lane.
17
Continue on MD 150
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Eastern Boulevard
18
Turn left onto North Taylor Avenue
211 ft
·
13 sec
·
North Taylor Avenue
19
Turn right
521 ft
·
38 sec
20
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 41.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 20.9 miles from Mount Rainier, 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 145 decision points cluster between mile 3.3 and 38.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
3.3 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Turn left toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward MD 295: Baltimore-Washington Internation...
6
31.6 mi into trip
|
~46m in
Take the exit toward I 95 North: New York
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 95 North: New York
6
33.7 mi into trip
|
~49m in
|
I 95
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
38 mi into trip
|
~55m in
Take the exit toward MD 150: Eastern Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 59
Toward MD 150: Eastern Avenue
9
38.2 mi into trip
|
~55m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 150 East: Eastern Avenue, East Essex
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Toward MD 150 East: Eastern Avenue, East Essex
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.97 one way
$13.94 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $7.67 | $15.34 |
| premium | $5.01 | $8.23 | $16.46 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $9.19 | $18.38 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.5 | 0 | $4.38 | $2.00 |
| Efficient EV | 10.4 | 0 | $3.65 | $1.67 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.7 | 0 | $5.84 | $2.67 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Essex, MD
Late night in Essex on Friday
Local time
5:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
72°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 cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
1h 4m 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?
41.7 mi in 1h 4m, mostly highway — 28.2 mi of that is on Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 28.2 mi on Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Baltimore-Washington Parkway and I 95. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 3.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 41.7 miles you will encounter 14 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 3.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 33.7 miles (I 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
231 ft
10 ft
Total Climb
394 ft
Total Descent
436 ft
Highest Point
231 ft
~21.2 mi in
Elevation Range
221 ft
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 Mount Rainier, MD to Essex, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Baltimore along the way.
Baltimore
3.3 mi in
|
~7m
About the Cities
Starting in Mount Rainier, MD
Full guide →Founded 1910
Mount Rainier is a city of 8,000 people (2019) in Prince George's County. A large area of Mount Rainier is considered a historic district by the National Register of Historic Places. Mount Rainier still has many of the charms and attractive features that it had in the early 1900s. This article also covers the neighboring community of Brentwood.
Arriving in Essex, MD
Full guide →Southeast Baltimore, fittingly, covers the areas in the southeast of Baltimore, ranging from industrial wastelands to charming neighborhoods both quiet and hip.
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 1h 4m. Total distance: 41.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 4m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 28.2 miles on Baltimore-Washington Parkway. 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 Essex, 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 3.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 31.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 33.7 miles (I 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Essex, 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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