Origin
New Carrollton, MD
Night in New Carrollton on Saturday
Local time
10:53 PM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from New Carrollton, MD to Essex, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
58m
Distance
36.7 mi
59 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 53m
★
6 AM
0h 58m
8 AM
1h 8m
10 AM
1h 2m
12 PM
1h 1m
3 PM
1h 2m
5 PM
1h 7m
8 PM
0h 55m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
New Carrollton, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Spanning 36.9 miles between New Carrollton and Essex, this Maryland journey is a straightforward trip that typically takes about 48 minutes to complete. Because the route is short and efficient, it works perfectly as a quick day trip rather than an overnight excursion. You can expect to spend roughly $6 on fuel for the entire drive, making it a budget-friendly option for your schedule. Navigating through the Northeast region, you will rely primarily on local roads rather than major interstates. It is a practical, no-nonsense path that gets you from one suburban area to another without the need for extensive travel planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore-Washington Parkway | 23.7 mi | 32m |
| I 95 | 5.6 mi | 7m |
| Eastern Avenue | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| Hanover Parkway | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| Eastern Boulevard | 1 mi | 2m |
| Good Luck Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Lamont Drive | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Greenbelt Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
— 23.7 mi, about 32m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between New Carrollton, MD and Essex, MD.
1
Start on Carrollton Parkway
108 ft
·
8 sec
·
Carrollton Parkway
2
Turn right onto Lamont Drive
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Lamont Drive
3
Turn right onto Good Luck Road
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Good Luck Road
4
Turn left onto Hanover Parkway
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Hanover Parkway
Use the left lane.
5
Enter roundabout onto Hanover Parkway
56 ft
·
1 sec
·
Hanover Parkway
6
Continue on Hanover Parkway
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
Hanover Parkway
7
Enter roundabout onto Hanover Parkway
58 ft
·
1 sec
·
Hanover Parkway
8
Continue on Hanover Parkway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Hanover Parkway
9
Turn left onto MD 193
475 ft
·
19 sec
·
Greenbelt Road
Use the left lane.
10
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
Toward MD 295 North: Baltimore-Washington Parkway North
Use the right lane.
11
Merge onto Baltimore-Washington Parkway
24 mi
·
32 min
·
Baltimore-Washington Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 95 North: New York
Use the slight right lane.
13
Merge onto I 95
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95
4.3 mi
·
5 min
·
I 95
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
Exit 59
Toward MD 150: Eastern Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight right at fork
256 ft
·
8 sec
Toward MD 150 East: Eastern Avenue, East Essex
Use the right lane.
17
Turn right onto MD 150
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Eastern Avenue
Use the straight lane.
18
Continue on MD 150
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Eastern Boulevard
19
Turn left onto North Taylor Avenue
211 ft
·
13 sec
·
North Taylor Avenue
20
Turn right
521 ft
·
38 sec
21
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
18 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 36.7 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 18.4 miles from New Carrollton, 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 165 decision points cluster between mile 2.8 and 33.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
2.8 mi into trip
|
~7m in
Take the ramp toward MD 295 North: Baltimore-Washington Parkway North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward MD 295 North: Baltimore-Washington Parkw...
6
26.7 mi into trip
|
~40m 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
28.7 mi into trip
|
~43m 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
33 mi into trip
|
~49m 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
33.3 mi into trip
|
~49m 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
$6.08 one way
$12.17 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
13 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.66 | $13.33 |
| premium | $4.93 | $7.12 | $14.23 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.10 | $16.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 12.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11 | 0 | $3.85 | $1.76 |
| Efficient EV | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 14.7 | 0 | $5.14 | $2.35 |
Gas CO2
13 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (69% 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
Night in Essex on Saturday
Local time
10:53 PM
EDT
Current temp
74°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
3 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
58m 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 driving experience that keeps you engaged behind the wheel. Unlike a monotonous highway cruise, this 36.9-mile route features a 0% highway share, meaning you will be navigating surface streets for the duration of the trip. You will spend your time winding through Lamont Drive, Good Luck Road, and Hanover Parkway as you transition between communities. Because there are no long, uninterrupted stretches of road, the drive requires your full attention to manage the frequent turns. It is a technical, low-speed environment that feels very different from the typical interstate commute.
83% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 23.7 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 2.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 36.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 58m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 26.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.7 miles (I 95): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
248 ft
8 ft
Total Climb
423 ft
Total Descent
463 ft
Highest Point
248 ft
~15.7 mi in
Elevation Range
240 ft
About the Cities
Starting in New Carrollton, MD
Full guide →New Carrollton is in Maryland.
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 58m. Total distance: 36.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
58m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (83%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 23.7 miles on Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 3 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 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 2.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 26.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 28.7 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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