Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 25m
Distance
65.3 mi
105 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$11
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Pleasant Hills, MD
Styves Exantus
Gaithersburg, MD
Kristopher Hines
This 65.3-mile drive from Pleasant Hills to Gaithersburg, Maryland, will take you about 1 hour and 25 minutes. It's a straightforward day trip, perfect for a single outing. You'll primarily navigate via the Intercounty Connector, I-95, and the Harbor Tunnel Thruway, with about 22% of the journey on highways. Expect to spend around $11 on fuel. The route offers a practical, turn-heavy local feel, making it easy to manage without needing an overnight stay. Since both your origin and destination are in the Northeast region of Maryland, you'll remain within familiar territory.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intercounty Connector | 15.7 mi | 19m |
| I 95 | 13.6 mi | 15m |
| Harbor Tunnel Thruway | 12 mi | 15m |
| Express Toll Lanes | 7.7 mi | 9m |
| John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway | 5.8 mi | 6m |
| Mountain Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| South Frederick Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Baltimore Harbor Tunnel | 1.4 mi | 2m |
Step-by-step road directions between Pleasant Hills, MD and Gaithersburg, MD.
Start on Pleasant Hills Road
Turn right onto Reckord Road
Turn right onto MD 152
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 95
Keep slight left at fork onto Express Toll Lanes
Keep slight left at fork onto Express Toll Lanes
Merge onto I 895
Continue on I 895
Continue on I 895
Continue on I 895
Keep slight left at fork onto I 895
Continue on I 895
Merge onto I 95
Take the exit
Merge onto MD 200 Toll
Continue on MD 200 Toll
Continue on I 370
Take the exit
Turn right onto MD 355
Continue on MD 355
Turn left
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
33 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.
A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 32.6 miles from Pleasant Hills, 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 10.3 and 63.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Keep slight left at fork onto Express Toll Lanes
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto Express Toll Lanes
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 895 / Harbor Tunnel Throughway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MD 200 Toll West
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$10.83 one way
$21.65 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $11.86 | $23.71 |
| premium | $4.93 | $12.66 | $25.33 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $14.42 | $28.83 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.84
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$11
Tolls
$1
Total
$12
Estimated CO2 emission: 22.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $7 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 19.6 | 0 | $6.86 | $3.13 |
| Efficient EV | 16.3 | 0 | $5.71 | $2.61 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 26.1 | 0 | $9.14 | $4.18 |
Gas CO2
23 kg
EV CO2
8 kg (65% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Pleasant Hills on Tuesday
Local time
8:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Gaithersburg on Tuesday
Local time
8:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
This route presents a turn-heavy local drive, meaning you'll encounter frequent turns and transitions rather than long, uninterrupted highway stretches. While 22% of the drive is on highways, the majority involves navigating local roads. The longest continuous segment you'll experience is 15.7 miles on the Intercounty Connector. This road character suggests a drive where you'll be actively engaged with navigation, making it feel more like a series of connected local journeys rather than a simple point-to-point highway cruise.
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 10.3 miles in near Express Toll Lanes.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 65.3 miles you will encounter 13 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 10.3 miles (Express Toll Lanes): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 16.8 miles (Express Toll Lanes): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 25.9 miles (I 895 / Harbor Tunnel Throughway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 25m. Total distance: 65.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 25m 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.
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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