Origin
Riverdale Park, MD
Late night in Riverdale Park on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Riverdale Park, MD to Bowie, 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
21m
Distance
12.6 mi
20 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Fair
4 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 19m
★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Riverdale Park, MD
JINISH RAJAGOPAL
Bowie, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 12.6-mile drive from Riverdale Park, MD to Bowie, MD is a straightforward local journey, estimated to take about 21 minutes. It's perfectly suited as a day trip, requiring no overnight stays. You'll navigate using a mix of local roads and some highway, with a relatively low fuel cost estimated at $2. The route stays within the Northeast region, specifically in Maryland. Given its short distance and duration, this trip offers a convenient way to travel between these two Maryland locales without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| John Hanson Highway | 7 mi | 8m |
| Veterans Parkway | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Riverdale Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Collington Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| East-West Highway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Evergreen Parkway | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 49th Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Ravenswood Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
John Hanson Highway
— 7 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Riverdale Park, MD and Bowie, MD.
1
Start on Ravenswood Road
236 ft
·
11 sec
·
Ravenswood Road
2
Turn right onto 49th Avenue
352 ft
·
19 sec
·
49th Avenue
3
Turn left onto MD 410
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East-West Highway
4
Continue on MD 410
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Riverdale Road
Use the straight lane.
5
Turn right
388 ft
·
34 sec
6
Turn left onto Riverdale Road
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Riverdale Road
Use the left lane.
7
Turn left onto Veterans Parkway
1.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Veterans Parkway
Use the left lane.
8
Turn left
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward US 50 East: Annapolis
9
Merge onto US 50
7.0 mi
·
8 min
·
John Hanson Highway
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 11
Toward MD 197: Bowie
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight right at fork
273 ft
·
6 sec
Toward MD 197
Use the left / right lanes.
12
Turn straight onto MD 197
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Collington Road
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto Evergreen Parkway
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Evergreen Parkway
14
Turn right
259 ft
·
20 sec
15
Turn left
110 ft
·
8 sec
16
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 11.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
2 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Riverdale Road
Turn left onto Riverdale Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
2.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Veterans Parkway
Turn left onto Veterans Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
3.9 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Turn left toward US 50 East: Annapolis
Navigation decision point
Toward US 50 East: Annapolis
7
11.1 mi into trip
|
~17m in
Take the exit toward MD 197: Bowie
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11
Toward MD 197: Bowie
7
11.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Keep slight right at fork toward MD 197
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward MD 197
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.09 one way
$4.18 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.29 | $4.58 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.44 | $4.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.78 | $5.56 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 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 | 3.8 | 0 | $1.32 | $0.60 |
| Efficient EV | 3.2 | 0 | $1.10 | $0.50 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5 | 0 | $1.76 | $0.81 |
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
Bowie, MD
Late night in Bowie on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°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
21m 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 for this trip, with only 16% of the journey on highways. You'll spend most of your time on roads like Riverdale Road, Veterans Parkway, and John Hanson Highway. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 7 miles on John Hanson Highway, offering a brief period of faster travel before returning to more frequent turns and local intersections. This route isn't about wide-open vistas; it's a practical, efficient connection between neighborhoods and towns.
Only 16% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7 mi on John Hanson Highway.
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 2 miles in near Riverdale Road.
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 13 decision points packed into just 12.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 21m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles (Riverdale Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (Veterans Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.9 miles: Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Bowie, MD
Full guide →Founded 1882
Bowie is a suburban bedroom community of Washington, D.C. in Prince George's County, Maryland.
Top landmarks
- • Belair Mansion — mansion located in Collington, Maryland, United States of America
- • Bowie Railroad Buildings — railway building and museum in Bowie, Maryland, USA
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 21m. Total distance: 12.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m 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 7 miles on John Hanson Highway. 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 Bowie, 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 miles (Riverdale Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (Veterans Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.9 miles: Navigation decision point.
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 Bowie, 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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