Origin
Riverdale Park, MD
Morning in Riverdale Park on Tuesday
Local time
6:34 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Riverdale Park, MD to Gaithersburg, 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
40m
Distance
23.9 mi
38 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
7 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Riverdale Park, MD
JINISH RAJAGOPAL
Gaithersburg, MD
Kristopher Hines
Trip Overview
Riverdale Park, MD to Gaithersburg, MD is 23.9 miles and takes about 40m via Intercounty Connector, New Hampshire Avenue, Adelphi Road, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Maryland's Northeast region, offering a practical connection between these two communities. Expect a drive with several turns, characteristic of local transit rather than a direct interstate haul. It's a convenient route for local errands or a quick hop between areas, making it ideal for a single-day excursion without much planning.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Intercounty Connector | 10.4 mi | 13m |
| New Hampshire Avenue | 5.7 mi | 10m |
| Adelphi Road | 3.7 mi | 8m |
| South Frederick Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| East-West Highway | 1 mi | 2m |
| I 370 | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Frederick Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 49th Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Intercounty Connector
— 10.4 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Riverdale Park, MD and Gaithersburg, MD.
1
Start on Ravenswood Road
236 ft
·
11 sec
·
Ravenswood Road
2
Turn right onto 49th Avenue
268 ft
·
14 sec
·
49th Avenue
3
Turn right onto MD 410
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
East-West Highway
4
Turn right onto Adelphi Road
3.7 mi
·
8 min
·
Adelphi Road
Use the right lane.
5
Turn right onto MD 650
5.7 mi
·
10 min
·
New Hampshire Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
7
Merge onto MD 200 Toll
4.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Intercounty Connector
8
Continue on MD 200 Toll
6.2 mi
·
7 min
·
Intercounty Connector
Exit 8A
9
Continue on I 370
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
I 370
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Exit 2
Toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
Use the slight right lane.
11
Turn right onto MD 355
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Frederick Road
12
Continue on MD 355
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
South Frederick Avenue
13
Turn left
85 ft
·
6 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 21.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
49th Avenue
Turn right onto 49th Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
MD 410 / East-West Highway
Turn right onto MD 410 / East-West Highway
Navigation decision point
5
1.1 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Adelphi Road
Turn right onto Adelphi Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
4.8 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Turn right onto MD 650 / New Hampshire Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21.7 mi into trip
|
~35m in
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
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 2
Toward MD 355: Rockville, Gaithersburg
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.96 one way
$7.92 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.34 | $8.68 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.64 | $9.27 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.28 | $10.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.51 | $1.15 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.09 | $0.96 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.35 | $1.53 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Gaithersburg, MD
Morning in Gaithersburg on Tuesday
Local time
6:34 AM
EDT
Current temp
92°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 13 mph
3% chance
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
24 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
40m on the road
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.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' meaning you'll encounter frequent intersections and changes in direction. With a highway share of just 2, most of your journey will be on local roads, punctuated by a longer stretch of 10.4 miles on the Intercounty Connector. The drive will likely feel more like navigating through neighborhoods and towns rather than cruising on a freeway. You'll experience a dynamic road personality, shifting from potentially busier local arteries to the slightly more direct Intercounty Connector.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.4 mi on Intercounty Connector.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near 49th Avenue.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 40m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (49th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (MD 410 / East-West Highway): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Adelphi Road): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Gaithersburg, MD
Full guide →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).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 23.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (2%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.4 miles on Intercounty Connector. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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: near the start (49th Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (MD 410 / East-West Highway): Navigation decision point; at 1.1 miles (Adelphi Road): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park, Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail and Monocacy National Battlefield. 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 Gaithersburg, 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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