Origin
Riverside, MD
Late night in Riverside on Sunday
Local time
1:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Riverside, MD to Bethesda, MD
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
34m
Distance
20.5 mi
33 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 32m
★
6 AM
0h 35m
8 AM
0h 41m
10 AM
0h 37m
12 PM
0h 36m
3 PM
0h 37m
5 PM
0h 41m
8 PM
0h 33m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Riverside, MD
Sjuan Dogjani
Bethesda, MD
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Embarking on this 20.5-mile journey from Riverside, MD, to Bethesda, MD, is a straightforward, local drive that should take around 34 minutes. With a minimal fuel cost estimated at $3, it's an easy option for a single-day trip within the Northeast region. The route is characterized by frequent turns rather than long stretches of highway, making it a more engaging drive. You'll primarily navigate Columbia Pike and Jones Bridge Road, with a brief segment on the Capital Beltway. This short distance and low cost make it a convenient option for a quick local excursion, no overnight stay required.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Columbia Pike | 12.2 mi | 17m |
| Capital Beltway | 3 mi | 4m |
| Jones Bridge Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Colesville Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Wisconsin Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Connecticut Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Rivers Edge Road | 0.3 mi | 1m |
| Arlington Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Columbia Pike
— 12.2 mi, about 17m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Riverside, MD and Bethesda, MD.
1
Start on Rivers View Court
390 ft
·
19 sec
·
Rivers View Court
2
Turn right onto Rivers Edge Road
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Rivers Edge Road
3
Take the ramp
362 ft
·
10 sec
4
Merge onto US 29
12 mi
·
17 min
·
Columbia Pike
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on US 29
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Colesville Road
6
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
Toward I 495 West: Bethesda, Northern Virginia
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto I 495
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
54 sec
Exit 33
Toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork
246 ft
·
8 sec
Toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South, Chevy Chase
Use the left lane.
10
Turn left onto MD 185
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Connecticut Avenue
Use the right lane.
11
Turn right onto Jones Bridge Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Jones Bridge Road
Use the right lane.
12
Turn left onto MD 355
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
·
Rockville Pike
Use the left / straight lanes.
13
Continue on MD 355
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Wisconsin Avenue
14
Turn right onto Commerce Lane
340 ft
·
17 sec
·
Commerce Lane
15
Continue on Edgemoor Lane
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
Edgemoor Lane
16
Turn left onto Arlington Road
0.3 mi
·
55 sec
·
Arlington Road
17
Turn right onto Bethesda Avenue
510 ft
·
22 sec
·
Bethesda Avenue
18
Turn left
44 ft
·
3 sec
19
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 17.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.5 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 29 / Columbia Pike
Merge onto US 29 / Columbia Pike
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
13.7 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward I 495 West: Bethesda, Northern Virginia
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward I 495 West: Bethesda, Northern Virginia
8
17 mi into trip
|
~26m in
Take the exit toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 33
Toward MD 185: Kensington, Chevy Chase
8
17.4 mi into trip
|
~27m in
Keep slight left at fork toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South, Chevy Chase
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left lane.
Toward MD 185 South: Connecticut Avenue South,...
6
17.9 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
Jones Bridge Road
Turn right onto Jones Bridge Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.40 one way
$6.80 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.72 | $7.44 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.98 | $7.95 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.53 | $9.05 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.15 | $0.98 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.79 | $0.82 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.2 | 0 | $2.87 | $1.31 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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
Bethesda, MD
Late night in Bethesda on Sunday
Local time
1:59 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
34m 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 the majority of this 20.5-mile trip. With a highway share of 0%, you'll be on surface streets for the entire duration. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 12.2 miles along Columbia Pike. This suggests a route that winds through local communities, requiring your attention for navigation and speed adjustments as you encounter various intersections. The road character will likely shift as you move from one local road to another, offering a dynamic driving experience without the monotony of sustained highway travel.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.2 mi on Columbia Pike.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 0.5 miles in near US 29 / Columbia Pike.
Driving Effort
8/10
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 20.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 34m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles (US 29 / Columbia Pike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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.
Between Riverside, MD and Bethesda, MD, road signs point toward Northern Virginia and Chevy Chase.
Northern Virginia
13.7 mi in
|
~21m
Chevy Chase
17 mi in
|
~26m
About the Cities
Arriving in Bethesda, MD
Full guide →Bethesda is in Montgomery County, Maryland, 1½ miles northwest of Washington, D.C. Wealthy and well-educated, Bethesda is best known for its numerous restaurants and as the headquarters of the National Institutes of Health.
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 34m. Total distance: 20.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
34m 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 12.2 miles on Columbia Pike. 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 Bethesda, 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 0.5 miles (US 29 / Columbia Pike): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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 Bethesda, 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.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Bethesda, MD
More trips to Bethesda, MD
Explore more options from Riverside, MD or browse trips ending in Bethesda, MD.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse MD road trips.