Silver Spring, MD to Calverton, MD is 8.6 miles and takes about 17 minutes via Powder Mill Road and Capital Beltway, with a fuel budget near $1 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within Maryland's Northeast region, primarily utilizing surface roads. It's a quick hop perfect for a brief excursion or a simple commute. Given the minimal distance and time commitment, this route offers a lot of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Powder Mill Road
2.9 mi
5m
Capital Beltway
2 mi
2m
Colesville Road
1.4 mi
3m
Beltsville Drive
0.4 mi
1m
Georgia Avenue
0.4 mi
<1m
New Hampshire Avenue
0.3 mi
<1m
Lakehouse Road
0.2 mi
<1m
Twinlakes Drive
0.2 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Powder Mill Road
— 2.9 mi, about 5m
Traffic on I-495
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 14 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~6,323 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~550 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 33 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Silver Spring, MD and Calverton, MD.
1
Start on this road
85 ft·8 sec·this road
2
Turn right
200 ft·14 sec
3
Merge onto US 29
0.4 mi·39 sec·Georgia Avenue
4
Turn right onto US 29
1.4 mi·3 min·Colesville Road
Use the right lane.
5
Take the exit
0.3 mi·36 sec
Toward I 495 East: College Park
6
Merge onto I 495
2.0 mi·2 min·Capital Beltway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.3 mi·35 sec
Exit 28AToward MD 650 North: White OakUse the right lane.
8
Turn straight onto MD 650
0.3 mi·38 sec·New Hampshire Avenue
9
Turn right onto Powder Mill Road
0.7 mi·1 min·Powder Mill Road
10
At end of road, turn left onto MD 212
2.2 mi·4 min·Powder Mill Road
11
Turn left onto Beltsville Drive
0.4 mi·1 min·Beltsville Drive
12
Turn left onto Twinlakes Drive
0.2 mi·37 sec·Twinlakes Drive
13
Continue on Lakehouse Road
0.2 mi·41 sec·Lakehouse Road
14
At end of road, turn left onto Beltsville Road
161 ft·8 sec·Beltsville Road
15
Turn right onto Bellevue Street
301 ft·14 sec·Bellevue Street
16
Turn right onto Ingleside Drive
354 ft·17 sec·Ingleside Drive
17
Turn right onto Fullerton Street
0.1 mi·35 sec·Fullerton Street
18
Turn left onto Key Street
314 ft·17 sec·Key Street
19
Turn left onto Dunnington Road
122 ft·5 sec·Dunnington Road
20
Arrive at destination
Dunnington Road
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 15
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 5.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip|~0m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
5
0.4 mi into trip|~1m in|US 29 / Colesville Road
Turn right onto US 29 / Colesville Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
2.1 mi into trip|~4m in|I 495 / Capital Beltway
Merge onto I 495 / Capital Beltway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
4.1 mi into trip|~7m in
Take the exit toward MD 650 North: White Oak
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Exit 28A
Toward MD 650 North: White Oak
5
5.3 mi into trip|~9m in|MD 212 / Powder Mill Road
At end of road, turn left onto MD 212 / Powder Mill Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.44 one way
$2.87 round trip
$4.24/gal25.4 MPG avg3 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.67
$1.58
$3.16
premium
$5.01
$1.70
$3.39
diesel
$5.60
$1.90
$3.79
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 3 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
2.6
0
$0.90
$0.41
Efficient EV
2.2
0
$0.75
$0.34
EV Truck/SUV
3.4
0
$1.20
$0.55
Gas CO2
3 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (67% 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.
Forecast as of Sep 2, 2026
Origin
Silver Spring, MD
Evening
in Silver Spring on Friday
Local time
5:48 PM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms
E 8 mph48% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 5:14PM EDT until September 3 at 7:00PM EDT by NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:10PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
Destination
Calverton, MD
Evening
in Calverton on Friday
Local time
5:48 PM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms
SE 8 mph46% chanceLive forecast
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 5:14PM EDT until September 3 at 7:00PM EDT by NWS Baltimore MD/Washington DC
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 2:10PM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
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
17m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is almost entirely on surface roads, with 0% highway travel. You'll experience about 17 minutes of driving, with the longest continuous stretch covering 2.9 miles on Powder Mill Road. Expect to navigate urban and suburban traffic patterns rather than open highway cruising. This means you'll likely encounter frequent intersections and traffic signals.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 2.9 mi on Powder Mill Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Driving Effort6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 8.6 miles you will encounter 15 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (US 29 / Colesville Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Silver Spring is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland. It is considered to be an "edge city". It sits next door to Washington, DC, and had about 82,000 residents in 2018. It has redeveloped its downtown district with an outdoor shopping plaza called "Downtown Silver Spring", and is criss-crossed by four creeks that are the basis for parks offering hiking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, and tennis courts.
Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 8.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m 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 2.9 miles on Powder Mill Road. 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 Calverton, 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.4 miles (US 29 / Colesville Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (I 495 / Capital Beltway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park and Potomac Heritage National Scenic Trail. 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 Calverton, MD before heading back.
