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Trip from South Bel Air, MD to Arlington, MD

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

53m

Distance

30.9 mi

50 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 13 min
4 AM
0h 49m ★
6 AM
0h 53m
8 AM
1h 2m
10 AM
0h 56m
12 PM
0h 56m
3 PM
0h 57m
5 PM
1h 2m
8 PM
0h 51m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown South Bel Air, MD, MD

South Bel Air, MD

Da Khatri

Downtown Arlington, MD, MD

Arlington, MD

RDNE Stock project

Trip Overview

South Bel Air to Arlington is 30.9 miles and takes about 53 minutes via John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within Maryland, traversing the Northeast region for both start and end points. Expect a local, turn-heavy experience rather than an open highway cruise. With a relatively short duration and modest fuel cost, this route is well-suited for a single-day excursion, offering a straightforward connection between these two Maryland locations.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway 8.8 mi 10m
East Northern Parkway 6.3 mi 14m
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway 3.9 mi 5m
White Marsh Boulevard 3.9 mi 6m
Perring Parkway 2.5 mi 4m
Baltimore Beltway 1.5 mi 2m
Emmorton Road 0.6 mi 1m
West Ring Factory Road 0.6 mi 1m
Longest stretch: John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway — 8.8 mi, about 10m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between South Bel Air, MD and Arlington, MD.

1

Start on South Shamrock Road

0.3 mi · 1 min · South Shamrock Road
2

At end of road, turn right onto East MacPhail Road

0.3 mi · 44 sec · East MacPhail Road
3

Turn left onto MD 924

496 ft · 14 sec · South Main Street
4

Continue on MD 924

0.6 mi · 1 min · Emmorton Road
5

Turn right onto West Ring Factory Road

0.6 mi · 1 min · West Ring Factory Road
6

Turn left onto MD 24

3.9 mi · 5 min · Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway
Use the left lane.
7

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 1 min
Toward I 95 South: Baltimore Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Merge onto I 95

8.1 mi · 9 min · John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight right at fork onto I 95

0.6 mi · 42 sec · John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 21 sec
Exit 67 Toward MD 43: White Marsh, Middle River Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward MD 43 West: White Marsh Use the slight right lane.
12

Merge onto MD 43

3.9 mi · 6 min · White Marsh Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
13

Merge onto I 695

1.5 mi · 2 min · Baltimore Beltway
14

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 54 sec
Exit 30A Toward MD 41 South: Perring Parkway Use the right lane.
15

Turn straight onto MD 41

2.5 mi · 4 min · Perring Parkway
Use the straight lane.
16

Turn slight right

0.2 mi · 34 sec
17

Turn straight onto East Northern Parkway

6.3 mi · 14 min · East Northern Parkway
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
18

Turn left onto Magnolia Avenue

451 ft · 17 sec · Magnolia Avenue
19

Turn right onto West Rogers Avenue

0.1 mi · 24 sec · West Rogers Avenue
20

Turn left onto Jonquil Avenue

0.1 mi · 26 sec · Jonquil Avenue
21

At end of road, turn left onto Lewiston Avenue

0.1 mi · 22 sec · Lewiston Avenue
22

Arrive at destination

Cuthbert Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Parkville, MD

15 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.

Pacing Suggestions

Pikesville, MD

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 30.9 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Essex, MD

Meal break

The midpoint is around 15.4 miles from South Bel Air, 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.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 18

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 21.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in | East MacPhail Road

At end of road, turn right onto East MacPhail Road

Navigation decision point

6
5.8 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the exit toward I 95 South: Baltimore

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Toward I 95 South: Baltimore
8
15.2 mi into trip | ~21m in

Take the exit toward MD 43: White Marsh, Middle River

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 67 Toward MD 43: White Marsh, Middle River
7
15.4 mi into trip | ~22m in

Keep slight right at fork toward MD 43 West: White Marsh

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward MD 43 West: White Marsh
7
21.2 mi into trip | ~31m in

Take the exit toward MD 41 South: Perring Parkway

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane. Exit 30A Toward MD 41 South: Perring Parkway

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.12 one way

$10.25 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 11 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $5.61 $11.22
premium $4.93 $5.99 $11.99
diesel $5.61 $6.82 $13.64

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 10.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.3 0 $3.24 $1.48
Efficient EV 7.7 0 $2.70 $1.24
EV Truck/SUV 12.4 0 $4.33 $1.98

Gas CO2

11 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (64% 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 Apr 20, 2026

Origin

South Bel Air, MD

Morning in South Bel Air on Tuesday

Local time

6:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

63°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Arlington, MD

Morning in Arlington on Tuesday

Local time

6:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

71°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

8 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

53m 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?

This route is characterized as a 'turn-heavy local drive,' suggesting frequent navigation changes rather than sustained highway travel. While 28% of the journey utilizes highways like the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway and Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway, the overall feel is more connected to local roads. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 8.8 miles on the John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, after which you can anticipate a more varied driving experience with more turns. The East Northern Parkway also plays a role, contributing to the local character of this trip.

Only 28% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.8 mi on John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 0.3 miles in near East MacPhail Road.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 18 decision points packed into just 30.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 53m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (East MacPhail Road): Navigation decision point; at 5.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.2 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.

On the drive from South Bel Air, MD to Arlington, MD, road signs begin pointing toward Middle River along the way.

Middle River

15.2 mi in | ~21m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 53m. Total distance: 30.9 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

53m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 8.8 miles on John F. Kennedy Memorial 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 Arlington, 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 0.3 miles (East MacPhail Road): Navigation decision point; at 5.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Arlington, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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