To develop a topical bioadhesive formulation of clotrimazole for enhanced transdermal delivery, hydroxypropyl methylcellulose gel containing permeation enhancer was formulated and permeation studies were carried out. The release characteristics of the drug from the gel formulation were examined according to the receptor medium, drug concentration, and temperature. The rate of drug release from the gel increased with increasing drug concentration and temperature. The activation energy (Ea) of drug permeation, which was calculated from the slope of log P versus 1/T plots, was 14.41kcal/mol for a 1%(w/w) loading dose. The enhancer, such as saturated, unsaturated fatty acids, pyrrolidones, propylene glycol derivatives, glycerides, and non-ionic surfactants, were incorporated onto the gels to increase the amount of drug permeation into the skin. Among the enhancers used, polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether showed the highest level of enhancement. These results show that clotrimazole gels containing polyoxyethylene 2-oleyl ether could be used for the enhanced transdermal delivery of clotrimazole.