Origin
Basking Ridge, NJ
Late night in Basking Ridge on Sunday
Local time
5:55 AM
EDT
Current temp
69°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Basking Ridge, NJ to Clifton, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
30.2 mi
49 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 42m
8 AM
0h 49m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 44m
3 PM
0h 45m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 40m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Basking Ridge, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 30.2-mile drive from Basking Ridge to Clifton, New Jersey, is easily manageable as a single-day trip, taking approximately 41 minutes. The journey primarily utilizes major roadways like I-287 and US 46, making for an efficient commute through the Northeast region. With a modest estimated fuel cost of $5, this route is budget-friendly for a quick excursion. It's a practical option for anyone needing to travel between these two points without requiring an overnight stay. Plan for about an hour of driving time, allowing for potential traffic variations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 287 | 11.6 mi | 14m |
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 7.3 mi | 7m |
| US 46 | 4.5 mi | 5m |
| Interstate 80 East | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| North Maple Avenue | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Van Houten Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Clifton Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| St James Place | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
I 287
— 11.6 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Basking Ridge, NJ and Clifton, NJ.
1
Start on this road
261 ft
·
21 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn right onto Brownlee Place
166 ft
·
9 sec
·
Brownlee Place
3
Turn right onto CR 624
232 ft
·
7 sec
·
West Oak Street
4
Turn right onto CR 613
118 ft
·
5 sec
·
South Finley Avenue
5
Continue on CR 613
160 ft
·
11 sec
·
South Finley Avenue
6
At end of road, turn right onto East Oak Street
251 ft
·
10 sec
·
East Oak Street
7
Turn left onto North Maple Avenue
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Maple Avenue
Use the straight lane.
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward I 287 North
9
Merge onto I 287
12 mi
·
14 min
·
I 287
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 41A
Toward I 80 East: Smith Road, New York City
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
Exit 41A
Toward I 80 East: New York City
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Continue on I 80E
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Interstate 80 East
13
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 80 East: Paterson, New York City
14
Merge onto I 80
7.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Christopher Columbus Highway
15
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Exit 53
Toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunnel
Use the slight right lane.
16
Merge onto US 46
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
US 46
17
Continue on US 46
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
US 46
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Take the exit
452 ft
·
16 sec
Toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, Passaic
Use the slight right lane.
19
At end of road, turn right onto CR 623
179 ft
·
9 sec
·
Grove Street
20
Turn left onto CR 614
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Houten Avenue
Use the left lane.
21
Turn right onto NJ 161
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
Clifton Avenue
22
Turn left onto St James Place
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
St James Place
23
Turn right onto Donna Drive
522 ft
·
28 sec
·
Donna Drive
24
Turn left onto Holly Street
516 ft
·
22 sec
·
Holly Street
25
Arrive at destination
Holly Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 205 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 28.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Brownlee Place
At end of road, turn right onto Brownlee Place
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
8
13.8 mi into trip
|
~19m in
Take the exit toward I 80 East: Smith Road, New York City
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 41A
Toward I 80 East: Smith Road, New York City
8
13.9 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 80 East: New York City
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 41A
Toward I 80 East: New York City
8
23.6 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunnel
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 53
Toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunn...
7
28.6 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, Passaic
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 Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton...
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.01 one way
$10.01 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $5.48 | $10.97 |
| premium | $4.93 | $5.86 | $11.71 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.67 | $13.34 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.6 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 | 9.1 | 0 | $3.17 | $1.45 |
| Efficient EV | 7.6 | 0 | $2.64 | $1.21 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.23 | $1.93 |
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.
Destination
Clifton, NJ
Late night in Clifton on Sunday
Local time
5:55 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Partly Cloudy
SW 3 to 12 mph
19% 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
4 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
41m 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?
You'll experience a mixed drive on this route, with about 60% of the journey on highways. Expect to spend a significant portion on I-287, where you'll encounter the longest uninterrupted stretch of 11.6 miles. This interstate section offers a faster pace, characteristic of major thoroughfares. As you transition to roads like Christopher Columbus Highway and US 46, the character may shift, potentially involving more local traffic and varied speed limits. The overall feel is one of efficient travel, moving from one point to another with relative ease.
60% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.6 mi on I 287.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Brownlee Place.
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 20 decision points packed into just 30.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Brownlee Place): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 13.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
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 Basking Ridge, NJ and Clifton, NJ, road signs point toward New York City and Passaic.
New York City
13.8 mi in
|
~19m
Passaic
28.6 mi in
|
~37m
About the Cities
Arriving in Clifton, NJ
Full guide →Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
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 41m. Total distance: 30.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (60%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.6 miles on I 287. 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 Clifton, NJ 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 (Brownlee Place): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 13.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Morristown National Historical Park, Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park and Thomas Edison National Historical Park (4 total within detour distance). 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 Clifton, NJ 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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