Origin
Brookhaven, NY
Late night in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
3:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
7h 26m
Distance
361.6 mi
582 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$59
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Brookhaven, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Burns, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Brookhaven, NY to Burns, NY is 361.6 miles and takes about 7h 26m via I 86 and I 81, with a fuel budget near $59 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New York, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast. You'll spend most of your time on major highways, making for a relatively straightforward drive. With a single day recommended, this route is a good option if you're looking to cover a good amount of distance efficiently without needing an overnight stay.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
180.8 miles from Brookhaven, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 50m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 86 | 100 mi | 1h 56m |
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 68.2 mi | 1h 20m |
| I 81 | 58.1 mi | 1h 9m |
| Long Island Expressway | 41.4 mi | 55m |
| I 380 | 27.7 mi | 30m |
| Keystone Shortway | 17.3 mi | 24m |
| Southern Tier Expressway | 16.8 mi | 19m |
| Cross Bronx Expressway | 6.6 mi | 8m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 168 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~4,210 veh/hr typical · worst 4,900
Quietest
1 AM
~430 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.8×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 52 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Brookhaven, NY and Burns, NY.
Start on CR 36
Continue on South Country Road
Turn straight onto CR 80
Turn left onto CR 16
Turn left onto Express Drive North
Take the ramp
Merge onto I 495
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Merge onto CI
Take the exit
Merge onto I 295
Continue on I 295
Keep slight left at fork onto I 295
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95; US 1
Continue on I 95; US 1
Continue on I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
Keep slight left at fork onto I 95 EXPR; NJTP
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 95; NJTP
Take the exit
Continue on I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Take the exit
Continue on I 380
Merge onto I 81
Keep slight left at fork onto I 86; NY 17
Keep slight right at fork onto I 86; NY 17
Take the exit
Turn straight onto NY 36
Turn straight onto NY 36
Turn left onto NY 961F
Continue on NY 961F
Continue on NY 961F
Turn right onto CR 14
Arrive at destination
To make the most of this 7h 26m drive, consider leaving Brookhaven early in the morning to avoid any potential traffic congestion. With two planned stops and a fuel cost estimate of $59, you can easily complete this trip in one day. Break up the drive by taking advantage of the services along I 86 and I 81. Since the longest stretch is 100 miles on I 86, plan one of your stops around the midpoint of that segment to refresh before continuing. Keep an eye on your fuel gauge, especially when transitioning to less developed areas.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 80 miles or 1h 49m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 180.8 miles or 3h 50m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 12m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Burns, NY than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Brookhaven, NY so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Brookhaven, NY
This is one driving day of about 361.6 miles and 7h 26m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
181 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.
A short stop after about 80 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 180.8 miles from Brookhaven, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before I 86 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 100 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 47.3 and 63.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the exit toward Cross Island Parkway, Whitestone Bridge, Kennedy Airport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward Cross Island Parkway North, Whitestone Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward I 295 North: Throgs Neck Bridge, Bronx, New England
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward I 95 South, NJTP South: Hackensack
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$58.77 one way
$117.53 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $63.61 | $127.21 |
| premium | $4.87 | $69.27 | $138.55 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $76.92 | $153.84 |
Estimated Tolls: $22.83
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$59
Tolls
$23
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$107–$132
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 126.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $38 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 108.5 | 1 | $37.97 | $17.36 |
| Efficient EV | 90.4 | 1 | $31.64 | $14.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 144.6 | 1 | $50.62 | $23.14 |
Gas CO2
127 kg
EV CO2
42 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
3:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Destination
Late night in Burns on Sunday
Local time
3:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°F
Unavailable
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
This drive is primarily on highways, with 72% of the route utilizing major roads like I 86 and I 81. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 100 miles on I 86, which means you can maintain a consistent speed for a significant portion of the trip. The profile is mostly highway, so expect frequent exits and potentially merging traffic as you navigate between these main arteries. Surface roads will likely become more prevalent as you approach your destination.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 86 and Christopher Columbus Highway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 47.3 miles in.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 26 significant decision points across 361.6 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 47.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 47.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 50.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Brookhaven, NY and Burns, NY, road signs point toward Kennedy Airport, Cross Island Parkway North, Bronx, New England, Upper Level and Njtp South: Hackensack - among others.
Kennedy Airport
Cross Island Parkway North
Bronx
New England
Upper Level
Njtp South: Hackensack
Hackensack
Founded 1655
Brookhaven is the largest town in Suffolk County, part of Long Island, New York. With 485,000 residents (2020). It includes a patchwork of villages and other communities, and is the only town on the island to touch both the Long Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean. The villages of Belle Terre, Bellport, Lake Grove, Mastic Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, and Shoreham are semi-autonomous, and provide their own services in addition to those provided by the town. Other prominent communities include Mount Sinai, Stony Brook, and Fire Island, a long and car-free resort island off the south coast of the town.
Top landmarks
Founded 1826
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 7h 26m. Total distance: 361.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
7h 26m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
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 FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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