Traveling from Brookhaven to Garden City Park covers 43.3 miles of Long Island territory, typically requiring about 1 hour and 1 minute of driving time. Since the trip is short and straightforward, it works perfectly as a quick day trip rather than an overnight excursion. You can expect to spend roughly $7 on fuel for the journey, keeping your travel expenses low. The route relies heavily on the Long Island Expressway to bridge the distance efficiently between these two Northeast locations. Because the trip is concise, you have plenty of flexibility to plan your schedule around your own needs rather than worrying about lengthy road fatigue.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Long Island Expressway
30.7 mi
40m
Jericho Turnpike
6.3 mi
10m
Horseblock Road
4.2 mi
6m
Montauk Highway
0.8 mi
1m
South Country Road
0.4 mi
1m
Express Drive North
0.2 mi
<1m
Nassau Boulevard
0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 30.7 mi, about 40m
Traffic on I-495
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~4,880 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~521 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
9.4×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 24 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 Brookhaven, NY and Garden City Park, NY.
1
Start on CR 36
0.4 mi·46 sec·South Country Road
2
Continue on South Country Road
354 ft·16 sec·South Country Road
3
Turn straight onto CR 80
0.8 mi·1 min·Montauk Highway
4
Turn left onto CR 16
4.2 mi·6 min·Horseblock Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn left onto Express Drive North
0.2 mi·14 sec·Express Drive North
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·21 sec
Toward I 495 WEST: New York
7
Merge onto I 495
31 mi·40 min·Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi·38 sec
Exit 40WToward NY 25 West: MineolaUse the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Turn straight onto NY 25
3.3 mi·5 min·Jericho Turnpike
Use the straight lane.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 25
3.0 mi·5 min·Jericho Turnpike
Toward NY 25 West: Mineola
11
Turn left onto Nassau Boulevard
425 ft·19 sec·Nassau Boulevard
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on Nassau Boulevard
315 ft·12 sec·Nassau Boulevard
13
Turn right
67 ft·4 sec
14
Arrive at destination
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 21.7 miles from Brookhaven, NY, 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 10
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 40.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
1.2 mi into trip|~2m in|CR 16 / Horseblock Road
Turn left onto CR 16 / Horseblock Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
5.5 mi into trip|~8m in|Express Drive North
Turn left onto Express Drive North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
5.9 mi into trip|~9m in|I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
36.6 mi into trip|~50m in
Take the exit toward NY 25 West: Mineola
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 40W
Toward NY 25 West: Mineola
5
40.2 mi into trip|~56m in|NY 25 / Jericho Turnpike
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 25 / Jericho Turnpike toward NY 25 West: Mineola
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward NY 25 West: Mineola
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.04 one way
$14.07 round trip
$4.13/gal25.4 MPG avg15 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.47
$7.62
$15.23
premium
$4.87
$8.30
$16.59
diesel
$5.40
$9.21
$18.42
Estimated Tolls: $0.44
Jericho Turnpike
(6.3 mi)$0.44
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Tolls
$0
Total
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 15.1 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
13
0
$4.55
$2.08
Efficient EV
10.8
0
$3.79
$1.73
EV Truck/SUV
17.3
0
$6.06
$2.77
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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 Apr 26, 2026
Origin
Brookhaven, NY
Late night
in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
12:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
39°F
Rain Showers
E 9 mph98% chanceLive forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Destination
Garden City Park, NY
Late night
in Garden City Park on Sunday
Local time
12:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°F
Rain Showers
E 10 mph97% chanceLive forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
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
2 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
1h 1m 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?
Expect a highway-focused experience, as 85% of your drive will be spent on major corridors. The backbone of your journey is a 30.7-mile stretch on the Long Island Expressway, which provides the most significant portion of your travel time. Beyond the expressway, you will transition onto Horseblock Road and the Jericho Turnpike to navigate toward your final destination. This combination creates a mix of high-speed interstate driving followed by more localized road conditions. You will find that the character of the drive shifts from the faster pace of the highway to the more typical traffic patterns associated with the Jericho Turnpike as you reach the end of your route.
85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 30.7 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Jericho Turnpike. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near CR 16 / Horseblock Road.
Driving Effort7/10
Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 43.3 miles you will encounter 10 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: at 1.2 miles (CR 16 / Horseblock Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
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
•Wardenclyffe Tower — early experimental wireless transmission station designed and built by Nikola Te...
•West Meadow Beach Historic District — historic district in the United States
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 1m. Total distance: 43.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 1m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 30.7 miles on Long Island Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.44 in tolls one way, starting with Jericho Turnpike. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Garden City Park, NY 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 1.2 miles (CR 16 / Horseblock Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles (Express Drive North): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and General Grant National Memorial (6 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 Garden City Park, NY before heading back.
