Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
20.2 mi
32 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
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
Head of the Harbor, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Brookhaven, NY to Head of the Harbor, NY is 20.2 miles and takes about 33 minutes via Middle Country Road and the Long Island Expressway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, traversing the Northeast region. It's a straightforward drive primarily on surface roads, making it ideal for a quick local excursion. Consider this route if you're looking for a brief drive that requires minimal planning and can easily fit into your day.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Country Road | 4.5 mi | 6m |
| Horseblock Road | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Long Island Expressway | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| Nicolls Road | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| Lake Avenue | 1.8 mi | 3m |
| Montauk Highway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| North Country Road | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Country Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Brookhaven, NY and Head of the Harbor, 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
Turn straight onto Express Drive North
Take the ramp
Merge onto CR 97
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn slight left onto NY 25
Turn right onto Lake Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto NY 25A
Turn left onto Hitherbrook Road
Keep slight right at fork onto Bacon Road
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 5.5 and 17 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Express Drive North
Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward CR 97: Blue Point, Stony Brook, Nicolls Road
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 NY 25 west: Riverhead, Smithtown
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn right onto Lake Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$3.28 one way
$6.57 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $3.55 | $7.11 |
| premium | $4.87 | $3.87 | $7.74 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $4.30 | $8.59 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.12 | $0.97 |
| Efficient EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.77 | $0.81 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8.1 | 0 | $2.83 | $1.29 |
Gas CO2
7 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (71% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Brookhaven on Sunday
Local time
10:31 AM
EDT
Current temp
41°F
Partly Cloudy then Chance Rain Showers
Destination
Morning in Head of the Harbor on Sunday
Local time
10:31 AM
EDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
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
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.
This drive is mostly surface roads, with only 16% on the highway. You'll experience a longest stretch of 4.5 miles on Middle Country Road before transitioning to other main roads like Horseblock Road and the Long Island Expressway. Expect a driving experience marked by frequent intersections and traffic signals for most of the trip, typical of surface road travel in developed areas.
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 5.5 miles in near Express Drive North.
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 14 decision points packed into just 20.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 33m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: 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; at 9.1 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 Head of the Harbor, NY, road signs point toward Cr 97: Blue Point, Stony Brook, Cr 97 North: Stony Brook and Smithtown.
Cr 97: Blue Point
Stony Brook
Cr 97 North: Stony Brook
Smithtown
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 33m. Total distance: 20.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
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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