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Trip from Buffalo, NY to Grand Island, NY

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

20m

Distance

13 mi

21 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 19m ★
6 AM
0h 21m
8 AM
0h 24m
10 AM
0h 22m
12 PM
0h 21m
3 PM
0h 22m
5 PM
0h 24m
8 PM
0h 20m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Buffalo, NY, NY

Buffalo, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Grand Island, NY, NY

Grand Island, NY

Peter Olexa

Trip Overview

Buffalo, NY to Grand Island, NY is 13 miles and takes about 20 minutes via Niagara Thruway, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within New York and the Northeast region, making it a simple point-to-point trip. Expect a local feel with a mix of highway and boulevard driving. Given its brevity, this route is perfect for a quick excursion or as a segment of a larger journey, offering minimal travel time and a straightforward path.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Niagara Thruway 9.7 mi 13m
Grand Island Boulevard 1.5 mi 2m
Baseline Road 0.7 mi 1m
NY 324 0.3 mi <1m
Colonial Drive 0.1 mi <1m
South Elmwood Avenue 0.1 mi <1m
Church Street <0.1 mi <1m
Homeland Drive <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Niagara Thruway — 9.7 mi, about 13m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Buffalo, NY and Grand Island, NY.

1

Start on NY 384

100 ft · 2 sec · Niagara Square
2

Continue on Perkins Drive

321 ft · 16 sec · Perkins Drive
3

At end of road, turn left onto NY 5

0.1 mi · 19 sec · South Elmwood Avenue
4

Keep slight right at fork

206 ft · 8 sec
5

At end of road, turn right onto Church Street

501 ft · 16 sec · Church Street
Use the right lane.
6

Take the exit

175 ft · 4 sec
Toward I 190, NY 5 West: Skyway, Peace Bridge, Canada
7

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Toward I 190 North: Peace Bridge, Canada Use the left / right lanes.
8

Merge onto I 190

9.7 mi · 13 min · Niagara Thruway
9

Take the exit onto NY 324

0.3 mi · 30 sec · NY 324
Exit 18A Toward NY 324: Grand Is Blvd
10

Enter roundabout onto NY 324

83 ft · 1 sec · Grand Island Boulevard
11

Continue on NY 324

1.5 mi · 2 min · Grand Island Boulevard
12

Turn slight right onto Baseline Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Baseline Road
13

Turn right onto Homeland Drive

464 ft · 22 sec · Homeland Drive
14

Turn right onto Colonial Drive

0.1 mi · 32 sec · Colonial Drive
15

Arrive at destination

Colonial Drive

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 10

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.1 and 0.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | NY 5 / South Elmwood Avenue

At end of road, turn left onto NY 5 / South Elmwood Avenue

Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in

Keep slight right at fork

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

7
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | Church Street

At end of road, turn right onto Church Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
0.3 mi into trip | ~1m in

Take the exit toward I 190, NY 5 West: Skyway, Peace Bridge, Canada

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 190, NY 5 West: Skyway, Peace Bridge,...
9
0.4 mi into trip | ~1m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 190 North: Peace Bridge, Canada

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left / right lanes. Toward I 190 North: Peace Bridge, Canada

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.14 one way

$4.28 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $2.31 $4.63
premium $4.92 $2.52 $5.04
diesel $5.61 $2.87 $5.74

Estimated Tolls: $0.48

Niagara Thruway (9.7 mi) $0.48

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Tolls

$0

Total

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.9 0 $1.37 $0.62
Efficient EV 3.3 0 $1.14 $0.52
EV Truck/SUV 5.2 0 $1.82 $0.83

Gas CO2

5 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (60% 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 18, 2026

Origin

Buffalo, NY

Morning in Buffalo on Sunday

Local time

6:13 AM

EDT

Current temp

73°F

Partly Sunny then Showers And Thunderstorms

S 8 to 20 mph 85% chance Live forecast

Wind Advisory

Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT

Destination

Grand Island, NY

Morning in Grand Island on Sunday

Local time

6:13 AM

EDT

Current temp

43°F

Unavailable

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

30 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

20m 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?

This route is characterized as a 'Turn-heavy local drive,' with only a 2% highway share. You'll navigate primarily via the Niagara Thruway, Grand Island Boulevard, and Baseline Road. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.7 miles on the Niagara Thruway, offering a brief period of consistent travel. Beyond that, expect more frequent turns and adjustments as you transition between local roads, typical for a drive of this nature.

Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.7 mi on Niagara Thruway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

6/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near NY 5 / South Elmwood Avenue.

Driving Effort 6/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 13 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 0.1 miles (NY 5 / South Elmwood Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.2 miles (Church Street): Lane positioning matters here.

About the Cities

Starting in Buffalo, NY

Full guide →

Founded 1832

The largest city in New York State's Niagara Frontier, Buffalo is a city full of surprises. Though Buffalo is sometimes the butt of jokes about chicken wings, its long-suffering sports teams, and the mountains of snow under which it is supposedly buried each winter, those in the know tell a different story: one of vibrant nightlife, world-class museums and cultural attractions, tight-knit neighborhoods with strong community spirit – and the sunniest summers in Northeastern United States.

Top landmarks

  • • Buffalo AKG Art Museum — art museum in New York, US
  • • Buffalo City Hall — skyscraper and municipal building in Buffalo, New York, USA
  • • USS Croaker — 1943 Gato-class submarine

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 20m. Total distance: 13 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

20m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 9.7 miles on Niagara Thruway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.48 in tolls one way, starting with Niagara Thruway. 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.

Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.

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 Grand Island, 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 0.1 miles (NY 5 / South Elmwood Avenue): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 0.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.2 miles (Church Street): Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Grand Island, NY 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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