Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 8, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
25.8 mi
42 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Berkeley Heights, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Clifton, NJ to Berkeley Heights, NJ covers 25.8 miles and takes about 38m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Garden State Parkway, Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway, Plainfield Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.9 miles on Garden State Parkway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.31 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 10.9 mi | 15m |
| Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway | 10.4 mi | 11m |
| Plainfield Avenue | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Clifton Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Allwood Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Drift Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| I 78 | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Donna Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 36 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~3,598 veh/hr typical · worst 4,220
Quietest
2 AM
~240 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 48 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Clifton, NJ and Berkeley Heights, NJ.
Start on Holly Street
Turn left onto Donna Drive
At end of road, turn right onto Olga B Terrace
Turn right onto Hutton Road
Turn left onto Olga B Terrace
Turn left onto NJ 161
At end of road, turn right onto CR 602
Take the ramp
Merge onto NJ 3
Take the exit
Merge onto GSP
Take the exit
Merge onto I 78
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78
Merge onto I 78
Take the exit
Turn right onto Drift Road
Turn left onto CR 641
Turn right onto CR 512
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 23.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
At end of road, turn right onto Olga B Terrace
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
Take the ramp toward NJ 3 West, GSP South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward I 78 West: Springfield
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto I 78 toward I 78 West: Clinton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Berkeley Heights, Scotch Plains
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$4.31 one way
$8.62 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $4.74 | $9.49 |
| premium | $5.01 | $5.09 | $10.18 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $5.69 | $11.37 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.66
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$1
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.71 | $1.24 |
| Efficient EV | 6.5 | 0 | $2.26 | $1.03 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.3 | 0 | $3.61 | $1.65 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Clifton on Tuesday
Local time
2:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
63°F
Partly Cloudy then Slight Chance Rain Showers
Destination
Late night in Berkeley Heights on Tuesday
Local time
2:43 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Partly Cloudy
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.
25.8 mi in 38m, mostly highway — 10.9 mi of that is on Garden State Parkway.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Olga B Terrace.
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 18 decision points packed into just 25.8 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Olga B Terrace): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 12.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
429 ft
Total Descent
380 ft
Highest Point
406 ft
~24 mi in
Elevation Range
303 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Clifton, NJ to Berkeley Heights, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Scotch Plains along the way.
Scotch Plains
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 38m. Total distance: 25.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (83%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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