Origin
Clifton, NJ
Morning in Clifton on Saturday
Local time
6:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Clifton, NJ to Mendham, NJ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
41m
Distance
29.2 mi
47 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Mendham, NJ
Dajana Blakcori
Trip Overview
The drive from Clifton, NJ to Mendham, NJ covers 29.2 miles and takes about 41m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on US 46, I 287, Mendham Road East for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 10.8 miles on US 46. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.02 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 46 | 10.8 mi | 12m |
| I 287 | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| Mendham Road East | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| Interstate 80 West | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Washington-Mendham Road E. (Old Rt. 24) | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| State Route 3 | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| Mendham Road (Old Rt. 24) | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Washington Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
US 46
— 10.8 mi, about 12m
Traffic on I-80
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 50 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,829 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~323 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 98 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 Clifton, NJ and Mendham, NJ.
1
Start on Holly Street
516 ft
·
26 sec
·
Holly Street
2
Turn left onto Donna Drive
0.1 mi
·
34 sec
·
Donna Drive
3
At end of road, turn right onto Olga B Terrace
441 ft
·
21 sec
·
Olga B Terrace
4
Turn right onto Hutton Road
39 ft
·
7 sec
·
Hutton Road
5
Turn left onto Olga B Terrace
174 ft
·
13 sec
·
Olga B Terrace
6
Turn left onto NJ 161
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Clifton Avenue
7
At end of road, turn right onto CR 602
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
·
Allwood Road
Use the right lane.
8
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward NJ 3 West, GSP South
9
Merge onto NJ 3
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
State Route 3
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Merge onto US 46
11 mi
·
12 min
·
US 46
Use the straight lane.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 80 West: Dover, Del Water Gap
12
Continue on I 80W
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Interstate 80 West
Toward I 287: Morristown, Mahwah
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
13
Keep slight left at fork
1.9 mi
·
2 min
Exit 43A
Toward I 287 South: Morristown
14
Merge onto I 287
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
I 287
15
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 36
Toward CR 510: Lafayette Avenue, Ridgedale Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward CR 510: Morris Avenue, Lafayette Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Turn straight onto CR 510
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Lafayette Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Turn right onto CR 510
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
·
Morris Street
19
Enter roundabout onto CR 510
183 ft
·
3 sec
·
Morris Street
20
Continue on CR 510
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Morris Street
Use the straight lane.
21
Turn slight right onto US 202; CR 510
225 ft
·
3 sec
·
East Park Place
Use the right lane.
22
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 510
487 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Park Place
Use the straight lane.
23
Continue on US 202; CR 510
119 ft
·
5 sec
·
North Park Place
24
Turn right onto CR 510
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Washington Street
Use the right lane.
25
Continue on CR 510
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Mendham Avenue (Old Rt. 24)
26
Continue on CR 510
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Washington-Mendham Road E. (Old Rt. 24)
27
Continue on CR 510
3.2 mi
·
4 min
·
Mendham Road East
28
Continue on CR 510
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Mendham Road (Old Rt. 24)
29
Arrive at destination
CR 510
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 215 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 22.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Olga B Terrace
At end of road, turn right onto Olga B Terrace
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
7
1.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward NJ 3 West, GSP South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward NJ 3 West, GSP South
8
21.3 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Take the exit toward CR 510: Lafayette Avenue, Ridgedale Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 36
Toward CR 510: Lafayette Avenue, Ridgedale Aven...
9
21.5 mi into trip
|
~28m in
Keep slight left at fork toward CR 510: Morris Avenue, Lafayette Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward CR 510: Morris Avenue, Lafayette Avenue
7
22.3 mi into trip
|
~30m in
|
CR 510 / East Park Place
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 510 / East Park Place
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.02 one way
$10.04 round trip
$4.37/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $5.51 | $11.01 |
| premium | $5.13 | $5.89 | $11.79 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $6.86 | $13.72 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.07 | $1.40 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.09 | $1.87 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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.
Destination
Mendham, NJ
Morning in Mendham on Saturday
Local time
6:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
60°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
19 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
41m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
29.2 mi in 41m, mostly highway — 10.8 mi of that is on US 46.
62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
29 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.8 mi on US 46.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on US 46 and I 287. 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.
Driving Effort
10/10
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 21 decision points packed into just 29.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
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 21.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
615 ft
137 ft
Total Climb
622 ft
Total Descent
185 ft
Highest Point
615 ft
~29.2 mi in
Elevation Range
478 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Clifton, NJ and Mendham, NJ, road signs point toward Del Water Gap and Mahwah.
Del Water Gap
13.3 mi in
|
~17m
Mahwah
13.5 mi in
|
~17m
|
via I 80W
About the Cities
Starting in Clifton, NJ
Full guide →Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
Top landmarks
- • United States Animal Quarantine Station — historic building complex in Clifton, New Jersey
- • Garritse-Doremus-Westervelt House — historic farmhouse in Clifton, New Jersey
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 41m. Total distance: 29.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (62%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.8 miles on US 46. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Mendham, NJ 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 0.2 miles (Olga B Terrace): Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch; at 1.1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 21.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Mendham, NJ 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, 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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