Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
31m
Distance
17.1 mi
27 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Short Hills, NJ
MINEIA MARTINS
Clifton, NJ to Short Hills, NJ is 17.1 miles and takes about 31 minutes via Garden State Parkway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short, straightforward drive entirely within New Jersey, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Given its brevity, this trip is ideal for a quick commute or an easy afternoon excursion. You’ll spend a good portion of your time on a major parkway, so expect consistent traffic flow. It's a practical route for getting from point A to point B without much fuss.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 7.1 mi | 9m |
| South Orange Avenue | 6.2 mi | 12m |
| White Oak Ridge Road | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Clifton Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Whittlesey Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Maybaum Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Allwood Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Westview Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Clifton, NJ and Short Hills, 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
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto South Oraton Parkway
Continue on Whittlesey Avenue
Turn straight onto Maybaum Avenue
Turn right onto CR 510
Turn left onto CR 608
Continue on CR 608
Turn left onto Westview Road
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 9 — 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
At end of road, turn right onto CR 602 / Allwood Road
Lane positioning matters here
Take the ramp toward NJ 3 West, GSP South
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward I 280, CR 508: The Oranges, Newark
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward CR 508: Central Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.83 one way
$5.67 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $3.10 | $6.21 |
| premium | $4.93 | $3.32 | $6.63 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.43
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.1 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.50 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Morning in Clifton on Sunday
Local time
10:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
90°F
Mostly Sunny
Destination
Morning in Short Hills on Sunday
Local time
10:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°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 route offers a mixed drive experience, with 43% of it utilizing highway conditions. You'll encounter 7.1 miles on the Garden State Parkway, which provides a relatively uninterrupted stretch. The drive begins and ends on local roads like South Orange Avenue and White Oak Ridge Road, offering a contrast to the parkway segment. Expect to navigate some traffic lights and potentially slower local speeds before merging onto the parkway, and then again as you exit towards your destination. The blend of highway and surface streets makes for a dynamic, albeit short, driving experience.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. 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 - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 17.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 31m.
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 0.9 miles (CR 602 / Allwood Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.1 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Clifton, NJ and Short Hills, NJ, road signs point toward Gsp South, Cr 508: The Oranges and Newark.
Gsp South
Cr 508: The Oranges
Newark
Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 31m. Total distance: 17.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
31m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (43%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface 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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