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Trip from Deer Park, NY to Elmhurst, NY

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

Drive Time

48m

Distance

33 mi

53 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

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

Downtown Deer Park, NY, NY

Deer Park, NY

Muzin Kahraman

Downtown Elmhurst, NY, NY

Elmhurst, NY

Mel Audelo

Trip Overview

This 33-mile drive from Deer Park, NY, to Elmhurst, NY, is designed for a single day, taking approximately 48 minutes to complete. Primarily following the Long Island Expressway, this route is heavily highway-focused, with 88% of the journey on high-speed roads. With a modest fuel cost estimated at $5, it's an economical option for a quick trip within the Northeast region. You won't need to plan for overnight stays, and the short duration means you can be flexible with your departure time. This drive is a straightforward transit between two New York locations.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Long Island Expressway 28.9 mi 39m
Deer Park Avenue 2.6 mi 4m
Queens Boulevard 0.5 mi 1m
North Service Road 0.1 mi <1m
Grand Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Long Island Expressway — 28.9 mi, about 39m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Deer Park, NY and Elmhurst, NY.

1

Start on NY 231

2.6 mi · 4 min · Deer Park Avenue
Use the left lane.
2

Turn left onto North Service Road

0.1 mi · 8 sec · North Service Road
3

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 24 sec
Toward I 495 West: New York
4

Merge onto I 495

29 mi · 39 min · Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 49 sec
Exit 19 Toward NY 25: Woodhaven Boulevard, Rockaways, 69th Street, Grand Avenue Use the slight right lane.
6

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 47 sec
Toward NY 25: Queens Boulevard Use the slight right lane.
7

Turn right onto Queens Boulevard

0.5 mi · 1 min · Queens Boulevard
Use the left / straight lanes.
8

Turn left onto Grand Avenue

137 ft · 8 sec · Grand Avenue
Use the left lane.
9

Arrive at destination

Grand Avenue

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Downtown North Hills, NY, NY

Mid-route town

Meal stop

North Hills, NY

17 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Richmond Hill, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 33 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

North Hills, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 16.5 miles from Deer Park, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 2.9 and 32.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
2.9 mi into trip | ~4m in | I 495 / Long Island Expressway

Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
31.8 mi into trip | ~44m in

Take the exit toward NY 25: Woodhaven Boulevard, Rockaways, 69th Street, Grand Avenue

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 19 Toward NY 25: Woodhaven Boulevard, Rockaways, 6...
7
32.2 mi into trip | ~45m in

Keep slight right at fork toward NY 25: Queens Boulevard

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward NY 25: Queens Boulevard
5
32.4 mi into trip | ~46m in | Queens Boulevard

Turn right onto Queens Boulevard

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
6
32.9 mi into trip | ~47m in | Grand Avenue

Turn left onto Grand Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.43 one way

$10.86 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $5.87 $11.75
premium $4.92 $6.40 $12.79
diesel $5.61 $7.29 $14.57

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 11.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 9.9 0 $3.47 $1.58
Efficient EV 8.3 0 $2.89 $1.32
EV Truck/SUV 13.2 0 $4.62 $2.11

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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.

Travel Intel

Current conditions at both ends of the drive.

Forecast as of Apr 13, 2026

Origin

Deer Park, NY

Late night in Deer Park on Sunday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

65°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Elmhurst, NY

Late night in Elmhurst on Sunday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

59°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

49°F

North Hills, NY

17 mi in

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

6 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

48m 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?

Expect a highway-focused experience on this 33-mile journey, with the Long Island Expressway dominating 88% of the route. You'll encounter a substantial uninterrupted stretch of 28.9 miles on the expressway, offering consistent speed. The drive begins on Deer Park Avenue before merging onto the main highway, and concludes by transitioning off the expressway towards Queens Boulevard in Elmhurst. While largely a high-speed transit, the initial and final segments offer a slight variation in road type before and after the main highway section.

88% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 28.9 mi on Long Island Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Deer Park Avenue. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2.9 miles in near I 495 / Long Island Expressway.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 33 miles you will encounter 7 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 2.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 33 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

48m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (88%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 28.9 miles on Long Island Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

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 2.9 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 31.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 32.2 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Stonewall National Monument, African Burial Ground National Monument and Federal Hall National Memorial (6 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

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

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