Origin
Elmhurst, NY
Morning in Elmhurst on Tuesday
Local time
7:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmhurst, NY to Inwood, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
22m
Distance
11.4 mi
18 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Fair
3 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 24m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmhurst, NY
Mel Audelo
Inwood, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 11.4-mile drive from Elmhurst, NY, to Inwood, NY, is a quick 22-minute journey. With a modest fuel cost of around $2, it's an easy addition to your day. The route primarily utilizes local roads, with a 25% highway share, making it a turn-heavy experience. It's an ideal candidate for a single-day trip, requiring no overnight stays. The entire journey stays within New York, offering a focused exploration of the local landscape without venturing into different regions. This is a straightforward trip for when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Harlem River Drive | 3.8 mi | 6m |
| Robert F. Kennedy Bridge | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Queens Boulevard | 1 mi | 3m |
| Brooklyn-Queens Expressway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Grand Central Parkway | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Dyckman Street | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Broadway | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Harlem River Drive
— 3.8 mi, about 6m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmhurst, NY and Inwood, NY.
1
Start on Grand Avenue
90 ft
·
7 sec
·
Grand Avenue
2
Turn left onto NY 25
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Queens Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn slight right
216 ft
·
8 sec
4
Turn left onto Queens Boulevard
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Queens Boulevard
5
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 278 East: Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
6
Merge onto I 278
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway
7
Keep slight left at fork onto I 278
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West
Toward I 278 East: Triborough Bridge, Manhattan, Bronx
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto GCP; I 278
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
9
Continue on I 278
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
Exit 46
Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
Use the slight right lane.
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
1 min
Exit 46
Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
12
Continue on Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
0.4 mi
·
41 sec
·
Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
13
Keep slight right at fork
127 ft
·
3 sec
Toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street, 2nd Avenue
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
53 sec
Toward Harlem River Drive North
Use the slight right lane.
15
Merge onto HRD
3.8 mi
·
6 min
·
Harlem River Drive
16
Turn left onto Dyckman Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Dyckman Street
Use the left lane.
17
Turn right onto US 9
138 ft
·
2 sec
·
Broadway
18
Arrive at destination
US 9
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 125 decision points cluster between mile 2.1 and 6.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
2.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West
Keep slight left at fork onto I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West toward I 278 East: Triborough Bridge, Manhattan, Bronx
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 278 East: Triborough Bridge, Manhattan...
8
5.6 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
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 46
Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
7
5.8 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Keep slight left at fork toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 46
Toward Manhattan, Randalls Island
8
6.6 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street, 2nd Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Harlem River Drive North, 125th Street,...
7
6.7 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Harlem River Drive North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Harlem River Drive North
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.88 one way
$3.75 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.03 | $4.06 |
| premium | $4.92 | $2.21 | $4.42 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.52 | $5.03 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.20 | $0.55 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.00 | $0.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Inwood, NY
Morning in Inwood on Tuesday
Local time
7:47 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
5 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
22m 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 'turn-heavy local drive' for this trip, meaning you'll be navigating city streets and making frequent turns rather than cruising on long stretches of highway. Only 25% of this route is on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you’ll experience is 3.8 miles on Harlem River Drive. This drive's character is less about open road and more about urban navigation, with the Harlem River Drive offering a brief period of more consistent travel before you transition back to more localized segments.
Only 25% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
18 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 3.8 mi on Harlem River Drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 2.1 miles in near I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West.
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 12 decision points packed into just 11.4 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 22m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2.1 miles (I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
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 Elmhurst, NY and Inwood, NY, road signs point toward Manhattan, Bronx, Randalls Island and Harlem River Drive North.
Manhattan
2.1 mi in
|
~5m
|
via I 278
Bronx
2.1 mi in
|
~5m
|
via I 278
Randalls Island
5.6 mi in
|
~12m
Harlem River Drive North
6.6 mi in
|
~14m
About the Cities
Arriving in Inwood, NY
Full guide →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 22m. Total distance: 11.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
22m 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 3.8 miles on Harlem River Drive. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Inwood, 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 2.1 miles (I 278 / Brooklyn-Queens Expressway West): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 5.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Inwood, 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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