Origin
Fair Haven, NJ
Late night in Fair Haven on Tuesday
Local time
5:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Fair Haven, NJ to Toms River, NJ
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
44m
Distance
33.9 mi
55 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 47m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Fair Haven, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Toms River, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This straightforward 33.9-mile drive from Fair Haven, NJ, to Toms River, NJ, is easily manageable in about 44 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The route is heavily focused on highway driving, with 83% of the journey on major roads like the Garden State Parkway and Newman Springs Road. With a modest fuel cost of around $6, this trip offers an efficient way to travel within the Northeast region. You won't need to break this up overnight; it's a quick hop between two points in New Jersey.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 27.8 mi | 32m |
| East Front Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Newman Springs Road | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Shrewsbury Avenue | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| North Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| River Road | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Route 37 West | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Locust Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 27.8 mi, about 32m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Fair Haven, NJ and Toms River, NJ.
1
Start on Fisk Street
33 ft
·
3 sec
·
Fisk Street
2
Turn right onto Locust Avenue
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
Locust Avenue
3
Turn left onto CR 10
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
East Front Street
4
Continue on CR 10
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
River Road
5
Continue on CR 10
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
East Front Street
6
Turn left onto CR 13
216 ft
·
4 sec
·
Rector Place
7
Continue on CR 13
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Shrewsbury Avenue
8
Turn right onto CR 520
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Newman Springs Road
9
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
Toward GSP Toll South
10
Merge onto GSP
28 mi
·
32 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
48 sec
Exit 82
Toward NJ 37 East: Seaside Heights, Island Beach State Park
Use the right lane.
12
Merge onto NJ 37
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Route 37 West
13
Turn right onto NJ 166
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
North Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Turn left
78 ft
·
5 sec
15
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 33.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Locust Avenue
Turn right onto Locust Avenue
Navigation decision point
4
2.3 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
CR 13 / Rector Place
Turn left onto CR 13 / Rector Place
Navigation decision point
5
4.8 mi into trip
|
~9m in
|
GSP / Garden State Parkway
Merge onto GSP / Garden State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
8
32.7 mi into trip
|
~42m in
Take the exit toward NJ 37 East: Seaside Heights, Island Beach State Park
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the right lane.
Exit 82
Toward NJ 37 East: Seaside Heights, Island Beac...
5
33.2 mi into trip
|
~43m in
|
NJ 166 / North Main Street
Turn right onto NJ 166 / North Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.62 one way
$11.24 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.16 | $12.31 |
| premium | $4.93 | $6.57 | $13.15 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.48 | $14.97 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.67
Garden State Parkway
(27.8 mi)
$1.67
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Tolls
$2
Total
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10.2 | 0 | $3.56 | $1.63 |
| Efficient EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.97 | $1.36 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.6 | 0 | $4.75 | $2.17 |
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.
Destination
Toms River, NJ
Late night in Toms River on Tuesday
Local time
5:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
14 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
44m 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 for most of this 33.9-mile journey, as 83% of the drive utilizes major roadways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 27.8 miles on the Garden State Parkway, offering a consistent pace. While primarily a highway drive, you'll transition through local roads like East Front Street and Newman Springs Road, providing a brief change of scenery before rejoining faster routes. This route is designed for efficient travel rather than winding scenic exploration.
83% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27.8 mi on Garden State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and East Front Street. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Locust Avenue.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 33.9 miles you will encounter 10 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: near the start (Locust Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles (CR 13 / Rector Place): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
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.
On the drive from Fair Haven, NJ to Toms River, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Gsp Toll South along the way.
Gsp Toll South
4.6 mi in
|
~9m
About the Cities
Arriving in Toms River, NJ
Full guide →Founded 1768
Toms River is the county seat of Ocean County, New Jersey. It is a few miles west of the beaches of the Jersey Shore Region, midway between New York and Philadelphia and a short distance from Atlantic City. Toms River is easy to get to by car as the Garden State Parkway bisects the town, and it is served by express bus service to and from New York City.
Top landmarks
- • Ocean County Courthouse — county courthouse in Ocean County, New Jersey
- • Stoutenburgh-Minturn House — historic house in Ocean County, New Jersey
- • Captain Amos Birdsall House — historic house in Ocean County, 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 44m. Total distance: 33.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 27.8 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.67 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
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 Toms River, 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: near the start (Locust Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles (CR 13 / Rector Place): Navigation decision point; at 4.8 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Gateway National Recreation Area. 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 Toms River, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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