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Trip from Franklin Lakes, NJ to Union, NJ

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

Drive Time

40m

Distance

25.5 mi

41 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 37m ★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 43m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 47m
8 PM
0h 38m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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borough in Bergen County, New Jersey, United States

Franklin Lakes, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Union, NJ, NJ

Union, NJ

Arjun Gheewala

Trip Overview

Franklin Lakes, NJ to Union, NJ is 25.5 miles and takes about 40m via Garden State Parkway, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Given its short distance and highway profile, this is a straightforward drive. It's a good option for a quick trip where you want to minimize time on the road.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Garden State Parkway 13.8 mi 19m
Belmont Avenue 3.4 mi 6m
Ewing Avenue 2.2 mi 3m
NJ 19 2 mi 2m
High Mountain Road 0.9 mi 1m
Franklin Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
West Broadway 0.5 mi <1m
Vauxhall Road 0.4 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Garden State Parkway — 13.8 mi, about 19m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Franklin Lakes, NJ and Union, NJ.

1

Start on Shirley Avenue

0.2 mi · 59 sec · Shirley Avenue
2

Turn right onto CR S-89

0.8 mi · 1 min · Franklin Avenue
3

Turn right onto CR 502

2.2 mi · 3 min · Ewing Avenue
Use the straight lane.
4

At end of road, turn left onto CR 89

0.9 mi · 1 min · High Mountain Road
5

Keep slight right at fork onto CR 675

3.4 mi · 6 min · Belmont Avenue
6

Turn left onto CR 673

0.5 mi · 52 sec · West Broadway
7

Turn right onto CR 509

0.3 mi · 36 sec · Main Street
8

Turn right onto NJ 19

397 ft · 9 sec · Ward Street
Use the right lane.
9

Continue on NJ 19

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Oliver Street
10

Turn slight left onto NJ 19

2.0 mi · 2 min · NJ 19
Use the slight left lane.
11

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward GSP South Use the slight left lane.
12

Merge onto GSP

14 mi · 19 min · Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
13

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 31 sec
Exit 141 Toward Vauxhall Road Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Turn right onto CR 630

0.4 mi · 1 min · Vauxhall Road
Use the right lane.
15

Turn right onto Harding Avenue

243 ft · 10 sec · Harding Avenue
16

Arrive at destination

Harding Avenue

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 13

5 decision points cluster between mile 1 and 24.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
1 mi into trip | ~2m in | CR 502 / Ewing Avenue

Turn right onto CR 502 / Ewing Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
6
8.3 mi into trip | ~15m in | NJ 19 / Ward Street

Turn right onto NJ 19 / Ward Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
6
10.5 mi into trip | ~17m in

Take the exit toward GSP South

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward GSP South
5
11.1 mi into trip | ~18m 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.
7
24.9 mi into trip | ~38m in

Take the exit toward Vauxhall Road

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 141 Toward Vauxhall Road

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.23 one way

$8.46 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $4.63 $9.26
premium $4.93 $4.95 $9.89
diesel $5.61 $5.63 $11.26

Estimated Tolls: $0.83

Garden State Parkway (13.8 mi) $0.83

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Tolls

$1

Total

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.9 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 7.6 0 $2.68 $1.22
Efficient EV 6.4 0 $2.23 $1.02
EV Truck/SUV 10.2 0 $3.57 $1.63

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 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 19, 2026

Origin

Franklin Lakes, NJ

Afternoon in Franklin Lakes on Sunday

Local time

12:21 PM

EDT

Current temp

47°F

Mostly Cloudy then Rain Showers Likely

SE 3 to 9 mph 64% chance Live forecast

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 18 at 9:05PM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Union, NJ

Afternoon in Union on Sunday

Local time

12:21 PM

EDT

Current temp

50°F

Cloudy then Patchy Fog

SE 5 to 10 mph 52% chance Live forecast

Freeze Watch

Freeze Watch issued April 18 at 9:05PM EDT until April 21 at 9:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

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

3 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

40m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

About 62% of this 25.5-mile drive is on highways, with the longest continuous stretch being 13.8 miles on the Garden State Parkway. You'll transition from highway driving to surface streets like Belmont Avenue and Ewing Avenue as you get closer to Union. Expect frequent exits and entrances as you navigate the highway sections.

62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.8 mi on Garden State Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and Belmont Avenue. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1 miles in near CR 502 / Ewing Avenue.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 13 decision points packed into just 25.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1 miles (CR 502 / Ewing Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (NJ 19 / Ward Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.

On the drive from Franklin Lakes, NJ to Union, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Gsp South along the way.

Gsp South

10.5 mi in | ~17m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 40m. Total distance: 25.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

40m 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 13.8 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.83 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.

Yes — we found about 7 rest areas or service plazas 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 Union, 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 1 miles (CR 502 / Ewing Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (NJ 19 / Ward Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 10.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park (4 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 Union, 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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