Origin
Glen Head, NY
Morning in Glen Head on Tuesday
Local time
9:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Glen Head, NY to Manhattan, 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
45m
Distance
26.3 mi
42 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Glen Head, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 26.3-mile drive from Glen Head, NY, to Manhattan, NY, is a straightforward trip that can easily be accomplished in about 45 minutes. It's an ideal day trip, so no overnight stays are necessary. The route primarily utilizes the Long Island Expressway and Northern Boulevard, with a 56% highway share, making it a relatively quick journey. Budget around $4 for fuel. This drive takes you from the Northeast region of New York into the bustling heart of Manhattan, offering a smooth transition from suburban to urban environments.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 14.7 mi | 20m |
| Northern Boulevard | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Greenvale Glen Cove Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Searingtown Road | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Queensboro Plaza | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Madison Avenue | 0.7 mi | 2m |
| 3rd Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 14.7 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Glen Head, NY and Manhattan, NY.
1
Start on this road
59 ft
·
9 sec
·
this road
2
At end of road, turn left onto Glen Head Road
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Glen Head Road
3
Turn slight right
139 ft
·
4 sec
4
Turn slight right onto Greenvale Glen Cove Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Greenvale Glen Cove Road
5
Continue on Glen Cove Road
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Glen Cove Road
6
Turn right onto NY 25A
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Northern Boulevard
Use the right lane.
7
Turn left onto Searingtown Road
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Searingtown Road
Use the left lane.
8
Turn right onto North Service Road
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
North Service Road
Use the right lane.
9
Take the ramp
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward I 495 West: New York
10
Merge onto I 495
15 mi
·
20 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard
80 ft
·
2 sec
·
Laurel Hill Boulevard
13
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
14
Turn right onto Van Dam Street
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Dam Street
15
Continue on Van Dam Street
113 ft
·
8 sec
·
Van Dam Street
16
Turn left onto NY 25
0.4 mi
·
35 sec
·
Queens Boulevard
17
Continue on NY 25
0.7 mi
·
57 sec
·
Queensboro Plaza
18
Continue on NY 25
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
19
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25
317 ft
·
11 sec
·
NY 25
Toward 60th Street West
Use the slight right lane.
20
Turn left onto East 60th Street
0.1 mi
·
28 sec
·
East 60th Street
21
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
22
Turn left onto East 72nd Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
23
Turn right onto Madison Avenue
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
Madison Avenue
24
Turn left onto East 85th Street
507 ft
·
12 sec
·
East 85th Street
25
Continue on 86th Street Transverse
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
26
Arrive at destination
86th Street Transverse
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 6 and 24.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
6 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
North Service Road
Turn right onto North Service Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
8
20.9 mi into trip
|
~31m in
Take the exit toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point Avenue, Greenpoint Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 16
Toward Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, Hunters Point...
6
21.3 mi into trip
|
~32m in
|
Hunters Point Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
7
24.1 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
NY 25
Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25 toward 60th Street West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Toward 60th Street West
6
24.3 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
3rd Avenue
Turn right onto 3rd Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.33 one way
$8.66 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $4.68 | $9.36 |
| premium | $4.92 | $5.10 | $10.19 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.81 | $11.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.2 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 | 7.9 | 0 | $2.76 | $1.26 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.30 | $1.05 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.68 | $1.68 |
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.
Destination
Manhattan, NY
Morning in Manhattan on Tuesday
Local time
9:48 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°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
1 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
45m 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 mixed drive on this route, with a significant portion, 56%, being on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 14.7 miles on the Long Island Expressway, providing a good opportunity to maintain a steady pace. As you progress, the character of the drive will shift from the more open highway to more varied local roads as you approach your destination. This blend means you'll experience both efficient travel and the increasing complexity of urban navigation.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
26 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.7 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
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 6 miles in near North Service Road.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 16 decision points packed into just 26.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 6 miles (North Service Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 20.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 21.3 miles (Hunters Point Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 Glen Head, NY to Manhattan, NY, road signs begin pointing toward 60Th Street West along the way.
60Th Street West
24.1 mi in
|
~38m
|
via NY 25
About the Cities
Starting in Glen Head, NY
Full guide →Arriving in Manhattan, NY
Full guide →Founded 1624
Wall Street. Madison Avenue. 34th Street. Broadway. Times Square. Manhattan is so well known that even the names of its streets have become iconic and understood the world over. This long, thin island is only one of New York City's five boroughs, but it's Manhattan that has the concrete canyons and the inimitable skyline; Manhattan that has the world's brightest theater district; Manhattan that has Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building, and the Met; and Manhattan that includes iconic neighborhoods like Harlem, the Upper East Side, Times Square, and Greenwich Village. The rest of New York City has much to see and do, but it's Manhattan that represents the city—and sometimes the entire United States—to the world. You could spend a month on this tiny island and still not see all there is to see.
Top landmarks
- • Empire State Building — skyscraper located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, USA
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 45m. Total distance: 26.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 14.7 miles on Long Island Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Manhattan, 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 6 miles (North Service Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 20.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 21.3 miles (Hunters Point Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — General Grant National Memorial, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument (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 Manhattan, 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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