Origin
Great River, NY
Late night in Great River on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Great River, NY to Hempstead, 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
38m
Distance
28.5 mi
46 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
5 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Great River, NY
Mel Audelo
Trip Overview
If you are looking to travel from Great River to Hempstead, you are in for a quick 28.5-mile journey across Long Island. Expect to spend about 38 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stay. With a modest fuel budget of approximately $5, this route is highly efficient for commuters or casual travelers. You will spend the vast majority of your time on parkways, keeping the transit time predictable. Since both locations are situated within the Northeast, you will experience a consistent regional atmosphere throughout the entire drive.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 17.5 mi | 21m |
| Heckscher State Parkway | 8.1 mi | 10m |
| Nassau Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Greenwich Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Henry Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| River Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Woodhollow Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Peninsula Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Southern State Parkway
— 17.5 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Great River, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on New Street
52 ft
·
7 sec
·
New Street
2
Turn left onto Woodhollow Road
0.2 mi
·
55 sec
·
Woodhollow Road
3
Turn right onto River Road
0.3 mi
·
43 sec
·
River Road
4
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward Heckscher Parkway west
5
Merge onto H
8.1 mi
·
10 min
·
Heckscher State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on SO
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
·
Southern State Parkway
7
Keep slight left at fork onto SO
17 mi
·
21 min
·
Southern State Parkway
Use the slight left lane.
8
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 21
Toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
Use the slight right lane.
9
Keep slight right at fork
163 ft
·
5 sec
Toward Uniondale
Use the right lane.
10
Turn right onto Nassau Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Nassau Road
Use the right lane.
11
Continue on Greenwich Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Greenwich Street
12
Turn right onto Henry Street
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Henry Street
Use the right lane.
13
Turn right onto Peninsula Boulevard
64 ft
·
1 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
14
Arrive at destination
Peninsula Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 26.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
H / Heckscher State Parkway
Merge onto H / Heckscher State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
9 mi into trip
|
~12m in
|
SO / Southern State Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto SO / Southern State Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
8
26.4 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Take the exit toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
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 21
Toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
8
26.6 mi into trip
|
~34m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Uniondale
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward Uniondale
5
26.6 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
Nassau Road
Turn right onto Nassau Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.69 one way
$9.38 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $5.07 | $10.15 |
| premium | $4.92 | $5.52 | $11.05 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.29 | $12.58 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.99 | $1.37 |
| Efficient EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.49 | $1.14 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.4 | 0 | $3.99 | $1.82 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Hempstead, NY
Late night in Hempstead on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Partly Cloudy
NE 5 to 8 mph
6% chance
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
7 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
38m 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?
This trip is heavily highway-focused, with 90% of your time spent on major parkways like the Southern State and Heckscher State systems. You will spend the bulk of your journey on the Southern State Parkway, which features a long, uninterrupted 17.5-mile stretch that defines the core of the drive. While the parkways offer a fast-paced environment, the final portion of the trip transitions onto Nassau Road to reach your destination. Expect a streamlined experience that prioritizes speed and directness over winding scenic detours. It is a straightforward, functional drive that relies on consistent highway flow.
90% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 17.5 mi on Southern State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Southern State Parkway and Heckscher State Parkway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in near H / Heckscher State Parkway.
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 10 decision points packed into just 28.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 38m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (H / Heckscher State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. 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 Great River, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward Freeport and Uniondale.
Freeport
26.4 mi in
|
~34m
Uniondale
26.6 mi in
|
~34m
About the Cities
Starting in Great River, NY
Full guide →Arriving in Hempstead, NY
Full guide →Hempstead is the most populous town in America, with a whopping 700,000 residents, located on the South Shore of Nassau County, New York. The town is highly urbanized and fragmented, containing 22 semi-autonomous villages within its boundaries, and forty other neighborhoods. Garden City, encompassing the "Nassau Hub" region, has its own article. The other prominent communities in Hempstead include Floral Park, Hempstead Village, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and the Five Towns area.
Top landmarks
- • Mitchel Air Force Base — US Air Force base in Long Island, New York
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 38m. Total distance: 28.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (90%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 17.5 miles on Southern State Parkway. 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 Hempstead, 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 0.8 miles (H / Heckscher State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area and General Grant 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 Hempstead, 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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