Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
14 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Queens, NY
Wikimedia Commons
If you are planning a quick trip from Hempstead to Queens, you will cover 14 miles in approximately 24 minutes. This route is designed for efficiency, relying heavily on the Southern State Parkway, Rockaway Boulevard, and the Belt Parkway. Given the short duration, you can easily complete this drive in a single day without needing an overnight stay. Expect to spend roughly $2 on fuel for the entire journey. Whether you are commuting or heading to the city for the day, this highway-focused path provides a straightforward connection between these two Northeast locations.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 5.3 mi | 7m |
| Rockaway Boulevard | 3.2 mi | 7m |
| Belt Parkway | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| Peninsula Boulevard | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| North Conduit Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 103rd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Liberty Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 104th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Hempstead, NY and Queens, NY.
Start on Peninsula Boulevard
Continue on Peninsula Boulevard
Take the ramp
Merge onto SO
Continue on BP
Keep slight right at fork onto BP
Take the exit
Turn straight onto NY 27
Turn right onto Rockaway Boulevard
Keep slight left at fork onto Rockaway Boulevard
Turn right onto 103rd Street
Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
Turn right onto 104th Street
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 1.6 and 11.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Merge onto SO / Southern State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight right at fork onto BP / Belt Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Rockaway Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto Rockaway Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto Rockaway Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$2.30 one way
$4.61 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.49 | $4.98 |
| premium | $4.92 | $2.71 | $5.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.09 | $6.18 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.47 | $0.67 |
| Efficient EV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.22 | $0.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.96 | $0.90 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Hempstead on Sunday
Local time
3:44 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Partly Cloudy
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
Destination
Late night in Queens on Sunday
Local time
3:44 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
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.
This 14-mile trek is defined by its high-speed character, with 61% of the drive spent on highways. You will experience a mix of parkway driving and arterial road navigation as you transition between regions. The longest uninterrupted segment you will encounter is a 5.3-mile stretch along the Southern State Parkway. Because the route is concentrated on transit corridors, it functions primarily as a functional commute rather than a leisurely scenic tour. You should be prepared for a consistent pace as you move through these busy Northeast corridors.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Southern State Parkway and Rockaway Boulevard. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.6 miles in near SO / Southern State Parkway.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 14 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 24m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.6 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.2 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
50 ft
Total Descent
70 ft
Highest Point
55 ft
Elevation Range
45 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Hempstead, NY to Queens, NY, road signs begin pointing toward So West: New York along the way.
So West: New York
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
Founded 1683
Queens is a crescent-shaped (with a tail) borough traversing the north-to-south width of Long Island and including two of the major New York City area airports, LaGuardia (LGA IATA) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK IATA). It also carries the largest ethnic diversity in its area of any region in the world, with many small enclaves. Jackson Heights, for example, includes a huge Indian area, followed by a Colombian area, and then a Mexican area. Each offers a wide array of authentic shops, native-style cuisine, and festivals modified only slightly by the generally colder New York City experience.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 24m. Total distance: 14 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (61%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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