Origin
Inwood, NY
Morning in Inwood on Sunday
Local time
9:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Inwood, NY to Hempstead, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
24.1 mi
39 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 36m
★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Inwood, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 24.1-mile drive from Inwood, NY, to Hempstead, NY, is a quick trip, estimated to take around 38 minutes. With a modest fuel cost of about $4, it's an easy day trip. The route offers a mixed driving experience, with 59% of it on highways, making it a straightforward journey within the Northeast region. You won't need to break this up into multiple days; it's a convenient hop that can be completed in a single outing. Consider this a practical option for getting between these two New York locations without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Bronx Expressway | 6.1 mi | 8m |
| Clearview Expressway | 5 mi | 5m |
| Tulip Avenue | 2 mi | 3m |
| Throgs Neck Bridge | 2 mi | 3m |
| Hempstead Turnpike | 2 mi | 3m |
| Braddock Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Broadway | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Front Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Cross Bronx Expressway
— 6.1 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Inwood, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on US 9
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Broadway
Use the straight lane.
2
Turn left onto West 183rd Street
311 ft
·
17 sec
·
West 183rd Street
3
Turn right onto Wadsworth Avenue
489 ft
·
22 sec
·
Wadsworth Avenue
4
Turn left onto West 181st Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
West 181st Street
5
Continue on Washington Bridge
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Washington Bridge
Use the straight lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
Toward I 95 North: Cross Bronx Expressway, New England, Eastern Long Island
7
Merge onto I 95; US 1
4.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Cross Bronx Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Cross Bronx Expressway
Exit 6B
Toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
9
Merge onto I 295
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
Throgs Neck Expressway
10
Continue on I 295
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Throgs Neck Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Continue on I 295
5.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Clearview Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Turn left onto NY 25
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Hillside Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto NY 25
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Braddock Avenue
14
Turn left onto NY 25
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Jamaica Avenue
15
Continue on NY 25
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Jericho Turnpike
16
Turn slight right onto Tulip Avenue
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Tulip Avenue
Use the right lane.
17
Turn right onto New Hyde Park Road
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
New Hyde Park Road
18
Turn left onto NY 24
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Hempstead Turnpike
Use the left lane.
19
Turn slight right onto NY 102
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Front Street
Use the right lane.
20
Turn right onto Greenwich Street
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Greenwich Street
Use the right lane.
21
Turn left onto Peninsula Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Arrive at destination
Peninsula Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 23.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Wadsworth Avenue
Turn right onto Wadsworth Avenue
Navigation decision point
8
6.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway
Keep slight right at fork onto I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 6B
Toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge
6
16 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
NY 25 / Hillside Avenue
Turn left onto NY 25 / Hillside Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
21 mi into trip
|
~33m in
|
NY 24 / Hempstead Turnpike
Turn left onto NY 24 / Hempstead Turnpike
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
23.8 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Greenwich Street
Turn right onto Greenwich Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.97 one way
$7.93 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $4.29 | $8.58 |
| premium | $4.92 | $4.67 | $9.34 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.32 | $10.64 |
Estimated Tolls: $6.73
Throgs Neck Bridge
$6.55
Hempstead Turnpike
(2 mi)
$0.14
Jericho Turnpike
(0.5 mi)
$0.04
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$7
Total
$11
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.53 | $1.16 |
| Efficient EV | 6 | 0 | $2.11 | $0.96 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.6 | 0 | $3.37 | $1.54 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Morning in Hempstead on Sunday
Local time
9:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°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
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
38m 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 nearly 60% of the journey utilizing highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 6.1 miles along the Cross Bronx Expressway. This indicates a significant portion of your drive will be on faster-paced roads, likely with more consistent traffic. The transition from expressways to roads like Tulip Avenue suggests a shift in environment as you approach your destination. It's not a purely scenic route, but rather a functional path connecting points.
59% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.1 mi on Cross Bronx 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 1.2 miles in near Wadsworth Avenue.
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 24.1 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 1.2 miles (Wadsworth Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 6.4 miles (I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles (NY 25 / Hillside Avenue): 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.
Between Inwood, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward New England and Eastern Long Island.
New England
1.9 mi in
|
~4m
Eastern Long Island
1.9 mi in
|
~4m
About the Cities
Starting in Inwood, 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: 24.1 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 (59%). 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 6.1 miles on Cross Bronx Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $6.73 in tolls one way, starting with Throgs Neck Bridge. 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 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 1.2 miles (Wadsworth Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 6.4 miles (I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 16 miles (NY 25 / Hillside Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant 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 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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