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Trip from Island Park, NY to Manhattan, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

49m

Distance

28.3 mi

46 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$5

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 45m ★
6 AM
0h 49m
8 AM
0h 57m
10 AM
0h 52m
12 PM
0h 51m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 57m
8 PM
0h 47m

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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Download GPX
Downtown Island Park, NY, NY

Island Park, NY

Mel Audelo

borough of New York City, New York, United States

Manhattan, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Island Park to Manhattan is 28.3 miles and takes about 49 minutes via Sunrise Highway and the Long Island Expressway, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a straightforward, same-day trip entirely within New York. You'll transition from suburban Long Island to the urban environment of Manhattan. Given the relatively short distance and duration, this route is easily manageable in a single day, with minimal planning required.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Sunrise Highway 5.1 mi 7m
Van Wyck Expressway 5 mi 6m
Long Island Expressway 4.4 mi 6m
Long Beach Road 3.3 mi 6m
Belt Parkway 2.3 mi 3m
Lincoln Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level 0.9 mi 2m
Queensboro Plaza 0.7 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Sunrise Highway — 5.1 mi, about 7m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Island Park, NY and Manhattan, NY.

1

Start on Long Beach Road

3.3 mi · 6 min · Long Beach Road
Use the right lane.
2

Turn slight left onto Lincoln Avenue

0.9 mi · 1 min · Lincoln Avenue
Use the left lane.
3

Turn slight right onto North Centre Avenue

200 ft · 6 sec · North Centre Avenue
4

Turn left onto NY 27

5.1 mi · 7 min · Sunrise Highway
Use the straight lane.
5

Take the exit

0.1 mi · 18 sec
Toward Belt Parkway West, Verrazano Bridge
6

Merge onto BP

1.8 mi · 2 min · Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight left at fork onto BP

0.4 mi · 39 sec · Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Exit 19 Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Keep slight left at fork

0.4 mi · 47 sec
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway
10

Keep slight left at fork

0.2 mi · 25 sec
11

Continue on I 678

5.0 mi · 6 min · Van Wyck Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
12

Take the exit

0.6 mi · 58 sec
Exit 12B Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel Use the slight right lane.
13

Merge onto I 495

4.4 mi · 6 min · Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

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.
15

Turn straight onto Laurel Hill Boulevard

80 ft · 2 sec · Laurel Hill Boulevard
16

Keep slight right at fork onto Hunters Point Avenue

0.4 mi · 1 min · Hunters Point Avenue
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17

Turn right onto Van Dam Street

0.4 mi · 1 min · Van Dam Street
18

Continue on Van Dam Street

113 ft · 8 sec · Van Dam Street
19

Turn left onto NY 25

0.4 mi · 35 sec · Queens Boulevard
20

Continue on NY 25

0.7 mi · 57 sec · Queensboro Plaza
21

Continue on NY 25

0.9 mi · 2 min · Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge Lower Level
22

Keep slight right at fork onto NY 25

317 ft · 11 sec · NY 25
Toward 60th Street West Use the slight right lane.
23

Turn left onto East 60th Street

0.1 mi · 28 sec · East 60th Street
24

Turn right onto 3rd Avenue

0.6 mi · 1 min · 3rd Avenue
Use the right lane.
25

Turn left onto East 72nd Street

0.3 mi · 40 sec · East 72nd Street
Use the left lane.
26

Turn right onto Madison Avenue

0.7 mi · 2 min · Madison Avenue
27

Turn left onto East 85th Street

507 ft · 12 sec · East 85th Street
28

Continue on 86th Street Transverse

0.4 mi · 1 min · 86th Street Transverse
Toward West Side
29

Arrive at destination

86th Street Transverse

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 20

5 decision points cluster between mile 11.3 and 26.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

6
11.3 mi into trip | ~18m in | BP / Belt Parkway

Keep slight left at fork onto BP / Belt Parkway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
11.8 mi into trip | ~18m in

Take the exit toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge

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 19 Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whites...
7
17.9 mi into trip | ~27m in

Take the exit toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 12B Toward I 495 West: Midtown Tunnel
8
22.9 mi into trip | ~35m 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...
7
26.1 mi into trip | ~42m 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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.60 one way

$9.20 round trip

$4.13/gal 25.4 MPG avg 10 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.47 $4.98 $9.96
premium $4.87 $5.42 $10.84
diesel $5.40 $6.02 $12.04

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$5

Estimated CO2 emission: 9.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 8.5 0 $2.97 $1.36
Efficient EV 7.1 0 $2.48 $1.13
EV Truck/SUV 11.3 0 $3.96 $1.81

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.

Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026

Origin

Island Park, NY

Morning in Island Park on Sunday

Local time

8:46 AM

EDT

Current temp

41°F

Rain Showers

E 14 mph 98% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Destination

Manhattan, NY

Morning in Manhattan on Sunday

Local time

8:46 AM

EDT

Current temp

43°F

Rain Showers

E 9 mph 97% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 1:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

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

2 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

49m 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 41% of this drive is on highways, including segments of Sunrise Highway and the Van Wyck Expressway. The longest continuous stretch on a single road is 5.1 miles on Sunrise Highway. You'll encounter a mix of highway cruising and surface streets as you approach and enter Manhattan. Expect frequent exits and changes in speed limits as you transition from expressway driving to city streets.

41% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
29 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.1 mi on Sunrise Highway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

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 11.3 miles in near BP / Belt Parkway.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 20 decision points packed into just 28.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 49m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 11.3 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17.9 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.

Between Island Park, NY and Manhattan, NY, road signs point toward Belt Parkway West and 60Th Street West.

Belt Parkway West

9.4 mi in | ~15m

60Th Street West

26.1 mi in | ~42m | via NY 25

About the Cities

Starting in Island Park, NY

Full guide →

Founded 1926

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 49m. Total distance: 28.3 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

49m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (41%). 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 5.1 miles on Sunrise Highway. 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 11.3 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 17.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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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