Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
29.9 mi
48 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
6 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Islip Terrace, NY
Wikimedia Commons
If you are looking to travel from Islip Terrace to Hempstead, you are looking at a quick, 29.9-mile journey across Long Island. Expect to spend about 39 minutes behind the wheel, making this an ideal day trip that requires no overnight stays. You will primarily utilize the Southern State Parkway, Heckscher State Parkway, and Sunrise Highway to complete your transit. With a modest fuel cost of just $5, this route is highly efficient for commuters or those running local errands. Since both locations are situated within the Northeast, you will experience a consistent regional feel throughout the entire drive. It is a straightforward, practical trip that gets you from point A to point B without any necessary stops.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 17.5 mi | 21m |
| Heckscher State Parkway | 6.9 mi | 8m |
| Sunrise Highway | 2 mi | 2m |
| Montauk Highway | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Nassau Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Greenwich Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Henry Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Peninsula Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Islip Terrace, NY and Hempstead, NY.
Start on NY 27
Take the exit
Turn right onto NY 27A
Take the ramp
Merge onto H
Continue on SO
Keep slight left at fork onto SO
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Turn right onto Nassau Road
Continue on Greenwich Street
Turn right onto Henry Street
Turn right onto Peninsula Boulevard
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 2 and 28 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Take the exit toward NY 27A, CR 85: Montauk Highway, Oakdale, Great River
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Merge onto H / Heckscher State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto SO / Southern State Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
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
Keep slight right at fork toward Uniondale
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.92 one way
$9.84 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $5.32 | $10.64 |
| premium | $4.92 | $5.80 | $11.59 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.60 | $13.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.5 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 | 9 | 0 | $3.14 | $1.44 |
| Efficient EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.62 | $1.20 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12 | 0 | $4.19 | $1.91 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Late night in Islip Terrace on Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Mostly Cloudy
Destination
Late night in Hempstead on Tuesday
Local time
5:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Mostly Cloudy then Isolated Rain Showers
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
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 highway-focused drive is characterized by its high-speed efficiency, with 82% of the journey spent on major thoroughfares. You will find yourself settling into a steady rhythm, particularly during the longest uninterrupted stretch of 17.5 miles along the Southern State Parkway. The road experience is functional and direct, lacking the technical turns or slow-moving local traffic of backroads. Because the route is so heavily dominated by parkways and highways, you can expect a consistent flow of traffic as you navigate across the region. It is a no-nonsense commute that prioritizes speed and reliability over winding, scenic detours.
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 2 miles in.
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 29.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 3.5 miles (H / Heckscher State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.5 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Islip Terrace, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward Cr 85: Montauk Highway, Oakdale, Great River, To Ny 27: Southern Parkway West, New York and Freeport - among others.
Cr 85: Montauk Highway
Oakdale
Great River
To Ny 27: Southern Parkway West
New York
Freeport
Uniondale
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 29.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (82%). 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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