Origin
Lakewood, NJ
Late night in Lakewood on Monday
Local time
3:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Lakewood, NJ to Monmouth Beach, NJ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 7, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
24.7 mi
40 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 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
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.
Lakewood, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Monmouth Beach, NJ
David Kanigan
Trip Overview
Lakewood to Monmouth Beach is 24.7 miles and takes about 37m via Garden State Parkway and NJ 36, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Given its brevity, this drive is ideal for a quick excursion or a segment of a longer New Jersey exploration. You'll find it's a straightforward route with minimal time commitment, perfect for a day trip.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 7.1 mi | 8m |
| NJ 36 | 5.5 mi | 8m |
| Lakewood Farmingdale Road | 4.2 mi | 6m |
| Central Jersey Expressway | 2.3 mi | 2m |
| Squankum Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Ocean Boulevard North | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Riverdale Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| NJ 138 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 7.1 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Lakewood, NJ and Monmouth Beach, NJ.
1
Start on 8th Street
46 ft
·
4 sec
·
8th Street
2
Turn right onto US 9; CR 547
360 ft
·
11 sec
·
Madison Avenue
3
Turn right onto CR 547
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
9th Street
4
Continue on CR 547
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Squankum Road
5
Continue on CR 547
4.2 mi
·
6 min
·
Lakewood Farmingdale Road
Use the left lane.
6
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
47 sec
Toward I 195 East: Shore Points
Use the slight right lane.
7
Merge onto I 195
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Central Jersey Expressway
8
Continue on NJ 138
0.4 mi
·
27 sec
·
NJ 138
9
Take the exit
432 ft
·
10 sec
Exit 36
Toward GSR North
Use the right lane.
10
Continue on this road
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
this road
11
Keep slight right at fork
89 ft
·
2 sec
Toward GSP North
Use the straight / left lanes.
12
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward GSP North
Use the straight lane.
13
Keep slight left at fork onto Garden State Parkway
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Toward GSP North
14
Merge onto GSP
5.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
31 sec
16
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
17
Merge onto GSP
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Garden State Parkway
18
Take the exit onto Exit 105
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
Exit 105
Exit 105
Toward NJ 36 North, NJ 18 North: Eatontown, Long Branch, New Brunswick
Use the slight right lane.
19
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
Toward NJ 36 North: Eatontown, Long Branch
20
Continue on this road
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
this road
Toward NJ 36 North: Eatontown, Long Branch
21
Merge onto NJ 36
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
NJ 36
Use the left lane.
22
Turn left onto NJ 36
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Ocean Boulevard North
23
Turn left
246 ft
·
24 sec
24
Turn sharp right onto Riverdale Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Riverdale Avenue
25
Arrive at destination
Riverdale Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 175 decision points cluster between mile 8.8 and 17.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
8.8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward GSR North
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Exit 36
Toward GSR North
8
9 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Keep slight right at fork toward GSP North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward GSP North
8
9 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Keep slight left at fork toward GSP North
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Toward GSP North
8
16.8 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
Exit 105
Take the exit onto Exit 105 toward NJ 36 North, NJ 18 North: Eatontown, Long Branch, New Brunswick
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 105
Toward NJ 36 North, NJ 18 North: Eatontown, Lon...
6
17.1 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Keep slight left at fork toward NJ 36 North: Eatontown, Long Branch
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward NJ 36 North: Eatontown, Long Branch
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.13 one way
$8.25 round trip
$4.24/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.67 | $4.54 | $9.08 |
| premium | $5.01 | $4.87 | $9.75 |
| diesel | $5.60 | $5.44 | $10.89 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.43
Garden State Parkway
(7.1 mi)
$0.43
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$0
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.59 | $1.19 |
| Efficient EV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.16 | $0.99 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.46 | $1.58 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% 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
Monmouth Beach, NJ
Late night in Monmouth Beach on Monday
Local time
3:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
64°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
37m 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?
This drive is mostly highway, with 62% of it on roads like the Garden State Parkway. You'll experience a longest stretch of 7.1 miles on the Garden State Parkway before transitioning to surface roads like NJ 36 and Lakewood Farmingdale Road. Expect a consistent cruising pace for a significant portion of the trip, with more local traffic and intersections as you approach your destination.
62% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
25 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.1 mi on Garden State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
10/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and NJ 36. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 8.8 miles in.
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 17 decision points packed into just 24.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 37m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 8.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
139 ft
4 ft
Total Climb
175 ft
Total Descent
244 ft
Highest Point
139 ft
~15.9 mi in
Elevation Range
135 ft
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 Lakewood, NJ and Monmouth Beach, NJ, road signs point toward Gsr North, Gsp North, Long Branch and New Brunswick.
Gsr North
8.8 mi in
|
~13m
Gsp North
9 mi in
|
~13m
Long Branch
16.8 mi in
|
~23m
|
via Exit 105
New Brunswick
16.8 mi in
|
~23m
|
via Exit 105
About the Cities
Starting in Lakewood, NJ
Full guide →Lakewood is a town in Ocean County, New Jersey.
Top landmarks
- • Georgian Court University — Private university in Lakewood Township, New Jersey. United States
Arriving in Monmouth Beach, NJ
Full guide →Founded 1906
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 37m. Total distance: 24.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (62%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.1 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.43 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. 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 Monmouth Beach, NJ 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 8.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Monmouth Beach, NJ 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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