Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
6h 44m
Distance
330.5 mi
532 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$54
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Manhattan, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Houghton, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
This 330.5-mile drive from Manhattan to Houghton, NY, will take you approximately 6 hours and 44 minutes of driving time. Primarily utilizing major highways like I-86 and I-81, about 75% of this route is on the highway, making it a straightforward, highway-focused journey. Given the duration and distance, this trip is comfortably manageable as a single-day drive. The estimated fuel cost for this trip is around $54, so plan accordingly. You'll be staying within the Northeast region throughout your travels.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
165.3 miles from Manhattan, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 25m into the drive .
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| I 86 | 100 mi | 1h 56m |
| I 81 | 58.1 mi | 1h 9m |
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 44.6 mi | 52m |
| Southern Tier Expressway | 36.5 mi | 42m |
| I 380 | 27.7 mi | 30m |
| Keystone Shortway | 17.3 mi | 24m |
| US 46 | 10.8 mi | 12m |
| NJ 3 | 10.2 mi | 12m |
Step-by-step road directions between Manhattan, NY and Houghton, NY.
Start on 86th Street Transverse
Continue on West 86th Street
Turn left onto Columbus Avenue
Continue on 9th Avenue
Turn right onto West 41st Street
Turn left onto Galvin Avenue
Take the ramp
Merge onto NY 495
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto NJ 3
Merge onto US 46
Take the exit
Continue on I 80W
Take the exit
Merge onto I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Keep slight left at fork onto I 80
Take the exit
Continue on I 380
Merge onto I 81
Keep slight left at fork onto I 86; NY 17
Keep slight right at fork onto I 86; NY 17
Take the exit
Turn right onto Peacock Hill Road
At end of road, turn left onto East Main Street
Enter roundabout onto West Main Street
Continue on West Main Street
Continue on CR 16
Turn right onto NY 19
Continue on NY 19
Arrive at destination
To make the most of this 6-hour, 44-minute drive, consider departing Manhattan early in the morning to avoid city traffic. With only one recommended stop and a longest stretch of 100 miles, you can easily complete this drive in a single day. Pace your breaks to coincide with your comfort level, perhaps stopping around the halfway point. Keep an eye on your fuel, especially on the longer highway stretches, and utilize the services available along I-86 and I-81. A good tip for this route is to download offline maps, as cell service can be spotty on some of the more rural highway segments.
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 73 miles or 1h 34m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 165.3 miles or 3h 25m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 5h 28m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Houghton, NY than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Manhattan, NY so your first major turns are already loaded.
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Manhattan, NY
This is one driving day of about 330.5 miles and 6h 44m.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
165 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 73 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 165.3 miles from Manhattan, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before I 86 if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 100 miles.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.4 and 315.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Columbus Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto West 41st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Take the ramp toward I 495 West: Lincoln Tunnel, New Jersey
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward NJ 3 West: Clifton
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Enter roundabout onto West Main Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
Regular Gas
$54.40 one way
$108.80 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $58.83 | $117.65 |
| premium | $4.92 | $64.06 | $128.11 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $72.97 | $145.94 |
Estimated Tolls: $16.00
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$54
Tolls
$16
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$95–$120
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 115.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $35 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 99.1 | 1 | $34.70 | $15.86 |
| Efficient EV | 82.6 | 0 | $28.92 | $13.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 132.2 | 1 | $46.27 | $21.15 |
Gas CO2
116 kg
EV CO2
39 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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 Manhattan on Sunday
Local time
12:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
86°F
Sunny
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 14 at 12:03PM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY
Destination
Late night in Houghton on Sunday
Local time
12:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
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Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
Expect a highway-centric experience for most of this journey. With 75% of the drive on high-speed roads, it’s designed for efficient travel. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 100 miles on I-86, offering a significant period of uninterrupted driving. While the profile is highway-focused, keep in mind that transitions between these main arteries, like the Christopher Columbus Highway, will occur. This route prioritizes getting you to your destination smoothly rather than offering extensive scenic detours.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 86 and I 81. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.4 miles in near Columbus Avenue.
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 25 significant decision points across 330.5 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.4 miles (Columbus Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.6 miles (West 41st Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Manhattan, NY and Houghton, NY, road signs point toward Del Water Gap and Mahwah.
Del Water Gap
Mahwah
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 6h 44m. Total distance: 330.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
6h 44m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
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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