Origin
Melville, NY
Late night in Melville on Tuesday
Local time
5:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
55°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Melville, NY to Hempstead, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
16 mi
26 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 22m
★
6 AM
0h 24m
8 AM
0h 28m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 25m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 28m
8 PM
0h 22m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Melville, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This quick 16-mile drive from Melville to Hempstead, NY, is easily manageable in about 23 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a single-day trip. You'll primarily navigate the Northern State Parkway and Clinton Road. With a modest fuel cost estimate of $3, this is an economical option for getting between these two points within the Northeast region. The route's highway-focused profile means you'll spend a good portion of your time on faster roads. Consider this a straightforward transit that doesn't require an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Northern State Parkway | 11.3 mi | 14m |
| Clinton Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Clinton Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Meadowbrook State Parkway | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Old Country Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Walt Whitman Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Glen Cove Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
| Peninsula Boulevard | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Northern State Parkway
— 11.3 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Melville, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on NY 110
173 ft
·
4 sec
·
Broadhollow Road
2
Continue on NY 110
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Walt Whitman Road
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Toward N West: New York
4
Merge onto N
11 mi
·
14 min
·
Northern State Parkway
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Exit 31A
Toward M South: Jones Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
Exit 31A
Toward M: Jones Beach
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Continue on M
0.4 mi
·
31 sec
·
Meadowbrook State Parkway
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
Exit M1 W
Toward West Old Country Road, Mineola
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn right onto Old Country Road
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
·
Old Country Road
10
Turn left onto Glen Cove Road
0.1 mi
·
16 sec
·
Glen Cove Road
11
Continue on Clinton Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Clinton Road
12
Continue on Clinton Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Clinton Street
13
Turn slight right onto Peninsula Boulevard
118 ft
·
8 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
14
Continue on Peninsula Boulevard
109 ft
·
7 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
15
Arrive at destination
Peninsula Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 13 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Take the ramp toward N West: New York
Navigation decision point
Toward N West: New York
5
0.5 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
N / Northern State Parkway
Merge onto N / Northern State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
11.7 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward M South: Jones Beach
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 31A
Toward M South: Jones Beach
8
12.1 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Keep slight left at fork toward M: Jones Beach
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 31A
Toward M: Jones Beach
8
13 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward West Old Country Road, Mineola
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 M1 W
Toward West Old Country Road, Mineola
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.63 one way
$5.27 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.85 | $5.70 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.10 | $6.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.53 | $7.07 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.8 | 0 | $1.68 | $0.77 |
| Efficient EV | 4 | 0 | $1.40 | $0.64 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.4 | 0 | $2.24 | $1.02 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 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
Hempstead, NY
Late night in Hempstead on Tuesday
Local time
5:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 6 to 12 mph
3% chance
Live forecast
Flood Warning
Flood Warning issued April 15 at 11:57PM 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
28 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
23m 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?
Expect a highway-focused drive for most of this 16-mile journey, with 73% of the route utilizing major roadways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 11.3 miles on the Northern State Parkway, offering a consistent pace. While largely a highway experience, the inclusion of Clinton Road and Clinton Street suggests a transition to more local thoroughfares as you approach your destination. This blend provides a dynamic feel, moving from open parkway to potentially more built-up areas.
73% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 11.3 mi on Northern State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Northern State Parkway and Clinton Road. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 16 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (N / Northern State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 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.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Melville, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward M South: Jones Beach, M: Jones Beach and Mineola.
M South: Jones Beach
11.7 mi in
|
~15m
M: Jones Beach
12.1 mi in
|
~16m
Mineola
13 mi in
|
~18m
About the Cities
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 23m. Total distance: 16 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (73%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 11.3 miles on Northern State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 0.2 miles: Navigation decision point; at 0.5 miles (N / Northern State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 11.7 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Gateway National Recreation Area, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and General Grant National Memorial (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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