Origin
Mount Arlington, NJ
Morning in Mount Arlington on Sunday
Local time
6:04 AM
EDT
Current temp
40°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Mount Arlington, NJ to Clifton, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
45m
Distance
33.5 mi
54 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 42m
★
6 AM
0h 46m
8 AM
0h 53m
10 AM
0h 48m
12 PM
0h 48m
3 PM
0h 49m
5 PM
0h 53m
8 PM
0h 43m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Mount Arlington, NJ
Tom Fisk
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short 32-mile drive from Mount Arlington, NJ, to Clifton, NJ, will take you about 37 minutes to complete. It's a straightforward local journey, making it an ideal day trip. You'll navigate primarily on Howard Boulevard, Espanong Road, and Edison Road, with no highway driving involved. Budget around $5 for fuel. Given its brevity, this route offers a flexible and easy option for a quick regional hop within New Jersey. It’s a practical choice if you're looking for a direct and uncomplicated way to get from point A to point B without much fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 18.6 mi | 20m |
| US 46 | 4.5 mi | 5m |
| Rt 15 South | 3.7 mi | 5m |
| Howard Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Espanong Road | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Edison Road | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Van Houten Avenue | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Clifton Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Christopher Columbus Highway
— 18.6 mi, about 20m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Mount Arlington, NJ and Clifton, NJ.
1
Start on Mountainview Avenue
36 ft
·
4 sec
·
Mountainview Avenue
2
Turn right onto CR 615
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Howard Boulevard
3
Continue on CR 615
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Espanong Road
4
Turn right onto CR 615
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Edison Road
5
Keep slight right at fork onto Edison Road
379 ft
·
7 sec
·
Edison Road
6
Take the ramp
257 ft
·
7 sec
7
Merge onto NJ 15
3.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Rt 15 South
Use the right lane.
8
Take the exit
0.9 mi
·
1 min
Toward I 80 East: New York
9
Merge onto I 80
19 mi
·
20 min
·
Christopher Columbus Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
Exit 53
Toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunnel
Use the slight right lane.
11
Merge onto US 46
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
US 46
12
Continue on US 46
2.4 mi
·
2 min
·
US 46
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Take the exit
452 ft
·
16 sec
Toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, Passaic
Use the slight right lane.
14
At end of road, turn right onto CR 623
179 ft
·
9 sec
·
Grove Street
15
Turn left onto CR 614
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Van Houten Avenue
Use the left lane.
16
Turn right onto NJ 161
0.3 mi
·
46 sec
·
Clifton Avenue
17
Turn left onto St James Place
0.1 mi
·
31 sec
·
St James Place
18
Turn right onto Donna Drive
522 ft
·
28 sec
·
Donna Drive
19
Turn left onto Holly Street
516 ft
·
22 sec
·
Holly Street
20
Arrive at destination
Holly Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 33.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 16.8 miles from Mount Arlington, NJ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 165 decision points cluster between mile 3.8 and 32 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
3.8 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
NJ 15 / Rt 15 South
Merge onto NJ 15 / Rt 15 South
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
8.3 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
I 80 / Christopher Columbus Highway
Merge onto I 80 / Christopher Columbus Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
26.9 mi into trip
|
~35m in
Take the exit toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunnel
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 53
Toward US 46 East: Wayne, Clifton, Lincoln Tunn...
7
31.9 mi into trip
|
~41m in
Take the exit toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, Passaic
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton...
5
32 mi into trip
|
~41m in
|
CR 623 / Grove Street
At end of road, turn right onto CR 623 / Grove Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.55 one way
$11.11 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
12 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $6.08 | $12.17 |
| premium | $4.93 | $6.50 | $12.99 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.40 | $14.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 10 | 0 | $3.52 | $1.61 |
| Efficient EV | 8.4 | 0 | $2.93 | $1.34 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.4 | 0 | $4.69 | $2.14 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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
Clifton, NJ
Morning in Clifton on Sunday
Local time
6:04 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms
N 8 mph
54% chance
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
39 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
45m 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 turn-heavy local drive for this 32-mile trip, with a 0% highway share. The route is characterized by frequent turns and local road navigation, rather than long, uninterrupted stretches. You'll be driving on Howard Boulevard, Espanong Road, and Edison Road for the entire duration. There's no single 'longest stretch' to mention as the drive is composed of many smaller segments. This means you'll be actively steering and navigating through various local areas for the full 37 minutes of travel time.
Only 24% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 18.6 mi on Christopher Columbus Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 3.8 miles in near NJ 15 / Rt 15 South.
Driving Effort
9/10
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 16 decision points packed into just 33.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 45m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles (NJ 15 / Rt 15 South): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (I 80 / Christopher Columbus Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Arriving in Clifton, NJ
Full guide →Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
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 45m. Total distance: 33.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
45m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 18.6 miles on Christopher Columbus 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 Clifton, 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 3.8 miles (NJ 15 / Rt 15 South): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.3 miles (I 80 / Christopher Columbus Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 26.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park (5 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 Clifton, 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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