Origin
Newark, NJ
Morning in Newark on Saturday
Local time
6:24 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Newark, NJ to Rockaway, NJ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
32m
Distance
24.5 mi
39 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 30m
★
6 AM
0h 32m
8 AM
0h 38m
10 AM
0h 34m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Newark, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Rockaway, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Newark, NJ to Rockaway, NJ covers 24.5 miles and takes about 32m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Essex Freeway, Christopher Columbus Highway, Raymond Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.5 miles on Essex Freeway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.21 one way before food or hotel costs.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Essex Freeway | 12.5 mi | 15m |
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 8.3 mi | 9m |
| Raymond Boulevard | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Orange Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Lock Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Church Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Green Pond Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Market Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Essex Freeway
— 12.5 mi, about 15m
Traffic on I-80
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 98 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
2 PM
~5,372 veh/hr typical · worst 6,289
Quietest
1 AM
~483 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.1×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a
6a
noon
6p
11p
Averaged across 96 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Newark, NJ and Rockaway, NJ.
1
Start on CR 510
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Market Street
2
Turn right
217 ft
·
7 sec
3
Turn straight onto Washington Street
0.1 mi
·
20 sec
·
Washington Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Turn left onto Raymond Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Raymond Boulevard
5
Continue on Lock Street
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
·
Lock Street
6
Continue on Nesbitt Street
0.1 mi
·
24 sec
·
Nesbitt Street
7
Turn left onto Orange Street
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
Orange Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 280 West: Garden State Parkway
Use the left lane.
9
Merge onto I 280
13 mi
·
15 min
·
Essex Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.5 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 280 West, I 80 West
11
Merge onto I 80
8.3 mi
·
9 min
·
Christopher Columbus Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
12
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
28 sec
Exit 37
Toward CR 513: Hibernia, Rockaway
Use the slight right lane.
13
Keep slight right at fork
177 ft
·
4 sec
Toward CR 513 South: Main Street, Rockaway
Use the left / right lanes.
14
Turn slight right onto CR 513
0.3 mi
·
28 sec
·
Green Pond Road
Use the right lane.
15
Turn straight onto CR 513
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Hibernia Avenue
16
Continue on CR 513
491 ft
·
8 sec
·
Halsey Avenue
17
Turn slight right onto CR 513
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Church Street
18
Continue on CR 513
349 ft
·
7 sec
·
Wall Street
19
At end of road, turn right onto CR 513
137 ft
·
4 sec
·
West Main Street
20
Turn right
46 ft
·
3 sec
21
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 1.2 and 23.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
1.2 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
Orange Street
Turn left onto Orange Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
Take the ramp toward I 280 West: Garden State Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward I 280 West: Garden State Parkway
6
14.5 mi into trip
|
~20m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 280 West, I 80 West
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward I 280 West, I 80 West
8
23.3 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Take the exit toward CR 513: Hibernia, Rockaway
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 37
Toward CR 513: Hibernia, Rockaway
9
23.5 mi into trip
|
~30m in
Keep slight right at fork toward CR 513 South: Main Street, Rockaway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward CR 513 South: Main Street, Rockaway
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.21 one way
$8.42 round trip
$4.37/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $4.62 | $9.24 |
| premium | $5.13 | $4.95 | $9.89 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $5.76 | $11.51 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.57 | $1.18 |
| Efficient EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.43 | $1.57 |
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
Rockaway, NJ
Morning in Rockaway on Saturday
Local time
6:24 AM
EDT
Current temp
75°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
9 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
32m 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?
24.5 mi in 32m — 51% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: Essex Freeway.
51% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 12.5 mi on Essex Freeway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.2 miles in near Orange Street.
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 13 decision points packed into just 24.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 32m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.2 miles (Orange Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
559 ft
32 ft
Total Climb
901 ft
Total Descent
374 ft
Highest Point
559 ft
~24.5 mi in
Elevation Range
527 ft
About the Cities
Starting in Newark, NJ
Full guide →Founded 1666
Newark is New Jersey's largest city and second largest in Metro New York. Although one of the great historic cities of the Northeast and the most culture-rich city in the state, Newark is often overlooked in favor of Goliath-like Manhattan and towns along the Hudson River, such as Jersey City and Hoboken. While no longer the industrial powerhouse it once was, Newark remains one of America's major shipping, rail, and air hubs. Public transportation is abundant, making it easy to get to, from, and around the city. Newark has been economically disadvantaged for some time, and suffers from a bad reputation, often informed by negative stereotyping. Thanks in large part to a nationally high-profile mayor (Cory Booker, now a U.S.
Top landmarks
- • Newark Liberty International Airport — international airport in Newark, New Jersey
- • Newark Penn Station — railway station in Newark, New Jersey, United States
- • Cathedral Basilica of the Sacred Heart — cathedral in Newark, New Jersey
Arriving in Rockaway, NJ
Full guide →Founded 1894
Rockaway is a city in New Jersey. It is the common name for the area made up of Rockaway Township and Rockaway Boro. It's in the northern central part of the state and part of Morris County. Rockaway is home to close to 30,000 residents. The area is largely suburban and residential, and has a lot of rural land as well. Rockaway Townsquare Mall, in the Township section, is home to one of New Jersey's largest shopping centers.
Top landmarks
- • Joseph Jackson House — historic house in Rockaway, 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 32m. Total distance: 24.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
32m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (51%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 12.5 miles on Essex Freeway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 3 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 Rockaway, 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 1.2 miles (Orange Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 14.5 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Rockaway, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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