Origin
North Hills, NY
Late night in North Hills on Sunday
Local time
12:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from North Hills, NY to Astoria, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
26m
Distance
16.6 mi
27 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 31m
10 AM
0h 28m
12 PM
0h 28m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 31m
8 PM
0h 25m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
North Hills, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Astoria, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
North Hills, NY to Astoria, NY is 16.6 miles and takes about 26m via Long Island Expressway/Grand Central Parkway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a short, straightforward trip primarily on major parkways and expressways. Given the minimal distance and time commitment, this route is ideal for a quick transit or a very relaxed day trip, allowing plenty of flexibility for your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Long Island Expressway | 9.3 mi | 12m |
| Grand Central Parkway | 4.7 mi | 7m |
| Shelter Rock Road | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Astoria Boulevard South | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| 30th Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 21st Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Service Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 12th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Long Island Expressway
— 9.3 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between North Hills, NY and Astoria, NY.
1
Start on Shelter Rock Road
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Shelter Rock Road
2
Turn right onto North Service Road
404 ft
·
7 sec
·
North Service Road
Use the right lane.
3
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I 495 West
4
Merge onto I 495
9.3 mi
·
12 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
16 sec
Exit 22A
Toward Grand Central Parkway, 108th Street, Citi Field
Use the slight right lane.
6
Turn straight onto Horace Harding Expressway
328 ft
·
6 sec
·
Horace Harding Expressway
7
Take the ramp
0.4 mi
·
49 sec
Toward Grand Central Parkway West, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Merge onto GCP
0.2 mi
·
13 sec
·
Grand Central Parkway
9
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Grand Central Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Exit 45
Toward 31st Street
Use the slight right lane.
12
Turn left onto 31st Street
328 ft
·
15 sec
·
31st Street
Use the left lane.
13
Turn right onto Astoria Boulevard South
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Astoria Boulevard South
Use the right lane.
14
Turn left onto 21st Street
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
21st Street
15
Turn right onto 30th Avenue
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
30th Avenue
16
Turn sharp right onto 12th Street
386 ft
·
18 sec
·
12th Street
17
Arrive at destination
12th Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 145 decision points cluster between mile 10.1 and 15.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
10.1 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the exit toward Grand Central Parkway, 108th Street, Citi Field
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 22A
Toward Grand Central Parkway, 108th Street, Cit...
6
10.3 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Take the ramp toward Grand Central Parkway West, Robert F. Kennedy Bridge
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward Grand Central Parkway West, Robert F. Ke...
6
10.9 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
GCP / Grand Central Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto GCP / Grand Central Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
7
15.4 mi into trip
|
~22m in
Take the exit toward 31st Street
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 45
Toward 31st Street
7
15.6 mi into trip
|
~23m in
|
31st Street
Turn left onto 31st Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.73 one way
$5.46 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.95 | $5.91 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.22 | $6.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.67 | $7.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 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 | 5 | 0 | $1.74 | $0.80 |
| Efficient EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.45 | $0.66 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.32 | $1.06 |
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
Astoria, NY
Late night in Astoria on Sunday
Local time
12:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Scattered Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy
NE 5 to 10 mph
31% 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
7 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
26m 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?
This trip is heavily highway-focused, with 85% of the drive utilizing major roadways. You'll experience a highway-centric journey for most of the 16.6 miles, including a longest uninterrupted stretch of 9.3 miles on the Long Island Expressway. Expect a consistent pace and flow characteristic of these types of roads. The profile suggests a smooth, efficient drive predominantly on well-maintained parkways and expressways.
85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
17 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.3 mi on Long Island Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Long Island Expressway and Grand Central Parkway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 10.1 miles in.
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 14 decision points packed into just 16.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 26m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.9 miles (GCP / Grand Central Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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 North Hills, NY and Astoria, NY, road signs point toward Citi Field and Grand Central Parkway West.
Citi Field
10.1 mi in
|
~14m
Grand Central Parkway West
10.3 mi in
|
~14m
About the Cities
Starting in North Hills, NY
Full guide →Arriving in Astoria, NY
Full guide →Founded 1659
Top landmarks
- • Museum of the Moving Image — museum and archive in New York, United States
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 26m. Total distance: 16.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
26m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.3 miles on Long Island Expressway. 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 Astoria, NY 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 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.3 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 10.9 miles (GCP / Grand Central Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — General Grant National Memorial, Hamilton Grange National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument (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 Astoria, 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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