Origin
Orange, NJ
Morning in Orange on Tuesday
Local time
8:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Orange, NJ to Paterson, NJ
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
14.2 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Orange, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Paterson, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Orange, NJ to Paterson, NJ is 14.2 miles and takes about 23 minutes via Garden State Parkway and NJ 19, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Expect a predominantly highway-focused drive that's perfect for a quick trip when you need to get from point A to point B efficiently. With only 14.2 miles, this route is ideal for a same-day excursion, offering a straightforward journey without requiring an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 7.5 mi | 10m |
| NJ 19 | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| Park Avenue | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| Main Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| High Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Essex Freeway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| North Arlington Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Grand Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 7.5 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Orange, NJ and Paterson, NJ.
1
Start on this road
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
this road
Toward I 280 West
2
Merge onto I 280
0.3 mi
·
25 sec
·
Essex Freeway
3
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 10
Toward CR 508: West Orange, South Orange, Montclair
Use the slight right lane.
4
Turn right onto CR 508 Spur
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
Northfield Avenue
Use the right lane.
5
At end of road, turn right onto CR 659
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
Use the right lane.
6
Turn left onto CR 638
0.4 mi
·
43 sec
·
High Street
Use the left lane.
7
Turn right onto CR 658
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Park Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
Turn left onto North Arlington Avenue
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
North Arlington Avenue
Use the left lane.
9
Turn left onto Parkway Drive
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Parkway Drive
10
Continue on North Walnut Street
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
North Walnut Street
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward GSP Toll North
12
Merge onto GSP
7.5 mi
·
10 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Exit 155A
Toward NJ 19: Paterson
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
14
Merge onto NJ 19
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
NJ 19
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
313 ft
·
7 sec
Toward I 80 West: Grand Street, Del Water Gap
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
Toward Grand Street
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17
Turn right onto CR 638
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Grand Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Turn left onto CR 509
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Main Street
Use the straight lane.
19
Turn right onto CR 648
453 ft
·
15 sec
·
Market Street
20
Turn left onto Colt Street
42 ft
·
3 sec
·
Colt Street
21
Arrive at destination
Colt Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 185 decision points cluster between mile 0.5 and 13.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
8
0.5 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Take the exit toward CR 508: West Orange, South Orange, Montclair
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 10
Toward CR 508: West Orange, South Orange, Montc...
7
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 508 Spur / Northfield Avenue
Turn right onto CR 508 Spur / Northfield Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
7
11.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward NJ 19: Paterson
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 155A
Toward NJ 19: Paterson
8
13.5 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Grand Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Grand Street
7
13.6 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
CR 638 / Grand Street
Turn right onto CR 638 / Grand Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.35 one way
$4.71 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.58 | $5.16 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.75 | $5.51 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.14 | $6.27 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.45
Garden State Parkway
(7.5 mi)
$0.45
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Tolls
$0
Total
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.49 | $0.68 |
| Efficient EV | 3.6 | 0 | $1.24 | $0.57 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.7 | 0 | $1.99 | $0.91 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
Paterson, NJ
Morning in Paterson on Tuesday
Local time
8:23 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Rain Showers Likely
SE 3 mph
70% 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
13 degrees cooler 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?
This drive leans heavily into highway travel, with 68% of the route on faster roads. You'll experience a focused highway profile, including a significant stretch of 7.5 miles on the Garden State Parkway. While the primary roads involve Garden State Parkway and NJ 19, Park Avenue also plays a role, suggesting a mix of parkway and more direct arterial roads. The overall character is one of efficient transit rather than scenic meandering, making it a practical choice for covering distance quickly.
68% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.5 mi on Garden State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and NJ 19. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.5 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 18 decision points packed into just 14.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 23m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.7 miles (CR 508 Spur / Northfield Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 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 Orange, NJ and Paterson, NJ, road signs point toward Gsp Toll North and Del Water Gap.
Gsp Toll North
3.4 mi in
|
~7m
Del Water Gap
13.4 mi in
|
~21m
About the Cities
Starting in Orange, NJ
Full guide →The Oranges are a group of 4 communities in Essex County, New Jersey.
Arriving in Paterson, NJ
Full guide →For the township in the Hunter region of New South Wales, see Paterson (New South Wales). Paterson is New Jersey's third largest city (about 155,000 inhabitants as of 2022), and hosts a great attraction: the Great Falls, which are very extensive and second only to Niagara Falls in terms of volume of water in waterfalls east of the Mississippi. Paterson is 12 miles away from Manhattan. It is an ethnically diverse city that houses large Hispanic, Arab, Italian-American, African American and Bengali communities. South Paterson is home to one of the nation's largest Arab communities.
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: 14.2 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 (68%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.5 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.45 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
Yes — we found about 6 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 Paterson, 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 0.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 0.7 miles (CR 508 Spur / Northfield Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park (4 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 Paterson, 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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