Skip to main content
US Trip Planner Logo
US Trip Planner

Trip from Passaic, NJ to Harrison, NJ

Pin this trip

Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

12m

Distance

9.5 mi

15 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 11m ★
6 AM
0h 12m
8 AM
0h 14m
10 AM
0h 13m
12 PM
0h 13m
3 PM
0h 13m
5 PM
0h 14m
8 PM
0h 12m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time
Google Maps Waze Apple Maps
Download GPX
city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Passaic, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

town in Hudson County, New Jersey, United States

Harrison, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Passaic, NJ to Harrison, NJ covers 9.5 miles and takes about 12m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on NJ 21, Paulison Avenue, Harrison Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.9 miles on NJ 21. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.63 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
NJ 21 7.9 mi 9m
Paulison Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
Harrison Avenue 0.2 mi <1m
Essex Freeway 0.1 mi <1m
Main Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Passaic Avenue <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: NJ 21 — 7.9 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Passaic, NJ and Harrison, NJ.

1

Start on Passaic Avenue

95 ft · 9 sec · Passaic Avenue
2

Turn left onto CR 618

0.4 mi · 41 sec · Paulison Avenue
3

Turn right onto CR 601

508 ft · 8 sec · Main Avenue
4

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 20 sec
Toward NJ 21 South
5

Merge onto NJ 21

7.9 mi · 9 min · NJ 21
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6

Take the ramp

50 ft · 1 sec
Toward I 280 East, I 280 West: Harrison, Jersey City, The Oranges
7

Keep slight right at fork

0.2 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 280 East: Harrison, Jersey City
8

Merge onto I 280

0.1 mi · 10 sec · Essex Freeway
9

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 35 sec
Exit 16 Toward Harrison, Newark, Soccer Arena Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10

Turn left onto CR 508

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Harrison Avenue
Use the straight lane.
11

Arrive at destination

CR 508

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 9

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.7 and 9.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0.7 mi into trip | ~1m in | NJ 21

Merge onto NJ 21

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
8.6 mi into trip | ~10m in

Take the ramp toward I 280 East, I 280 West: Harrison, Jersey City, The Oranges

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 280 East, I 280 West: Harrison, Jersey...
7
8.6 mi into trip | ~10m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 280 East: Harrison, Jersey City

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 280 East: Harrison, Jersey City
9
9 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward Harrison, Newark, Soccer Arena

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the straight / slight right lanes. Exit 16 Toward Harrison, Newark, Soccer Arena
6
9.2 mi into trip | ~11m in | CR 508 / Harrison Avenue

Turn left onto CR 508 / Harrison Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.63 one way

$3.27 round trip

$4.37/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.79 $1.79 $3.58
premium $5.13 $1.92 $3.84
diesel $5.97 $2.23 $4.46

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.9 0 $1.00 $0.46
Efficient EV 2.4 0 $0.83 $0.38
EV Truck/SUV 3.8 0 $1.33 $0.61

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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.

Forecast as of Sep 4, 2026

Origin

Passaic, NJ

Morning in Passaic on Saturday

Local time

6:52 AM

EDT

Current temp

71°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

W 5 mph 29% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued September 3 at 8:39PM EDT until September 4 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Harrison, NJ

Morning in Harrison on Saturday

Local time

6:52 AM

EDT

Current temp

71°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

W 3 mph 29% chance Live forecast

Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Severe Thunderstorm Watch issued September 3 at 8:39PM EDT until September 4 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

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

Very similar conditions

Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.

Road read

12m 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?

9.5 mi in 12m, mostly highway — 7.9 mi of that is on NJ 21.

85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.9 mi on NJ 21.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NJ 21 and Paulison Avenue. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.7 miles in near NJ 21.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 9.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 12m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.7 miles (NJ 21): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.6 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

111 ft 10 ft

Total Climb

31 ft

Total Descent

113 ft

Highest Point

111 ft

Elevation Range

101 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Passaic, NJ and Harrison, NJ, road signs point toward Jersey City, The Oranges, Newark and Soccer Arena.

Jersey City

8.6 mi in | ~10m

The Oranges

8.6 mi in | ~10m

Newark

9 mi in | ~11m

Soccer Arena

9 mi in | ~11m

About the Cities

Starting in Passaic, NJ

Full guide →

Founded 1679

Passaic is a city in New Jersey.

Top landmarks

  • • People's Bank and Trust Company Building — historic building in Passaic City, New Jersey

Arriving in Harrison, NJ

Full guide →

Founded 1840

Harrison is a town in Hudson County, New Jersey. This article also covers the town of Kearny.

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 12m. Total distance: 9.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

12m 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 7.9 miles on NJ 21. 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 Harrison, 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 0.7 miles (NJ 21): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 8.6 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 8.6 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 Harrison, 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 USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

More from Passaic, NJ

Erma, NJ 155.1 mi · 3h 10m North Wildwood, NJ 154.6 mi · 3h 10m Whitesboro, NJ 150.7 mi · 3h 3m Brigantine, NJ 129.9 mi · 2h 49m Ventnor City, NJ 128.2 mi · 2h 41m Somers Point, NJ 127.9 mi · 2h 39m
Escape planner: Passaic, NJ Scenic drives in NJ

Explore more options from Passaic, NJ or browse trips ending in Harrison, NJ.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NJ road trips.