Paterson, NJ to Blairstown, NJ is 52.1 miles and takes about 1h 6m via Christopher Columbus Highway and US 46, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region to another part of the Northeast. The drive is primarily on surface roads, offering a more local feel as you make your way west. It's a straightforward trip, good for a quick excursion or as part of a larger regional exploration.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Christopher Columbus Highway
32 mi
36m
US 46
8.2 mi
9m
Hope Road
3.5 mi
6m
Union Boulevard
1.8 mi
2m
Interstate 80 West
1.6 mi
1m
Union Avenue
1.3 mi
2m
Hope - Blairstown Road
0.9 mi
1m
West Broadway
0.5 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
Christopher Columbus Highway
— 32 mi, about 36m
Traffic on I-80
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 200 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
3 PM
~4,958 veh/hr typical
· worst 5,804
Quietest
1 AM
~431 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
11.5×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
12a6anoon6p11p
Averaged across 103 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 Paterson, NJ and Blairstown, NJ.
1
Start on Colt Street
216 ft·17 sec·Colt Street
2
Turn right onto Ellison Street
290 ft·13 sec·Ellison Street
3
Turn left onto Church Street
339 ft·20 sec·Church Street
4
Turn left onto Van Houten Street
0.1 mi·26 sec·Van Houten Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
5
Turn right onto CR 509
287 ft·8 sec·Main Street
Use the right lane.
6
Turn slight left onto CR 509
0.5 mi·1 min·West Broadway
7
Turn left onto CR 646
1.3 mi·2 min·Union Avenue
8
Continue on CR 646
1.8 mi·2 min·Union Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Take the ramp
0.1 mi·20 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Merge onto US 46
8.2 mi·9 min·US 46
Use the straight lane.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi·33 sec
Toward I 80 West: Dover, Del Water Gap
12
Continue on I 80W
1.6 mi·1 min·Interstate 80 West
Toward I 287: Morristown, MahwahUse the straight / slight left lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.3 mi·21 sec
Toward I 80 West: Delaware Water GapUse the straight / slight left lanes.
14
Merge onto I 80
32 mi·36 min·Christopher Columbus Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
0.2 mi·27 sec
Exit 12Toward CR 521: Hope, BlairstownUse the slight right lane.
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi·13 sec
Toward СR 521 North: Blairstown, Blair AcademyUse the slight left / slight right lanes.
17
Turn straight onto CR 521
0.9 mi·1 min·Hope - Blairstown Road
18
Continue on CR 521
0.4 mi·42 sec·Hope - Blairstorm Road
19
Continue on CR 521
3.5 mi·6 min·Hope Road
20
At end of road, turn left onto NJ 94; CR 521
0.4 mi·54 sec·NJ 94; CR 521
21
Turn right onto Carhart Street
391 ft·17 sec·Carhart Street
22
Arrive at destination
Carhart Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
The midpoint is around 26 miles from Paterson, 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 15
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 46.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
0.2 mi into trip|~0m in|Van Houten Street
Turn left onto Van Houten Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
7
0.3 mi into trip|~1m in|CR 509 / Main Street
Turn right onto CR 509 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
14.2 mi into trip|~19m in
Take the exit toward I 80 West: Delaware Water Gap
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Toward I 80 West: Delaware Water Gap
8
46.5 mi into trip|~56m in
Take the exit toward CR 521: Hope, Blairstown
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 12
Toward CR 521: Hope, Blairstown
9
46.7 mi into trip|~57m in
Keep slight right at fork toward СR 521 North: Blairstown, Blair Academy
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward СR 521 North: Blairstown, Blair Academy
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.95 one way
$17.91 round trip
$4.37/gal25.4 MPG avg18 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.79
$9.83
$19.65
premium
$5.13
$10.52
$21.03
diesel
$5.97
$12.24
$24.48
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.2 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
15.6
0
$5.47
$2.50
Efficient EV
13
0
$4.56
$2.08
EV Truck/SUV
20.8
0
$7.29
$3.33
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 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 2, 2026
Origin
Paterson, NJ
Morning
in Paterson on Saturday
Local time
6:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy
NE 5 mph89% chanceLive forecast
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 9:35PM EDT until September 1 at 9:45PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 9:34PM EDT until September 1 at 10:15PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
Destination
Blairstown, NJ
Morning
in Blairstown on Saturday
Local time
6:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Scattered Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy
0 mph27% chanceLive forecast
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 9:35PM EDT until September 1 at 9:45PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
Severe Thunderstorm Warning
Severe Thunderstorm Warning issued September 1 at 9:34PM EDT until September 1 at 10:15PM 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
1h 6m 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.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This 52.1-mile route features 20% highway driving, with your longest stretch on the Christopher Columbus Highway covering 32 miles. After that highway segment, you'll transition to surface roads for the remainder of the trip. Expect a mix of conditions, with the initial highway portion likely involving more merging and exits before settling into a more consistent pace on local roads.
Only 20% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 32 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 0.2 miles in near Van Houten Street.
Driving Effort9/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 52.1 miles you will encounter 15 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Van Houten Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (CR 509 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Elevation Profile
Gently rolling terrain
1,026 ft84 ft
Total Climb
1,090 ft
Total Descent
831 ft
Highest Point
1,026 ft
~37.2 mi in
Elevation Range
942 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Paterson, NJ and Blairstown, NJ, road signs point toward Del Water Gap, Mahwah, Cr 521: Hope, Сr 521 North: Blairstown and Blair Academy.
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.
Top landmarks
•Great Falls — waterfalls on the Passaic River
•Passaic County Court House — courthouse in Paterson, New Jersey
•Lambert Castle — historic building in Paterson, New Jersey
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 6m. Total distance: 52.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 32 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 Blairstown, 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 0.2 miles (Van Houten Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (CR 509 / Main Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 14.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Blairstown, NJ before heading back.
