Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
9.3 mi
15 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Paterson, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Franklin Lakes, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
The drive from Paterson, NJ to Franklin Lakes, NJ covers 9.3 miles and takes about 15m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on NJ 208, Goffle Road, East Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 4.1 miles on NJ 208. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.60 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NJ 208 | 4.1 mi | 4m |
| Goffle Road | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| East Main Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Franklin Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| River Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Shirley Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Memorial Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Bridge Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Paterson, NJ and Franklin Lakes, NJ.
Start on Colt Street
Turn right onto Ellison Street
Turn left onto Memorial Drive
Keep slight left at fork onto Memorial Drive
Turn right onto Bridge Street
Turn right onto River Street
Turn left onto CR 650
Turn right onto East Main Street
Continue on CR 504
Continue on CR 659
Take the ramp
Turn right
Merge onto NJ 208
Continue on NJ 208
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
At end of road, turn left onto CR S-89
Turn left onto CR S-89
Turn left onto Shirley Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 8.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn right onto Ellison Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto Memorial Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto Memorial Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Turn right toward NJ 208 North: Oakland
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Summit Avenue, Franklin Lakes
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$1.60 one way
$3.20 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $1.75 | $3.51 |
| premium | $5.13 | $1.88 | $3.75 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $2.18 | $4.37 |
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 | 2.8 | 0 | $0.98 | $0.45 |
| Efficient EV | 2.3 | 0 | $0.81 | $0.37 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.7 | 0 | $1.30 | $0.60 |
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.
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Origin
Morning in Paterson on Saturday
Local time
6:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
64°F
Partly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Franklin Lakes on Saturday
Local time
6:42 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Partly Cloudy
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
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.
9.3 mi in 15m — 45% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: NJ 208.
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 early in the drive near Ellison Street.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 14 decision points packed into just 9.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 15m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Ellison Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.3 miles (Memorial Drive): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
422 ft
Total Descent
106 ft
Highest Point
463 ft
~7.3 mi in
Elevation Range
422 ft
Founded 1792
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
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 9.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
15m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (45%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile with national parks nearby.
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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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