Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
53m
Distance
33.1 mi
53 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
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
Highland Lake, NJ
Enric Cruz López
The drive from Paterson, NJ to Highland Lake, NJ covers 33.1 miles and takes about 53m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on NJ 23, Canistear Road, Union Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly highway. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 20.1 miles on NJ 23. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.69 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NJ 23 | 20.1 mi | 24m |
| Canistear Road | 7 mi | 16m |
| Union Boulevard | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Union Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| US 46 | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| West Broadway | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Lakeside Drive East | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Van Houten Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 32 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~5,323 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~318 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
16.7×
busier at peak than in the quiet hours
Averaged across 98 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Paterson, NJ and Highland Lake, NJ.
Start on Colt Street
Turn right onto Ellison Street
Turn left onto Church Street
Turn left onto Van Houten Street
Turn right onto CR 509
Turn slight left onto CR 509
Turn left onto CR 646
Continue on CR 646
Take the ramp
Merge onto US 46
Take the exit
Merge onto NJ 23
Continue on NJ 23
Take the exit
Turn right onto Canistear Road
Turn left onto Lookover Lane
Turn right onto Coon Den Road
Turn right onto Lakeside Drive East
Turn right onto Glen Road
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
17 mi into the route
Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset
This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.
A short stop after about 33 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 16.6 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.
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 5.2 — 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 Church Street
Navigation decision point
Turn left onto Van Houten Street
Lane positioning matters here
Turn right onto CR 509 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward I 80 West, NJ 23 North: Delaware Water Gap, Butler
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$5.69 one way
$11.38 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $6.24 | $12.48 |
| premium | $5.13 | $6.68 | $13.36 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $7.78 | $15.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.48 | $1.59 |
| Efficient EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.90 | $1.32 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.2 | 0 | $4.63 | $2.12 |
Gas CO2
12 kg
EV CO2
4 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
6:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Slight Chance Rain Showers then Partly Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Highland Lake on Saturday
Local time
6:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
50°F
Mostly Clear
63°F
Montville, NJ
17 mi in
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.
33.1 mi in 53m, mostly highway — 20.1 mi of that is on NJ 23.
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NJ 23 and Canistear Road. 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 15 decision points packed into just 33.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 53m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Ellison Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (Church Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Van Houten Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
1,241 ft
Total Descent
117 ft
Highest Point
1,319 ft
~30.8 mi in
Elevation Range
1,235 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Paterson, NJ to Highland Lake, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Butler along the way.
Butler
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
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 53m. Total distance: 33.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
53m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (64%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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