Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
40m
Distance
28.3 mi
46 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Paterson, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Mendham, NJ
Dajana Blakcori
The drive from Paterson, NJ to Mendham, NJ covers 28.3 miles and takes about 40m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on US 46, I 287, Mendham Road East for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed highway & surface. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.2 miles on US 46. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.86 one way before food or hotel costs.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 46 | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| I 287 | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| Mendham Road East | 3.2 mi | 4m |
| Interstate 80 West | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| Union Boulevard | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Washington-Mendham Road E. (Old Rt. 24) | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Union Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Mendham Road (Old Rt. 24) | 0.9 mi | 1m |
Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 50 FHWA count stations on your route.
Peak
4 PM
~4,829 veh/hr typical
Quietest
2 AM
~323 veh/hr
Peak-to-quiet ratio
15×
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 Mendham, 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
Continue on I 80W
Keep slight left at fork
Merge onto I 287
Take the exit
Keep slight left at fork
Turn straight onto CR 510
Turn right onto CR 510
Enter roundabout onto CR 510
Continue on CR 510
Turn slight right onto US 202; CR 510
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 510
Continue on US 202; CR 510
Turn right onto CR 510
Continue on CR 510
Continue on CR 510
Continue on CR 510
Continue on CR 510
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 21.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
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 CR 510: Lafayette Avenue, Ridgedale Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork toward CR 510: Morris Avenue, Lafayette Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 510 / East Park Place
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$4.86 one way
$9.73 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $5.34 | $10.67 |
| premium | $5.13 | $5.71 | $11.42 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $6.65 | $13.30 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.5 | 0 | $2.97 | $1.36 |
| Efficient EV | 7.1 | 0 | $2.48 | $1.13 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.3 | 0 | $3.96 | $1.81 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
6:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
66°F
Cloudy
Destination
Morning in Mendham on Saturday
Local time
6:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
65°F
Widespread Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly 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.
28.3 mi in 40m — 50% highway, the rest on surface roads. Biggest road: US 46.
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 around 0.2 miles in near Van Houten Street.
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 19 decision points packed into just 28.3 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 40m.
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 20.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
611 ft
Total Descent
79 ft
Highest Point
615 ft
~28.3 mi in
Elevation Range
532 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Paterson, NJ and Mendham, NJ, road signs point toward Del Water Gap and Mahwah.
Del Water Gap
Mahwah
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 40m. Total distance: 28.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
40m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (50%). 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, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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