Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
33.2 mi
53 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
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
Mount Arlington, NJ
Tom Fisk
Paterson, NJ to Mount Arlington, NJ is 33.2 miles and takes about 44 minutes via Christopher Columbus Highway and US 46, with a fuel budget near $6 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This relatively short trip stays within the Northeast region, specifically moving between locations in New Jersey. The route primarily uses surface roads, making it a straightforward drive for a quick local trip. Given its manageable length and duration, it's an ideal option for a same-day excursion or an easy commute.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 15.1 mi | 17m |
| US 46 | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Union Boulevard | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Mount Arlington Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Interstate 80 West | 1.6 mi | 1m |
| Union Avenue | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Windermere Avenue | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Shippenport Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
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
Averaged across 103 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).
Step-by-step road directions between Paterson, NJ and Mount Arlington, 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
Take the exit
Merge onto I 80
Take the exit
Keep slight right at fork
Turn straight onto Shippenport Road
At end of road, turn right onto CR 616
Continue on CR 616
Continue on CR 616
At end of road, turn right onto CR 615
Turn left onto Mountainview Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 29.9 — 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 I 80 West: Delaware Water Gap
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward US 46: Ledgewood, Lake Hopatcong
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Keep slight right at fork toward US 46 East: Ledgewood
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Regular Gas
$5.71 one way
$11.41 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $6.26 | $12.52 |
| premium | $5.13 | $6.70 | $13.40 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $7.80 | $15.60 |
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 | 10 | 0 | $3.49 | $1.59 |
| Efficient EV | 8.3 | 0 | $2.91 | $1.33 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 13.3 | 0 | $4.65 | $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
6:54 AM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Morning in Mount Arlington on Saturday
Local time
6:54 AM
EDT
Current temp
64°F
Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
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.
This drive consists of mostly surface roads, with only 29% of the route on highways. You'll encounter the longest continuous stretch on the Christopher Columbus Highway for 15.1 miles. After this, the route transitions to US 46 and Union Boulevard, which are surface streets. Expect frequent intersections and potential traffic lights as you navigate through developed areas.
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.
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 16 decision points packed into just 33.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 44m.
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.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
711 ft
Total Descent
26 ft
Highest Point
769 ft
~28.5 mi in
Elevation Range
685 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Paterson, NJ and Mount Arlington, NJ, road signs point toward Del Water Gap, Mahwah and Lake Hopatcong.
Del Water Gap
Mahwah
Lake Hopatcong
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
Founded 1890
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 33.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads 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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