Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jul 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
9.5 mi
15 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Paterson, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Rutherford, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Paterson, NJ to Rutherford, NJ is 9.5 miles and takes about 15m via NJ 21, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within the Northeast region, specifically in New Jersey. It's a straightforward connection between two points, ideal for a short hop or as part of a larger itinerary. Given the minimal distance and time commitment, it's best suited for a same-day excursion, offering a brief but direct passage.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NJ 21 | 3.5 mi | 3m |
| Union Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Market Street | 1.4 mi | 2m |
| McLean Boulevard | 0.8 mi | <1m |
| 21st Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| US 46 | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Park Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| River Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Paterson, NJ and Rutherford, NJ.
Start on Colt Street
Turn right onto Ellison Street
Turn right onto Memorial Drive
Turn left onto CR 648
Turn slight left onto 21st Avenue
Turn slight right onto NJ 20
Merge onto US 46
Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21
Take the exit
Turn straight onto CR 624
Turn left
Turn straight onto CR 624
Turn slight right
Continue on Union Avenue
Enter roundabout onto CR 30
Continue on CR 30
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 7.2 — 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 right onto Memorial Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Take the exit toward Passaic Park, Clifton, Rutherford
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn straight onto CR 624 / River Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$1.51 one way
$3.03 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.48 | $1.68 | $3.35 |
| premium | $4.81 | $1.80 | $3.60 |
| diesel | $4.80 | $1.79 | $3.59 |
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, 2026-07-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.00 | $0.46 |
| Efficient EV | 2.4 | 0 | $0.83 | $0.38 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 3.8 | 0 | $1.33 | $0.61 |
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
Afternoon in Paterson on Sunday
Local time
1:09 PM
EDT
Current temp
71°F
Patchy Smoke
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued July 16 at 12:10AM EDT until July 16 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
Destination
Afternoon in Rutherford on Sunday
Local time
1:09 PM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Patchy Smoke
Heat Advisory
Heat Advisory issued July 16 at 12:10AM EDT until July 16 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ
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 is a mix of highway and surface roads, with 42% of the route on higher-speed roads. You'll experience a stretch of about 3.5 miles on NJ 21, which is the longest continuous section on a primary route. Expect to transition between quicker highway driving and more typical surface street conditions within this short trip.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Ellison Street.
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 9.5 miles you will encounter 9 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: near the start (Ellison Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.5 miles (NJ 21): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
116 ft
Total Descent
110 ft
Highest Point
115 ft
~0.7 mi in
Elevation Range
103 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Paterson, NJ and Rutherford, NJ, road signs point toward Passaic Park and Clifton.
Passaic Park
Clifton
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
Rutherford is a cute suburb in Bergen County, New Jersey, becoming incredibly expensive to live in.
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: 9.5 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 (42%). 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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