Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 12, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 12m
Distance
52.5 mi
84 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
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
Stillwater, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Paterson, NJ to Stillwater, NJ is 52.5 miles and takes about 1 hour 12 minutes via Christopher Columbus Highway and US 46, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New Jersey, traversing the Northeast region. You'll primarily be on surface roads, making it a straightforward drive. It's a good option if you're looking for a relatively short trip without needing to plan for an overnight stay, offering a relaxed pace for a single day.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Christopher Columbus Highway | 24 mi | 27m |
| US 46 | 8.2 mi | 9m |
| Johnsonburg Road | 2.8 mi | 4m |
| Stillwater Road | 2.5 mi | 4m |
| Allamuchy Road | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| NJ 94 | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Union Boulevard | 1.8 mi | 2m |
| Interstate 80 West | 1.6 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 Stillwater, 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
Continue on CR 667
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 612
Continue on CR 612
Turn right onto CR 519
Continue on CR 661
At end of road, turn left onto NJ 94
Turn right onto CR 659
Turn right onto CR 521
Continue on CR 521
At end of road, turn right onto CR 610
Turn sharp left
Arrive at destination
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
26 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 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 26.2 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 0.2 and 38.7 — 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 CR 517: Hackettstown, Allamuchy, Andover
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 CR 517 North: Allamuchy, Andover
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$9.02 one way
$18.04 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.79 | $9.90 | $19.80 |
| premium | $5.13 | $10.60 | $21.19 |
| diesel | $5.97 | $12.33 | $24.67 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-09-07.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 15.8 | 0 | $5.51 | $2.52 |
| Efficient EV | 13.1 | 0 | $4.59 | $2.10 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21 | 0 | $7.35 | $3.36 |
Gas CO2
18 kg
EV CO2
6 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
Late night in Paterson on Saturday
Local time
5:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
80°F
Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms
Destination
Late night in Stillwater on Saturday
Local time
5:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
79°F
Mostly Sunny
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 mostly surface roads, with only 22% of the route on highways. You'll experience a 24-mile stretch on Christopher Columbus Highway before transitioning to surface roads like US 46 and Johnsonburg Road. Expect a more local driving feel once you leave the highway, with potential for more frequent intersections and slower speeds.
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.
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 52.5 miles you will encounter 20 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: 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.
Gently rolling terrain
Total Climb
1,206 ft
Total Descent
855 ft
Highest Point
1,027 ft
~37.5 mi in
Elevation Range
943 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Paterson, NJ and Stillwater, NJ, road signs point toward Del Water Gap, Mahwah, Cr 517: Hackettstown, Allamuchy, Andover and Cr 517 North: Allamuchy.
Del Water Gap
Mahwah
Cr 517: Hackettstown
Allamuchy
Andover
Cr 517 North: Allamuchy
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 1824
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 12m. Total distance: 52.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 12m 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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