Origin
Plainfield, NJ
Morning in Plainfield on Tuesday
Local time
7:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Plainfield, NJ to Clifton, NJ
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
39m
Distance
24.4 mi
39 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 37m
★
6 AM
0h 40m
8 AM
0h 47m
10 AM
0h 42m
12 PM
0h 42m
3 PM
0h 43m
5 PM
0h 46m
8 PM
0h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Plainfield, NJ
Thomas Parker
Clifton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Plainfield, NJ to Clifton, NJ is 24.4 miles and takes about 39m via Garden State Parkway and US 22, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within New Jersey and the Northeast region, making it a straightforward trip. It's primarily a highway route, so expect efficient travel time. Given the minimal distance and duration, this route is best suited for a same-day excursion without the need for overnight stays. Plan for easy navigation and quick transit between these two New Jersey locations.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 10.5 mi | 14m |
| US 22 | 9.2 mi | 14m |
| Allwood Road | 1 mi | 1m |
| Leland Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Clifton Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| West Passaic Avenue | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| East Passaic Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Bloomfield Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 10.5 mi, about 14m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Plainfield, NJ and Clifton, NJ.
1
Start on Leland Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Leland Avenue
2
At end of road, turn right onto CR 642
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Mountain Avenue
3
Merge onto US 22
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
US 22
4
Continue on US 22
5.4 mi
·
8 min
·
US 22
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
Continue on US 22
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
US 22
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
Toward GSP Toll North: Paterson
7
Merge onto GSP
10 mi
·
14 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 151
Toward Montclair, Nutley
Use the slight right lane.
9
Turn right onto CR 655
483 ft
·
15 sec
·
Watchung Avenue
10
At end of road, turn left onto CR 652
0.4 mi
·
45 sec
·
East Passaic Avenue
11
Turn right onto CR 622
0.5 mi
·
52 sec
·
West Passaic Avenue
12
Turn left onto CR 622
411 ft
·
7 sec
·
Darling Avenue
Use the left lane.
13
Continue on CR 622
0.4 mi
·
37 sec
·
Bloomfield Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Enter roundabout onto CR 602
261 ft
·
4 sec
·
Allwood Road
15
Continue on CR 602
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Allwood Road
16
Turn right onto NJ 161
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Clifton Avenue
17
Turn right onto Olga B Terrace
174 ft
·
9 sec
·
Olga B Terrace
18
Turn right onto Hutton Road
39 ft
·
6 sec
·
Hutton Road
19
Turn left onto Olga B Terrace
441 ft
·
25 sec
·
Olga B Terrace
20
Turn left onto Donna Drive
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
·
Donna Drive
21
Turn right onto Holly Street
516 ft
·
22 sec
·
Holly Street
22
Arrive at destination
Holly Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.6 and 24.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 642 / Mountain Avenue
At end of road, turn right onto CR 642 / Mountain Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
10.3 mi into trip
|
~17m in
|
GSP / Garden State Parkway
Merge onto GSP / Garden State Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
20.8 mi into trip
|
~32m in
Take the exit toward Montclair, Nutley
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 151
Toward Montclair, Nutley
5
22 mi into trip
|
~34m in
|
CR 622 / Darling Avenue
Turn left onto CR 622 / Darling Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
24.1 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Hutton Road
Turn right onto Hutton Road
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.05 one way
$8.09 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $4.43 | $8.86 |
| premium | $4.93 | $4.73 | $9.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.39 | $10.77 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.63
Garden State Parkway
(10.5 mi)
$0.63
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Tolls
$1
Total
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| Efficient EV | 6.1 | 0 | $2.14 | $0.98 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.8 | 0 | $3.42 | $1.56 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Clifton, NJ
Morning in Clifton on Tuesday
Local time
7:00 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
17 degrees warmer at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
39m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
What kind of drive is this?
This route is predominantly highway driving, with 81% of the drive on major roads. You'll experience a longest stretch of 10.5 miles on the Garden State Parkway. Expect the highway portion to conclude as you approach Clifton, transitioning to surface roads like Allwood Road. Given the high highway share, be prepared for merging and exiting traffic as you navigate the Garden State Parkway and US 22.
81% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
22 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.5 mi on Garden State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and US 22. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.6 miles in near CR 642 / Mountain Avenue.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 24.4 miles you will encounter 15 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 0.6 miles (CR 642 / Mountain Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 10.3 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Plainfield, NJ and Clifton, NJ, road signs point toward Gsp Toll North: Paterson, Montclair and Nutley.
Gsp Toll North: Paterson
10 mi in
|
~17m
Montclair
20.8 mi in
|
~32m
Nutley
20.8 mi in
|
~32m
About the Cities
Starting in Plainfield, NJ
Full guide →Union County is part of the Gateway region of New Jersey that is covered by sprawling metropolitan areas of New York City.
Arriving in Clifton, NJ
Full guide →Clifton is a city in Passaic County, New Jersey.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 39m. Total distance: 24.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
39m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (81%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.5 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.63 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. Most Northeast and Midwest toll agencies accept E-ZPass; in the West and Texas, transponders like TxTag or FasTrak apply. If you do not have a transponder, cashless tolling plates will mail a bill to the vehicle's registered address — usually with a surcharge, so a rental-car toll pass is often cheaper than paying by mail.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Clifton, NJ before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (CR 642 / Mountain Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 10.3 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Clifton, NJ before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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