Origin
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Afternoon in Point Pleasant Beach on Sunday
Local time
1:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
68°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ to Trenton, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
53m
Distance
43 mi
69 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 49m
★
6 AM
0h 54m
8 AM
1h 2m
10 AM
0h 57m
12 PM
0h 56m
3 PM
0h 57m
5 PM
1h 2m
8 PM
0h 51m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
Mary V
Trenton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Point Pleasant Beach to Trenton is 43 miles and takes about 53 minutes via Central Jersey Expressway and NJ 34, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region towards Trenton. Expect a straightforward drive that's mostly on the highway, making it a quick and easy option for getting between these two points. It's a practical choice if you need to cover this distance without a significant time commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Central Jersey Expressway | 32.1 mi | 37m |
| NJ 34 | 4.1 mi | 4m |
| Hawthorne Avenue | 2.3 mi | 3m |
| Arena Drive | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Olden Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
| Hamilton Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| NJ 138 | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Cincinnati Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Central Jersey Expressway
— 32.1 mi, about 37m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Point Pleasant Beach, NJ and Trenton, NJ.
1
Start on NJ 35
236 ft
·
5 sec
·
Cincinnati Avenue
2
Continue on NJ 35
2.3 mi
·
3 min
·
Hawthorne Avenue
3
Continue on NJ 34
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
NJ 34
4
Enter roundabout onto NJ 34
287 ft
·
3 sec
·
NJ 34
5
Continue on NJ 34
79 ft
·
1 sec
·
NJ 34
6
Continue on NJ 34
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
NJ 34
Use the straight / left lanes.
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward I 195 West: Trenton
8
Merge onto NJ 138
259 ft
·
3 sec
·
NJ 138
9
Continue on I 195
32 mi
·
37 min
·
Central Jersey Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 2
Toward US 206: South Broad Street, Arena Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 2
Toward Arena Drive
12
Turn straight onto CR 620
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Arena Drive
13
Turn left onto CR 622
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
South Olden Avenue
14
Turn left onto CR 606
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Hamilton Avenue
15
Turn right onto CR 626
6 ft
·
0 sec
·
Chambers Street
16
Arrive at destination
CR 626
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
22 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.
Pacing Suggestions
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 43 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.5 miles from Point Pleasant Beach, 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.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 5 and 39.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
5 mi into trip
|
~6m in
|
NJ 34
Enter roundabout onto NJ 34
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
4
6.5 mi into trip
|
~8m in
Take the exit toward I 195 West: Trenton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward I 195 West: Trenton
4
6.7 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
NJ 138
Merge onto NJ 138
Merge point - match speed before joining
8
38.9 mi into trip
|
~45m in
Take the exit toward US 206: South Broad Street, Arena Drive
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 2
Toward US 206: South Broad Street, Arena Drive
7
39.1 mi into trip
|
~46m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Arena Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 2
Toward Arena Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.13 one way
$14.26 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $7.81 | $15.62 |
| premium | $4.93 | $8.34 | $16.68 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.49 | $18.99 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 15 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.9 | 0 | $4.52 | $2.06 |
| Efficient EV | 10.8 | 0 | $3.76 | $1.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 17.2 | 0 | $6.02 | $2.75 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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
Trenton, NJ
Afternoon in Trenton on Sunday
Local time
1:51 PM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
45°F
Manalapan, NJ
22 mi in
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
10 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
53m 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, with 84% of it being on high-speed roads like the Central Jersey Expressway. You'll experience a long stretch of 32.1 miles on the Central Jersey Expressway, which means plenty of continuous driving without frequent exits. After the highway portion, you'll transition to surface roads like Hawthorne Avenue for the remainder of the drive, likely noticing more local traffic and intersections as you approach your destination.
84% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 32.1 mi on Central Jersey Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Central Jersey Expressway and NJ 34. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 5 miles in near NJ 34.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 53m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 5 miles (NJ 34): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 6.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 6.7 miles (NJ 138): Merge point - match speed before joining.
About the Cities
Arriving in Trenton, NJ
Full guide →Trenton is in Mercer County, and is the capital of New Jersey. The city's strategic location in between New York City and Philadelphia has historically contributed to its growth and significantly impacts local culture. Located on the Delaware River across from Pennsylvania, Trenton is the only accessible capital city in the United States to border another state.
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 53m. Total distance: 43 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
53m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (84%). Straightforward navigation.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 32.1 miles on Central Jersey Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 4 rest areas or service plazas within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
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 5 miles (NJ 34): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 6.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 6.7 miles (NJ 138): Merge point - match speed before joining.
Yes — Gateway National Recreation Area. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Trenton, 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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
Was this helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!
/500
Recent Tips
·
Explore More
Continue From Trenton, NJ
More from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ
More trips to Trenton, NJ
Explore more options from Point Pleasant Beach, NJ or browse trips ending in Trenton, NJ.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NJ road trips.