Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
25m
Distance
14 mi
23 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Queens, NY
Wikimedia Commons
If you are looking for a quick trip from Queens to Hempstead, you are in for a short 14-mile journey that typically takes about 25 minutes. This route is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, as the distance is quite manageable without any need for an overnight stay. You will primarily navigate via the Southern State Parkway, Rockaway Boulevard, and the Belt Parkway as you move across the Northeast. Budgeting approximately $2 for fuel should be more than enough to cover the trip. Since both your start and end points are located within New York, you will remain in the same region throughout the drive, making for a straightforward and efficient transit.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 5.4 mi | 7m |
| Rockaway Boulevard | 3.2 mi | 7m |
| Belt Parkway | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Peninsula Boulevard | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| South Conduit Avenue | 1 mi | 2m |
| 104th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Queens, NY and Hempstead, NY.
Start on 104th Street
Turn left onto Rockaway Boulevard
Turn left onto NY 27
Take the ramp
Merge onto BP
Keep slight left at fork onto SO
Take the exit
Turn left
Turn left onto Peninsula Boulevard
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 12.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
Turn left onto Rockaway Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Turn left onto NY 27 / South Conduit Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Merge onto BP / Belt Parkway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Keep slight left at fork onto SO / Southern State Parkway toward Southern State Parkway, Eastern Long Island
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward Peninsula Boulevard South, Rockville Centre
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Regular Gas
$2.30 one way
$4.61 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $2.49 | $4.98 |
| premium | $4.92 | $2.71 | $5.43 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.09 | $6.18 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.2 | 0 | $1.47 | $0.67 |
| Efficient EV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.22 | $0.56 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.96 | $0.90 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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 Queens on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Mostly Cloudy
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
Destination
Late night in Hempstead on Tuesday
Local time
4:47 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Partly Cloudy
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
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.
Expect a mixed driving experience that blends local maneuvering with faster highway segments. With a highway share of 56 percent, the transition between city streets and parkway driving defines the rhythm of your trip. You will encounter your longest uninterrupted stretch of 5.4 miles while navigating the Southern State Parkway, which offers a brief shift in pace from the surrounding local roads. The personality of this drive is functional and direct, requiring you to remain alert as you transition between different road types. It is a practical, no-nonsense commute that gets you from the borough to Hempstead with efficiency.
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. 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 Rockaway Boulevard.
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 14 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 25m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Rockaway Boulevard): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles (NY 27 / South Conduit Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 4.4 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Queens, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward Belt Parkway East, Eastern Long Lsland, Eastern Long Island, Peninsula Boulevard South and Rockville Centre.
Belt Parkway East
Eastern Long Lsland
Eastern Long Island
Peninsula Boulevard South
Rockville Centre
Founded 1683
Queens is a crescent-shaped (with a tail) borough traversing the north-to-south width of Long Island and including two of the major New York City area airports, LaGuardia (LGA IATA) and John F. Kennedy International (JFK IATA). It also carries the largest ethnic diversity in its area of any region in the world, with many small enclaves. Jackson Heights, for example, includes a huge Indian area, followed by a Colombian area, and then a Mexican area. Each offers a wide array of authentic shops, native-style cuisine, and festivals modified only slightly by the generally colder New York City experience.
Top landmarks
Hempstead is the most populous town in America, with a whopping 700,000 residents, located on the South Shore of Nassau County, New York. The town is highly urbanized and fragmented, containing 22 semi-autonomous villages within its boundaries, and forty other neighborhoods. Garden City, encompassing the "Nassau Hub" region, has its own article. The other prominent communities in Hempstead include Floral Park, Hempstead Village, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and the Five Towns area.
Top landmarks
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 25m. Total distance: 14 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
25m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
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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