Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
7.3 mi
12 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
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
Valley Stream, NY
Mel Audelo
If you are looking for a quick commute between Queens and Valley Stream, this 7.3-mile trip is an incredibly efficient local connection. You can expect to reach your destination in approximately 15 minutes, making it a perfect candidate for a quick day trip. With a fuel cost of just $1, it is a budget-friendly route that stays entirely within the Northeast region of New York. Since there are no required stops, you have the flexibility to head out whenever your schedule allows. This drive is straightforward and serves as a practical link between these two neighboring areas.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Rockaway Boulevard | 3.2 mi | 7m |
| South Conduit Avenue | 2 mi | 4m |
| Sunrise Highway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Belt Parkway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Central Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| 104th Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
Step-by-step road directions between Queens, NY and Valley Stream, NY.
Start on 104th Street
Turn left onto Rockaway Boulevard
Turn left onto NY 27
Take the ramp
Merge onto BP
Take the exit
Continue on NY 27
Continue on NY 27
Turn left onto South Central Avenue
Arrive at destination
5 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 7.1 — 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
Take the ramp toward Belt Parkway East, Eastern Long lsland
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Take the exit toward NY 27: Sunrise Highway, Brookville Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Turn left onto South Central Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Regular Gas
$1.20 one way
$2.40 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $1.30 | $2.60 |
| premium | $4.92 | $1.41 | $2.83 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.61 | $3.22 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 2.2 | 0 | $0.77 | $0.35 |
| Efficient EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.64 | $0.29 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.02 | $0.47 |
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
Morning in Queens on Tuesday
Local time
8:15 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
Morning in Valley Stream on Tuesday
Local time
8:15 AM
EDT
Current temp
47°F
Unavailable
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.
Expect a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Because the route consists entirely of local roads, you won't encounter any highway stretches, meaning the highway share for this trip is zero percent. You will navigate through suburban or urban street layouts rather than open interstate lanes. There is no single long, uninterrupted stretch to speak of, so prepare for frequent turns and standard local traffic flow. It is a functional, hands-on driving experience that requires your full attention on the road ahead.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Rockaway Boulevard.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 15m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
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 4.3 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Mostly flat terrain
Total Climb
7 ft
Total Descent
26 ft
Highest Point
36 ft
Elevation Range
21 ft
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Queens, NY and Valley Stream, NY, road signs point toward Belt Parkway East and Eastern Long Lsland.
Belt Parkway East
Eastern Long Lsland
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.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 7.3 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 (6%). Straightforward navigation.
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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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