Origin
Seaside Heights, NJ
Late night in Seaside Heights on Sunday
Local time
3:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Seaside Heights, 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
1h 10m
Distance
47.6 mi
77 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 4m
★
6 AM
1h 10m
8 AM
1h 21m
10 AM
1h 14m
12 PM
1h 13m
3 PM
1h 15m
5 PM
1h 21m
8 PM
1h 7m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Seaside Heights, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trenton, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Seaside Heights to Trenton is 47.6 miles and takes about 1 hour 10 minutes via Central Jersey Expressway, Lakewood Road, and NJ 37, with a fuel budget near $8 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New Jersey, moving from the Northeast region to another part of the Northeast. It's a relatively short drive, ideal for a single-day excursion, offering a straightforward connection between two points in the Garden State. You'll experience a mixed drive, so expect some highway time and some local road navigation. This route is practical for anyone needing to travel between these two locations without a lengthy commitment.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Central Jersey Expressway | 19 mi | 21m |
| NJ 37 | 6.5 mi | 10m |
| Lakewood Road | 4.8 mi | 7m |
| Whitesville Road | 4.3 mi | 7m |
| East Veterans Highway | 3.8 mi | 5m |
| Cedar Swamp Road | 3 mi | 4m |
| Arena Drive | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Olden Avenue | 1.2 mi | 2m |
Longest stretch:
Central Jersey Expressway
— 19 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Seaside Heights, NJ and Trenton, NJ.
1
Start on CR 4
90 ft
·
11 sec
·
Sheridan Avenue
2
Turn left onto CR 51
0.2 mi
·
32 sec
·
Ocean Boulevard
3
Continue on CR 51
498 ft
·
17 sec
·
Boulevard
4
Turn right onto CR 10
0.3 mi
·
36 sec
·
Hamilton Avenue
5
Continue on this road
0.3 mi
·
24 sec
·
this road
6
Continue on NJ 37
6.5 mi
·
10 min
·
NJ 37
7
Turn right onto NJ 166
4.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Lakewood Road
8
Turn left onto CR 622
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Cox Cro Road
Use the left lane.
9
Turn right onto CR 527
4.3 mi
·
7 min
·
Whitesville Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
At end of road, turn left onto CR 527; CR 528
3.8 mi
·
5 min
·
East Veterans Highway
11
Continue on CR 527
3.0 mi
·
4 min
·
Cedar Swamp Road
12
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward I 195 West: Trenton
13
Merge onto I 195
19 mi
·
21 min
·
Central Jersey Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 2
Toward US 206: South Broad Street, Arena Drive
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Exit 2
Toward Arena Drive
16
Turn straight onto CR 620
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Arena Drive
17
Turn left onto CR 622
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
South Olden Avenue
18
Turn left onto CR 606
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Hamilton Avenue
19
Turn right onto CR 626
6 ft
·
0 sec
·
Chambers Street
20
Arrive at destination
CR 626
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
24 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 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 23.8 miles from Seaside Heights, 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 125 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 43.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
CR 51 / Ocean Boulevard
Turn left onto CR 51 / Ocean Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
0.3 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 10 / Hamilton Avenue
Turn right onto CR 10 / Hamilton Avenue
Navigation decision point
6
13.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
CR 527 / Whitesville Road
Turn right onto CR 527 / Whitesville Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
8
43.5 mi into trip
|
~1h 2m 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
43.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 2m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Arena Drive
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Exit 2
Toward Arena Drive
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.89 one way
$15.78 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
17 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $8.64 | $17.29 |
| premium | $4.93 | $9.23 | $18.46 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.51 | $21.02 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 16.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 14.3 | 0 | $5.00 | $2.28 |
| Efficient EV | 11.9 | 0 | $4.17 | $1.90 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 19 | 0 | $6.66 | $3.05 |
Gas CO2
17 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (65% 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
Late night in Trenton on Sunday
Local time
3:36 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
70°F
Lakewood, NJ
24 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
2 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
1h 10m 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 drive offers a mixed experience, with 54% of the journey on highways. You'll encounter stretches of faster driving, including a notable continuous segment of 19 miles on the Central Jersey Expressway, which allows for steady progress. The route transitions between these more direct highway portions and local roads, likely requiring you to adjust your speed and awareness as you navigate through different areas. Expect the road's character to shift, offering a blend of efficient travel and more community-level driving as you approach your destination.
54% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19 mi on Central Jersey Expressway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 51 / Ocean Boulevard.
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 47.6 miles you will encounter 12 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: near the start (CR 51 / Ocean Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (CR 10 / Hamilton Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 13.1 miles (CR 527 / Whitesville Road): Lane positioning matters here.
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 1h 10m. Total distance: 47.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 10m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (54%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19 miles on Central Jersey Expressway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 Trenton, 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: near the start (CR 51 / Ocean Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.3 miles (CR 10 / Hamilton Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 13.1 miles (CR 527 / Whitesville Road): Lane positioning matters here.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. 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 trips to Trenton, NJ
Explore more options from Seaside Heights, NJ or browse trips ending in Trenton, NJ.
Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NJ road trips.