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Trip from Sheepshead Bay, NY to West Hempstead, NY

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

36m

Distance

21.2 mi

34 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 9 min
4 AM
0h 33m ★
6 AM
0h 36m
8 AM
0h 42m
10 AM
0h 38m
12 PM
0h 38m
3 PM
0h 39m
5 PM
0h 42m
8 PM
0h 34m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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neighborhood in Brooklyn, New York City, New York, United States

Sheepshead Bay, NY

Wikimedia Commons

census-designated place in Nassau County, New York, United States, suburb of NYC

West Hempstead, NY

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

Sheepshead Bay, NY to West Hempstead, NY is 21.2 miles and takes about 36 minutes via Belt Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within New York, connecting two points in the Northeast region. It's a straightforward drive, mostly on highways, making it a convenient option for a short hop. Plan for this to be an easy, same-day excursion.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Belt Parkway 14.5 mi 21m
Hempstead Turnpike 3 mi 5m
Elmont Road 1.8 mi 3m
Nostrand Avenue 0.4 mi <1m
Shore Parkway 0.4 mi 1m
Avenue Y 0.2 mi 1m
School Road 0.2 mi <1m
Knapp Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Belt Parkway — 14.5 mi, about 21m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Sheepshead Bay, NY and West Hempstead, NY.

1

Start on Avenue Y

0.2 mi · 1 min · Avenue Y
2

Turn right onto Nostrand Avenue

0.4 mi · 59 sec · Nostrand Avenue
3

Turn left onto Shore Parkway

0.4 mi · 1 min · Shore Parkway
4

Turn right onto Knapp Street

451 ft · 22 sec · Knapp Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Turn left

0.4 mi · 49 sec
Toward Belt Parkway East, Kennedy Airport Use the left lane.
6

Merge onto BP

14 mi · 21 min · Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork onto CI

419 ft · 5 sec · Cross Island Parkway
Toward Cross Island Parkway, Whitestone Bridge Use the slight right lane.
8

Take the exit

318 ft · 12 sec
Exit 25B Toward Elmont Road, Linden Boulevard Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Turn left onto Elmont Road

1.8 mi · 3 min · Elmont Road
10

Turn slight right onto School Road

0.2 mi · 21 sec · School Road
11

Turn right onto NY 24

3.0 mi · 5 min · Hempstead Turnpike
Use the straight / right lanes.
12

Turn right onto Sycamore Street

193 ft · 13 sec · Sycamore Street
13

Turn left

50 ft · 9 sec
14

Turn left

105 ft · 7 sec
15

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 1.1 and 16.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
1.1 mi into trip | ~3m in | Knapp Street

Turn right onto Knapp Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
7
1.2 mi into trip | ~3m in

Turn left toward Belt Parkway East, Kennedy Airport

Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the left lane. Toward Belt Parkway East, Kennedy Airport
5
1.6 mi into trip | ~4m in | BP / Belt Parkway

Merge onto BP / Belt Parkway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
16 mi into trip | ~25m in | CI / Cross Island Parkway

Keep slight right at fork onto CI / Cross Island Parkway toward Cross Island Parkway, Whitestone Bridge

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Use the slight right lane. Toward Cross Island Parkway, Whitestone Bridge
9
16.1 mi into trip | ~25m in

Take the exit toward Elmont Road, Linden Boulevard

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 25B Toward Elmont Road, Linden Boulevard

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$3.45 one way

$6.89 round trip

$4.13/gal 25.4 MPG avg 7 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.47 $3.73 $7.46
premium $4.87 $4.06 $8.12
diesel $5.40 $4.51 $9.02

Estimated Tolls: $0.21

Hempstead Turnpike (3 mi) $0.21

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Tolls

$0

Total

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 7.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 6.4 0 $2.23 $1.02
Efficient EV 5.3 0 $1.85 $0.85
EV Truck/SUV 8.5 0 $2.97 $1.36

Gas CO2

7 kg

EV CO2

2 kg (71% 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.

Forecast as of Apr 26, 2026

Origin

Sheepshead Bay, NY

Afternoon in Sheepshead Bay on Sunday

Local time

12:08 PM

EDT

Current temp

56°F

Partly Sunny

NE 12 mph 16% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 26 at 12:24AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

Destination

West Hempstead, NY

Afternoon in West Hempstead on Sunday

Local time

12:08 PM

EDT

Current temp

57°F

Partly Sunny

NE 13 mph 19% chance Live forecast

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 26 at 12:24AM EDT by NWS Binghamton NY

Flood Warning

Flood Warning issued April 25 at 8:05PM EDT until April 26 at 11:00AM EDT by NWS Buffalo NY

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

1 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

36m on the road

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.

What kind of drive is this?

This drive is mostly highway, with 85% of the 21.2 miles on high-speed roads. You'll encounter your longest stretch on the Belt Parkway for 14.5 miles before transitioning to surface streets like Hempstead Turnpike and Elmont Road. Expect a significant amount of merging and exiting activity typical of urban and suburban highway travel.

85% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
15 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 14.5 mi on Belt Parkway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

7/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Belt Parkway and Hempstead Turnpike. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 1.1 miles in near Knapp Street.

Driving Effort 7/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 21.2 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (Knapp Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

Between Sheepshead Bay, NY and West Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward Belt Parkway East and Kennedy Airport.

Belt Parkway East

1.2 mi in | ~3m

Kennedy Airport

1.2 mi in | ~3m

About the Cities

Arriving in West Hempstead, NY

Full guide →

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).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 21.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

36m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 14.5 miles on Belt Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Expect about $0.21 in tolls one way, starting with Hempstead Turnpike. 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 West Hempstead, NY 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 1.1 miles (Knapp Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.2 miles: Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 1.6 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Gateway National Recreation Area, African Burial Ground National Monument and Castle Clinton National Monument (6 total within detour distance). 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 West Hempstead, NY 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.

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