Origin
Shirley, NY
Late night in Shirley on Tuesday
Local time
4:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Shirley, NY to Queens, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
1h 17m
Distance
53.9 mi
87 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$9
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 12m
★
6 AM
1h 18m
8 AM
1h 30m
10 AM
1h 22m
12 PM
1h 21m
3 PM
1h 22m
5 PM
1h 29m
8 PM
1h 14m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Shirley, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Queens, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Shirley to Queens covers 56.1 miles and typically takes about 1 hour and 16 minutes. This straightforward journey fits perfectly into a single day, making it an ideal choice for a morning departure or an afternoon commute. You can expect to spend approximately $9 on fuel for the trip, keeping your transit costs quite manageable. Because you remain within the Northeast region throughout, you won't need to worry about major shifts in geography or climate. Whether you are heading to the city for business or returning home, this 1-day excursion is designed for simplicity and efficiency.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Sunrise Highway | 48.1 mi | 1h 4m |
| Rockaway Boulevard | 3.2 mi | 7m |
| Belt Parkway | 1.3 mi | 1m |
| North Conduit Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| William Floyd Parkway | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| 103rd Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Liberty Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| 104th Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Sunrise Highway
— 48.1 mi, about 1h 4m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Shirley, NY and Queens, NY.
1
Start on CR 46
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
William Floyd Parkway
Toward I 495, NY 27: East Shoreham, Wading River
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Toward NY 27 West: New York
3
Merge onto NY 27
48 mi
·
1 hr 4 min
·
Sunrise Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
18 sec
Toward Belt Parkway West, Verrazano Bridge
5
Merge onto BP
1.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 21A
Toward Rockaway Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
Turn straight onto NY 27
0.3 mi
·
45 sec
·
North Conduit Avenue
8
Turn right onto Rockaway Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Rockaway Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto Rockaway Boulevard
2.7 mi
·
6 min
·
Rockaway Boulevard
Use the left lane.
10
Turn right onto 103rd Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
103rd Street
11
Turn right onto Liberty Avenue
257 ft
·
11 sec
·
Liberty Avenue
12
Turn right onto 104th Street
205 ft
·
9 sec
·
104th Street
13
Arrive at destination
104th Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
27 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 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 27 miles from Shirley, NY, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 51 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Take the exit toward NY 27 West: New York
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward NY 27 West: New York
5
0.5 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
NY 27 / Sunrise Highway
Merge onto NY 27 / Sunrise Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
48.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 5m in
Take the exit toward Belt Parkway West, Verrazano Bridge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Belt Parkway West, Verrazano Bridge
7
50.1 mi into trip
|
~1h 7m in
Take the exit toward Rockaway Boulevard
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 21A
Toward Rockaway Boulevard
6
51 mi into trip
|
~1h 9m in
|
Rockaway Boulevard
Keep slight left at fork onto Rockaway Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$8.87 one way
$17.74 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
19 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $9.59 | $19.19 |
| premium | $4.92 | $10.45 | $20.89 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $11.90 | $23.80 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$9
Estimated CO2 emission: 18.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 68% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 16.2 | 0 | $5.66 | $2.59 |
| Efficient EV | 13.5 | 0 | $4.72 | $2.16 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 21.6 | 0 | $7.55 | $3.45 |
Gas CO2
19 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (68% 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
Queens, NY
Late night in Queens on Tuesday
Local time
4:50 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°F
Mostly Cloudy
NE 6 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
Wind Advisory
Wind Advisory issued April 18 at 2:37AM EDT until April 19 at 12:00AM EDT by NWS Burlington VT
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 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 17m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. You will navigate primarily via NY 27 West, the Sunrise Highway, and the Belt Parkway West. Since the highway share is 0%, you should prepare for a route defined by local traffic patterns and intersections rather than long, uninterrupted stretches of open road. There is no significant longest stretch to speak of on NY 27 West, so keep your focus sharp as you transition between these road segments. The experience behind the wheel is consistent, requiring your full attention as you navigate through the various turns along the way.
Only 3% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
13 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 48.1 mi on Sunrise Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in.
Driving Effort
9/10
Demanding - stay alert through the decision-heavy sections
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 53.9 miles you will encounter 11 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: at 0.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 0.5 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 48.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
69 ft
8 ft
Total Climb
90 ft
Total Descent
110 ft
Highest Point
69 ft
~3.9 mi in
Elevation Range
60 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Shirley, NY to Queens, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Belt Parkway West along the way.
Belt Parkway West
48.6 mi in
|
~1h 5m
About the Cities
Starting in Shirley, NY
Full guide →Arriving in Queens, NY
Full guide →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
- • Queensboro Bridge — bridge in New York City
- • Unisphere — Steel structure in Queens, New York
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 17m. Total distance: 53.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 48.1 miles on Sunrise Highway. 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 Queens, 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 0.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early; at 0.5 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 48.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore, African Burial Ground National Monument and Federal Hall National Memorial (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 Queens, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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