Origin
Smithtown, NY
Morning in Smithtown on Tuesday
Local time
6:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Smithtown, NY to Brookhaven, 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
30m
Distance
19.9 mi
32 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 28m
★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 36m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 32m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 29m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Smithtown, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Smithtown to Brookhaven covers 19.9 miles and typically takes about 30 minutes, making it a quick trip that is easily manageable within a single day. You will primarily navigate via Middle Country Road, Horseblock Road, and the Long Island Expressway. Given the modest distance, you won't need to worry about overnight lodging or heavy travel planning. With fuel costs estimated at $3 for the journey, it is an economical route for a local excursion. Both locations are situated in the Northeast, ensuring a familiar regional feel as you transition between these Long Island communities.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Middle Country Road | 5.6 mi | 8m |
| Horseblock Road | 4.1 mi | 6m |
| Long Island Expressway | 3.3 mi | 4m |
| Nicolls Road | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| West Main Street | 1.3 mi | 2m |
| Montauk Highway | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Express Drive South | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| South Country Road | 0.4 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Middle Country Road
— 5.6 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Smithtown, NY and Brookhaven, NY.
1
Start on NY 25; NY 25A
1.3 mi
·
2 min
·
West Main Street
2
Continue on NY 25
5.6 mi
·
8 min
·
Middle Country Road
3
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
37 sec
Toward CR 97 south: Blue Point
4
Merge onto CR 97
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Nicolls Road
5
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
31 sec
Toward I 495 East: Riverhead
Use the right lane.
6
Turn straight onto Express Drive South
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Express Drive South
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
Toward I-495 east
8
Merge onto I 495
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Long Island Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Exit 65
Toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shirley
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Turn straight onto Express Drive South
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
·
Express Drive South
Toward I 495, CR 101: Yaphank, Riverhead
11
Turn slight right onto CR 16
4.1 mi
·
6 min
·
Horseblock Road
Use the right lane.
12
At end of road, turn right onto CR 80
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Montauk Highway
Use the right lane.
13
Turn left onto CR 36
0.4 mi
·
50 sec
·
South Country Road
Use the left lane.
14
Arrive at destination
CR 36
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 105 decision points cluster between mile 10 and 19.5 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
10 mi into trip
|
~15m in
Take the exit toward I 495 East: Riverhead
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward I 495 East: Riverhead
5
10.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge onto I 495 / Long Island Expressway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
14.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Take the exit toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shirley
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 65
Toward CR 16: Horse Block Road, Centereach, Shi...
6
18.6 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
CR 80 / Montauk Highway
At end of road, turn right onto CR 80 / Montauk Highway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
19.5 mi into trip
|
~29m in
|
CR 36 / South Country Road
Turn left onto CR 36 / South Country Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.28 one way
$6.55 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $3.54 | $7.08 |
| premium | $4.92 | $3.86 | $7.71 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.39 | $8.79 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 6 | 0 | $2.09 | $0.96 |
| Efficient EV | 5 | 0 | $1.74 | $0.80 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 8 | 0 | $2.79 | $1.27 |
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.
Destination
Brookhaven, NY
Morning in Brookhaven on Tuesday
Local time
6:25 AM
EDT
Current temp
77°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 10 mph
0% chance
Live forecast
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
23 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
30m 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 monotonous interstate cruise. While 17 miles of the 19.9-mile journey are spent on highways, the experience is defined by shifting between different road types. Your longest uninterrupted stretch is 5.6 miles along Middle Country Road, which breaks up the faster highway segments. The route demands your attention as you navigate through various local intersections and transitions. You will find this drive moves quickly, but the frequent adjustments keep you engaged behind the wheel compared to a straight-shot highway haul.
Only 17% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.6 mi on Middle Country Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
7/10
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 10 miles in.
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 10 decision points packed into just 19.9 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 30m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 10 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.8 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
164 ft
9 ft
Total Climb
182 ft
Total Descent
228 ft
Highest Point
164 ft
~8.3 mi in
Elevation Range
155 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.
Between Smithtown, NY and Brookhaven, NY, road signs point toward Cr 97 South: Blue Point, Centereach, Shirley, Cr 101: Yaphank and Riverhead.
Cr 97 South: Blue Point
7 mi in
|
~10m
Centereach
14.1 mi in
|
~21m
Shirley
14.1 mi in
|
~21m
Cr 101: Yaphank
14.3 mi in
|
~21m
|
via Express Drive South
Riverhead
14.3 mi in
|
~21m
|
via Express Drive South
About the Cities
Starting in Smithtown, NY
Full guide →Smithtown is a town of 117,000 people (2016) in Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York. Smithtown is comprised of the villages and hamlets of Commack (in part, with the Town of Huntington), Fort Salonga (in part, with the Town of Huntington), Hauppauge (in part, with the Town of Islip), Head of the Harbor, Kings Park, Lake Ronkonkoma (in part with the Town of Brookhaven and Town of Islip), Nesconset, Nissequogue, Smithtown, St. James, & Village of the Branch.
Arriving in Brookhaven, NY
Full guide →Founded 1655
Brookhaven is the largest town in Suffolk County, part of Long Island, New York. With 485,000 residents (2020). It includes a patchwork of villages and other communities, and is the only town on the island to touch both the Long Island Sound and Atlantic Ocean. The villages of Belle Terre, Bellport, Lake Grove, Mastic Beach, Old Field, Patchogue, Poquott, Port Jefferson, and Shoreham are semi-autonomous, and provide their own services in addition to those provided by the town. Other prominent communities include Mount Sinai, Stony Brook, and Fire Island, a long and car-free resort island off the south coast of the town.
Top landmarks
- • Wardenclyffe Tower — early experimental wireless transmission station designed and built by Nikola Te...
- • West Meadow Beach Historic District — historic district in the United States
- • Stony Brook Grist Mill — watermill
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 30m. Total distance: 19.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
30m 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 5.6 miles on Middle Country Road. 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 Brookhaven, 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 10 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 10.8 miles (I 495 / Long Island Expressway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 14.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fire Island National Seashore. 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 Brookhaven, 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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