Origin
Smithtown, NY
Morning in Smithtown on Tuesday
Local time
9:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
54°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Smithtown, NY to Hempstead, 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
41m
Distance
31.7 mi
51 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 38m
★
6 AM
0h 41m
8 AM
0h 48m
10 AM
0h 44m
12 PM
0h 43m
3 PM
0h 44m
5 PM
0h 48m
8 PM
0h 39m
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
Smithtown, NY to Hempstead, NY is 31.7 miles and takes about 41 minutes via Southern State Parkway and Jericho Turnpike, with a fuel budget near $5 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This is a short trip entirely within New York's Northeast region, primarily using major parkways and a well-trafficked surface road. Given its brevity, this route is ideal for a quick transfer or a segment of a longer New York exploration, offering a straightforward path between two Long Island locations without requiring an overnight stay.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 17.5 mi | 21m |
| Sagtikos State Parkway | 5.4 mi | 6m |
| Jericho Turnpike | 4 mi | 6m |
| Sunken Meadow State Parkway | 1.9 mi | 2m |
| Nassau Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Greenwich Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| West Main Street | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| Henry Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Southern State Parkway
— 17.5 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Smithtown, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on NY 25; NY 25A
0.6 mi
·
51 sec
·
West Main Street
2
Keep slight left at fork onto NY 25; NY 25A
179 ft
·
5 sec
·
West Main Street
3
Continue on NY 25
4.0 mi
·
6 min
·
Jericho Turnpike
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
Toward SM South: Bay Shore
5
Merge onto SM
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Sunken Meadow State Parkway
6
Continue on SA
5.4 mi
·
6 min
·
Sagtikos State Parkway
Use the straight lane.
7
Continue on SO
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
·
Southern State Parkway
8
Keep slight left at fork onto SO
17 mi
·
21 min
·
Southern State Parkway
Use the slight left lane.
9
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 21
Toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
Use the slight right lane.
10
Keep slight right at fork
163 ft
·
5 sec
Toward Uniondale
Use the right lane.
11
Turn right onto Nassau Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Nassau Road
Use the right lane.
12
Continue on Greenwich Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Greenwich Street
13
Turn right onto Henry Street
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Henry Street
Use the right lane.
14
Turn right onto Peninsula Boulevard
64 ft
·
1 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
15
Arrive at destination
Peninsula Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 95 decision points cluster between mile 12.2 and 31.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
12.2 mi into trip
|
~15m in
|
SO / Southern State Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto SO / Southern State Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
8
29.6 mi into trip
|
~37m in
Take the exit toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 21
Toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
8
29.8 mi into trip
|
~38m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Uniondale
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward Uniondale
5
29.8 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
Nassau Road
Turn right onto Nassau Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
31.2 mi into trip
|
~40m in
|
Henry Street
Turn right onto Henry Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.22 one way
$10.44 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $5.64 | $11.28 |
| premium | $4.92 | $6.14 | $12.29 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $7.00 | $14.00 |
Estimated Tolls: $0.28
Jericho Turnpike
(4 mi)
$0.28
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$0
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 11.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9.5 | 0 | $3.33 | $1.52 |
| Efficient EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.77 | $1.27 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.7 | 0 | $4.44 | $2.03 |
Gas CO2
11 kg
EV CO2
4 kg (64% 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
Hempstead, NY
Morning in Hempstead on Tuesday
Local time
9:41 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
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
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
41m 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?
With 91% of this drive on highways, you'll spend most of your time on the Southern State Parkway and Sagtikos State Parkway. The longest continuous stretch on these parkways is 17.5 miles. You'll transition to surface roads for the final portion of the trip, navigating Jericho Turnpike. Expect a relatively urban driving environment with frequent exits and traffic merging as you approach Hempstead.
91% 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: 17.5 mi on Southern State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Southern State Parkway and Sagtikos State Parkway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 12.2 miles in near SO / Southern State Parkway.
Driving Effort
9/10
Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 31.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 41m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 12.2 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. 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.
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 Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward Sm South: Bay Shore, Freeport and Uniondale.
Sm South: Bay Shore
4.6 mi in
|
~7m
Freeport
29.6 mi in
|
~37m
Uniondale
29.8 mi in
|
~38m
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 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.
Top landmarks
- • Mitchel Air Force Base — US Air Force base in Long Island, 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 41m. Total distance: 31.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
41m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (91%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 17.5 miles on Southern State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $0.28 in tolls one way, starting with Jericho 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 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 12.2 miles (SO / Southern State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 29.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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