Origin
South Plainfield, NJ
Afternoon in South Plainfield on Sunday
Local time
12:05 PM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from South Plainfield, NJ to Paterson, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
48m
Distance
30.6 mi
49 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 44m
★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 52m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Plainfield, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Paterson, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 32.2-mile drive from South Plainfield to Paterson, New Jersey, is a quick trip that can easily be completed in about 44 minutes, making it perfect for a single-day excursion. You'll navigate primarily local roads, with no highway driving involved, suggesting a more community-focused journey through the Northeast region. Budget around $5 for fuel for this short hop. With its relatively short distance and duration, this route offers flexibility for when you choose to depart and how you manage your time en route. It's an accessible drive for anyone looking to connect two points within NJ without committing to a lengthy travel day.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Garden State Parkway | 19.4 mi | 26m |
| Inman Avenue | 2.3 mi | 4m |
| NJ 19 | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| Raritan Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Maple Avenue | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Oak Ridge Road | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Feather Bed Lane | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| Central Avenue | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 19.4 mi, about 26m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between South Plainfield, NJ and Paterson, NJ.
1
Start on South Plainfield Avenue
122 ft
·
12 sec
·
South Plainfield Avenue
2
Turn left onto Front Street
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
·
Front Street
3
At end of road, turn right onto CR 602
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Maple Avenue
4
Continue on CR 602
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
Maple Street
5
Continue on CR 602
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
Old Raritan Road
6
Turn right onto CR 602
2.3 mi
·
4 min
·
Inman Avenue
7
Turn left onto Feather Bed Lane
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Feather Bed Lane
8
Continue on CR 607
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Oak Ridge Road
9
Continue on CR 607
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Raritan Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Turn right onto CR 613
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Central Avenue
Use the right lane.
11
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
22 sec
Toward GSP North
Use the straight / left lanes.
12
Merge onto GSP
19 mi
·
26 min
·
Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.7 mi
·
1 min
Exit 155A
Toward NJ 19: Paterson
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
14
Merge onto NJ 19
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
NJ 19
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15
Take the exit
313 ft
·
7 sec
Toward I 80 West: Grand Street, Del Water Gap
16
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
Toward Grand Street
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
17
Turn right onto CR 638
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Grand Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
18
Turn left onto CR 509
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Main Street
Use the straight lane.
19
Turn right onto CR 648
453 ft
·
15 sec
·
Market Street
20
Turn left onto Colt Street
42 ft
·
3 sec
·
Colt Street
21
Arrive at destination
Colt Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
15 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 30.6 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 15.3 miles from South Plainfield, 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 155 decision points cluster between mile 7.8 and 30.2 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
7
7.8 mi into trip
|
~16m in
Take the ramp toward GSP North
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Toward GSP North
7
27.5 mi into trip
|
~43m in
Take the exit toward NJ 19: Paterson
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
Exit 155A
Toward NJ 19: Paterson
8
29.9 mi into trip
|
~46m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Grand Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
Toward Grand Street
7
30 mi into trip
|
~47m in
|
CR 638 / Grand Street
Turn right onto CR 638 / Grand Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
30.2 mi into trip
|
~47m in
|
CR 509 / Main Street
Turn left onto CR 509 / Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$5.07 one way
$10.15 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $5.56 | $11.11 |
| premium | $4.93 | $5.93 | $11.87 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.76 | $13.51 |
Estimated Tolls: $1.17
Garden State Parkway
(19.4 mi)
$1.17
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Tolls
$1
Total
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.7 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 | 9.2 | 0 | $3.21 | $1.47 |
| Efficient EV | 7.7 | 0 | $2.68 | $1.22 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12.2 | 0 | $4.28 | $1.96 |
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
Paterson, NJ
Afternoon in Paterson on Sunday
Local time
12:05 PM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
16 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
48m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for the entirety of this 32.2-mile journey between South Plainfield and Paterson. With a 0% highway share, you'll be winding through neighborhoods and local thoroughfares like Front Street, Maple Avenue, and Maple Street for the full 44-minute duration. There isn't a 'longest stretch' of uninterrupted driving to note, meaning you'll be actively engaged with navigation and local traffic patterns throughout. This type of route often provides a more intimate feel for the communities you're passing through, offering a different experience than a high-speed highway cruise.
69% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
21 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 19.4 mi on Garden State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
8/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and Inman Avenue. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 7.8 miles in.
Driving Effort
8/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 15 decision points packed into just 30.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 48m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 7.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 27.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.9 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.
On the drive from South Plainfield, NJ to Paterson, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Gsp North along the way.
Gsp North
7.8 mi in
|
~16m
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 30.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
48m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (69%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 19.4 miles on Garden State Parkway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $1.17 in tolls one way, starting with Garden State Parkway. 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 Paterson, 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: at 7.8 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 27.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 29.9 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 Paterson, 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.
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