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Trip from Union, NJ to Wharton, NJ

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Sep 5, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

39m

Distance

25 mi

40 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$4

one way

EV Charging

Good

8 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 10 min
4 AM
0h 36m ★
6 AM
0h 39m
8 AM
0h 46m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 41m
3 PM
0h 42m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 37m

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

Best Time
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Downtown Union, NJ, NJ

Union, NJ

Arjun Gheewala

Downtown Wharton, NJ, NJ

Wharton, NJ

Alexa V. Mato

Trip Overview

Union, NJ to Wharton, NJ is 25 miles and takes about 39 minutes via NJ 24, NJ 10, and Vauxhall Road, with a fuel budget near $4 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Northeast region and entirely within New Jersey, making it a convenient option for local travel. Given the brief duration, it's ideal for a quick errand, a short commute, or an easy addition to a larger regional itinerary. You'll spend most of your time on well-maintained roads, so it's a straightforward drive.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
NJ 24 9.4 mi 11m
NJ 10 6.3 mi 9m
Vauxhall Road 2 mi 5m
South Morris Street 1.1 mi 2m
Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway 0.9 mi 1m
I 287 0.9 mi 1m
Springfield Avenue 0.6 mi 1m
US 46 0.5 mi <1m
Longest stretch: NJ 24 — 9.4 mi, about 11m

Traffic on I-287

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 16 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

8 AM

~5,359 veh/hr typical · worst 6,391

Quietest

3 AM

~298 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

18×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 103 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Union, NJ and Wharton, NJ.

1

Start on Harding Avenue

243 ft · 11 sec · Harding Avenue
2

Turn right onto CR 630

2.0 mi · 5 min · Vauxhall Road
Use the straight lane.
3

Turn left onto NJ 124

0.6 mi · 1 min · Springfield Avenue
Use the left lane.
4

Take the ramp

0.4 mi · 1 min
Toward NJ 24 West: Morristown
5

Merge onto I 78

0.9 mi · 1 min · Phillipsburg-Newark Expressway
6

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Exit 48 Toward NJ 24 West: Springfield, Morristown
7

Continue on NJ 24

9.4 mi · 11 min · NJ 24
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Keep slight right at fork

0.5 mi · 56 sec
Toward I 287 North: Mahwah Use the slight right lane.
9

Merge onto I 287

0.9 mi · 1 min · I 287
10

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 28 sec
Exit 39 Toward NJ 10: Dover, Whippany Use the slight right lane.
11

Keep slight left at fork

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward NJ 10 West: Dover Use the slight left lane.
12

Continue on NJ 10

6.3 mi · 9 min · NJ 10
Use the straight / right lanes.
13

Take the exit

201 ft · 5 sec
14

Continue on (643)

1.1 mi · 2 min · South Morris Street
15

Turn left onto CR 513

0.4 mi · 45 sec · East Blackwell Street
16

Continue on CR 659

0.2 mi · 15 sec · West Blackwell Street
17

Turn slight right onto US 46

0.5 mi · 54 sec · US 46
18

Turn right onto CR 634

0.5 mi · 55 sec · South Main Street
Use the right lane.
19

Arrive at destination

CR 634

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 15.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CR 630 / Vauxhall Road

Turn right onto CR 630 / Vauxhall Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
7
3.9 mi into trip | ~8m in

Keep slight right at fork toward NJ 24 West: Springfield, Morristown

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Exit 48 Toward NJ 24 West: Springfield, Morristown
7
13.7 mi into trip | ~20m in

Keep slight right at fork toward I 287 North: Mahwah

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward I 287 North: Mahwah
8
15.1 mi into trip | ~22m in

Take the exit toward NJ 10: Dover, Whippany

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 39 Toward NJ 10: Dover, Whippany
7
15.3 mi into trip | ~23m in

Keep slight left at fork toward NJ 10 West: Dover

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight left lane. Toward NJ 10 West: Dover

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$4.18 one way

$8.35 round trip

$4.24/gal 25.4 MPG avg 9 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.67 $4.60 $9.19
premium $5.01 $4.93 $9.87
diesel $5.60 $5.51 $11.02

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$4

Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-08-31.

Driving Electric?

About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 7.5 0 $2.63 $1.20
Efficient EV 6.3 0 $2.19 $1.00
EV Truck/SUV 10 0 $3.50 $1.60

Gas CO2

9 kg

EV CO2

3 kg (67% 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 Sep 2, 2026

Origin

Union, NJ

Late night in Union on Saturday

Local time

12:09 AM

EDT

Current temp

68°F

Cloudy

NE 6 mph 2% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 3:53AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 3:53AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Destination

Wharton, NJ

Late night in Wharton on Saturday

Local time

12:09 AM

EDT

Current temp

65°F

Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Cloudy

0 mph 59% chance Live forecast

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 3:53AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

Heat Advisory

Heat Advisory issued September 2 at 3:53AM EDT until September 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Mount Holly NJ

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

3 degrees cooler at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

39m 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 72% of the route on faster roads. You'll experience a stretch of 9.4 miles on NJ 24 before transitioning to surface streets. Expect a significant number of exits and merges on the highway portion, typical for this type of commute within a developed area. The latter part of the drive on NJ 10 and Vauxhall Road will feel more like a local road.

72% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 9.4 mi on NJ 24.

How Hard Is This Drive?

10/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NJ 24 and NJ 10. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 630 / Vauxhall Road.

Driving Effort 10/10

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 12 decision points packed into just 25 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 39m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 630 / Vauxhall Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

691 ft 101 ft

Total Climb

863 ft

Total Descent

280 ft

Highest Point

691 ft

~19.7 mi in

Elevation Range

590 ft

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between Union, NJ and Wharton, NJ, road signs point toward Morristown and Whippany.

Morristown

3.9 mi in | ~8m

Whippany

15.1 mi in | ~22m

About the Cities

Arriving in Wharton, NJ

Full guide →

Founded 1895

Top landmarks

  • • St. Mary's Church Historic District — historic district in Wharton, New Jersey

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 39m. Total distance: 25 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

39m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (72%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 9.4 miles on NJ 24. 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 Wharton, 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: near the start (CR 630 / Vauxhall Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.9 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.7 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes — Morristown National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park (5 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 Wharton, 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, EIA for fuel prices, USGS 3DEP for elevation, NPS for national parks, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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