Origin
West Islip, NY
Late night in West Islip on Sunday
Local time
2:07 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from West Islip, NY to Hempstead, NY
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 26, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
18.7 mi
30 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
West Islip, NY
Mel Audelo
Hempstead, NY
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
West Islip to Hempstead is 18.7 miles and takes about 27 minutes via Southern State Parkway, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within New York, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. It's a straightforward drive, mostly on a parkway, making it a simple option for a quick hop between locations. Consider this route when you need to get from one point to another without a lot of fuss.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 10.4 mi | 12m |
| Farmingdale Road | 3.6 mi | 5m |
| Nassau Road | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Greenwich Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Trolley Line Road | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Little East Neck Road North | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Henry Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| John Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Southern State Parkway
— 10.4 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between West Islip, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on CR 50
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Union Boulevard
2
Continue on CR 50
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
·
John Street
3
Keep slight right at fork onto CR 50
330 ft
·
9 sec
·
John Street
Use the right lane.
4
Turn left onto CR 50
337 ft
·
6 sec
·
Simon Street
5
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 50
235 ft
·
10 sec
·
Simon Street
6
Turn left onto CR 50
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Deer Park Avenue
Use the straight lane.
7
Turn right onto Railroad Avenue
0.2 mi
·
19 sec
·
Railroad Avenue
8
Continue on Trolley Line Road
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Trolley Line Road
9
Turn right onto NY 109
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Little East Neck Road North
10
Continue on NY 109
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Farmingdale Road
Use the left lane.
11
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
25 sec
Toward SO West: New York
12
Merge onto SO
10 mi
·
12 min
·
Southern State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
25 sec
Exit 21
Toward Nassau Road, Hempstead, Freeport
Use the slight right lane.
14
Keep slight right at fork
163 ft
·
5 sec
Toward Uniondale
Use the right lane.
15
Turn right onto Nassau Road
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Nassau Road
Use the right lane.
16
Continue on Greenwich Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Greenwich Street
17
Turn right onto Henry Street
0.5 mi
·
56 sec
·
Henry Street
Use the right lane.
18
Turn right onto Peninsula Boulevard
64 ft
·
1 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
19
Arrive at destination
Peninsula Boulevard
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 135 decision points cluster between mile 0.8 and 16.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
CR 50 / John Street
Keep slight right at fork onto CR 50 / John Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CR 50 / Simon Street
Keep slight left at fork onto CR 50 / Simon Street
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
6
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
CR 50 / Deer Park Avenue
Turn left onto CR 50 / Deer Park Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
8
16.6 mi into trip
|
~23m 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
16.8 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Uniondale
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward Uniondale
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.04 one way
$6.08 round trip
$4.13/gal
25.4 MPG avg
7 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.47 | $3.29 | $6.58 |
| premium | $4.87 | $3.58 | $7.16 |
| diesel | $5.40 | $3.98 | $7.96 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 71% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.6 | 0 | $1.96 | $0.90 |
| Efficient EV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.64 | $0.75 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.62 | $1.20 |
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
Hempstead, NY
Late night in Hempstead on Sunday
Local time
2:07 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
12 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
27m 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?
This drive features a mixed highway and surface road profile, with 56% of the route on highways. You'll experience a longest stretch of 10.4 miles on the Southern State Parkway. After this primary parkway segment, you'll transition to surface roads like Farmingdale Road and Nassau Road for the remainder of the trip. Expect a noticeable change in driving environment as you exit the more controlled parkway setting.
56% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.4 mi on Southern State Parkway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
9/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.8 miles in near CR 50 / John Street.
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 13 decision points packed into just 18.7 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 27m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.8 miles (CR 50 / John Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles (CR 50 / Simon Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.9 miles (CR 50 / Deer Park Avenue): 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 West Islip, NY and Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward So West: New York, Freeport and Uniondale.
So West: New York
6 mi in
|
~10m
Freeport
16.6 mi in
|
~23m
Uniondale
16.8 mi in
|
~23m
About the Cities
Starting in West Islip, NY
Full guide →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 27m. Total distance: 18.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (56%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 10.4 miles on Southern State Parkway. 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 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 0.8 miles (CR 50 / John Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 0.9 miles (CR 50 / Simon Street): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 0.9 miles (CR 50 / Deer Park Avenue): 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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