If you are looking to escape the city for the Catskills, the 120.6-mile journey from Yonkers to Hunter is a manageable trek that typically takes about 2 hours and 36 minutes. This trip is perfectly suited as a one-day excursion, meaning you can easily make it there and back without needing to book an overnight stay. You should budget approximately $20 for fuel to cover the distance. Navigating through the Northeast, you will transition from the suburban outskirts of Yonkers into the higher elevations of Hunter. Because the route is straightforward and relatively short, it offers a great deal of flexibility for your schedule.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
60.3 miles from Yonkers, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 16m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
New York State Thruway
97 mi
1h 56m
NY 32
8.1 mi
12m
State Highway 23A
5.2 mi
8m
State Route 23A
3.4 mi
5m
Main Street
3.1 mi
6m
Saw Mill River Road
1.4 mi
2m
Nepperhan Avenue
1 mi
1m
Tuckahoe Road
0.6 mi
1m
Longest stretch:
New York State Thruway
— 97 mi, about 1h 56m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Yonkers, NY and Hunter, NY.
1
Start on US 9; NY 9A
181 ft·11 sec·South Broadway
2
Turn sharp right onto Nepperhan Avenue
0.5 mi·48 sec·Nepperhan Avenue
3
Keep slight left at fork onto Nepperhan Avenue
0.5 mi·56 sec·Nepperhan Avenue
4
Turn right onto NY 9A
0.1 mi·19 sec·Ashburton Avenue
5
Turn left onto NY 9A
1.4 mi·2 min·Saw Mill River Road
Use the left lane.
6
Continue on Tuckahoe Road
0.6 mi·1 min·Tuckahoe Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Take the ramp
0.2 mi·26 sec
Toward I 87 North
8
Merge onto I 87
26 mi·34 min·New York State Thruway
Use the slight right lane.
9
Keep slight left at fork onto I 87
71 mi·1 hr 22 min·New York State Thruway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Take the exit
0.4 mi·1 min
Exit 20Toward NY 32: Saugerties
11
Turn left onto NY 32
0.2 mi·23 sec·NY 32
12
Turn straight onto NY 32
7.9 mi·12 min·NY 32
13
Turn straight onto NY 23A
1.0 mi·2 min·State Route 23A
14
Continue on NY 23A
5.2 mi·8 min·State Highway 23A
15
Continue on NY 23A
1.6 mi·4 min·Main Street
16
Continue on NY 23A
2.4 mi·3 min·State Route 23A
17
Continue on NY 23A
1.5 mi·2 min·Main Street
18
Turn right
91 ft·6 sec
19
Arrive at destination
Trip Plan
To make the most of your 2-hour and 36-minute transit, plan for at least one dedicated stop to break up the drive. Since the majority of your travel occurs on the New York State Thruway, try to time your departure to avoid peak congestion on that major artery. Because the final portion of the route relies on turn-heavy local roads, you may want to avoid driving this segment in poor weather conditions if you aren't comfortable with tighter, winding turns. Keep your $20 fuel budget in mind when planning your fill-up points, as gas prices can fluctuate once you leave the main interstate system. Flexibility is your biggest advantage here, so feel free to adjust your departure time to suit your personal pace.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 60.3 miles from Yonkers, NY, or about 1h 16m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 97 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 27 miles or 37m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 60.3 miles or 1h 16m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 2h
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Hunter, NY than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Yonkers, NY so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Yonkers, NY
This is one driving day of about 120.6 miles and 2h 36m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 27 miles from Yonkers, NY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 1 real break rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on New York State Thruway for about 97 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 10
5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 100.3 — 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|Nepperhan Avenue
Turn sharp right onto Nepperhan Avenue
Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach
6
1.1 mi into trip|~2m in|NY 9A / Saw Mill River Road
Turn left onto NY 9A / Saw Mill River Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
3.3 mi into trip|~6m in|I 87 / New York State Thruway
Merge onto I 87 / New York State Thruway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
6
29.2 mi into trip|~40m in|I 87 / New York State Thruway
Keep slight left at fork onto I 87 / New York State Thruway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
100.3 mi into trip|~2h 2m in
Take the exit toward NY 32: Saugerties
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Exit 20
Toward NY 32: Saugerties
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$19.85 one way
$39.70 round trip
$4.18/gal25.4 MPG avg42 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.52
$21.47
$42.93
premium
$4.92
$23.37
$46.75
diesel
$5.61
$26.63
$53.25
Estimated Tolls: $4.85
New York State Thruway
(97 mi)$4.85
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$20
Tolls
$5
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$50–$75
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 42.2 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $13 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
36.2
0
$12.66
$5.79
Efficient EV
30.2
0
$10.55
$4.82
EV Truck/SUV
48.2
0
$16.88
$7.72
Gas CO2
42 kg
EV CO2
14 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 Apr 13, 2026
Origin
Yonkers, NY
Late night
in Yonkers on Sunday
Local time
3:54 AM
EDT
Current temp
78°F
Partly Sunny
SW 8 to 18 mph9% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Hunter, NY
Late night
in Hunter on Sunday
Local time
3:54 AM
EDT
Current temp
48°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
49°F
Ramapo, NY
60 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
30 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
2h 36m 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.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Hamilton Grange National Memorial
National Memorial
Merchant’s clerk, Revolutionary War soldier, first Secretary Treasury of the United States: Alexander Hamilton’s life is memorialized at The Grange, the home he built on a country estate in uptown Man...
The final resting place of President Ulysses S. Grant and his wife, Julia, is the largest mausoleum in North America. It testifies to a people’s gratitude for the man who ended the bloodiest conflict...
Before the 1960s, almost everything about living authentically as a lesbian, a bisexual person or a gay man was illegal. The Stonewall Uprising on June 28, 1969 is a milestone in the quest for civil r...
The African Burial Ground stands as the oldest and largest known excavated burial site in North America for both free and enslaved Africans. It offers a profound testament to the enduring legacy of Af...
Located at the southern tip of Manhattan, Castle Clinton marks the place where New York City began and reflects the growth of both the city and the nation. Built to defend the harbor during the War of...
Here at Federal Hall, George Washington took the oath of office as the first President of the United States, marking the beginning of the American constitutional republic. This historic site served as...
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
Expect a split personality on this drive, as it transitions from high-speed transit to technical local maneuvering. You will spend the bulk of your time on the New York State Thruway, which accounts for a 97-mile stretch of the trip. Overall, highways make up only about 14% of the total journey, shifting quickly into a turn-heavy local drive once you exit onto NY 32 and State Highway 23A. The transition from the wide-open Thruway to the winding local roads requires you to stay alert behind the wheel. Prepare for a shift in pace as the road becomes more demanding toward the final leg of your trip.
Only 14% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
19 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 97 mi on New York State Thruway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 10 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Nepperhan Avenue.
Driving Effort5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 120.6 miles you will encounter 10 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Nepperhan Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 1.1 miles (NY 9A / Saw Mill River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles (I 87 / New York State Thruway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yonkers is a city of 211,569 people (2020) in Westchester County. The third most populous city in New York state, Yonkers is a suburb of New York City and borders the Borough of the Bronx. Yonkers is known as the "City of Seven Hills," which are Park, Nodine, Ridge, Cross, Locust, Glen, and Church hills.
Top landmarks
•Untermyer Park — public garden
•Hudson River Museum — museum in Yonkers, N.Y.
•Glenview Mansion — historic house in New York, United States
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 36m. Total distance: 120.6 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (14%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 97 miles on New York State Thruway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Expect about $4.85 in tolls one way, starting with New York State Thruway. 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.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Nepperhan Avenue): Sharp turn - reduce speed on approach; at 1.1 miles (NY 9A / Saw Mill River Road): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.3 miles (I 87 / New York State Thruway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument (6 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 Hunter, NY before heading back.
