Origin
Brookhaven, NY
Afternoon in Brookhaven on Friday
Local time
2:54 PM
EDT
Current temp
43°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Brookhaven, NY to South Hempstead, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
56m
Distance
42.1 mi
68 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$7
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 52m
★
6 AM
0h 57m
8 AM
1h 6m
10 AM
1h 0m
12 PM
0h 59m
3 PM
1h 1m
5 PM
1h 6m
8 PM
0h 54m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
South Hempstead, NY
Mel Audelo
Trip Overview
The drive from Brookhaven, NY to South Hempstead, NY covers 42.1 miles and takes about 56m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Southern State Parkway, Sunrise Highway, Heckscher State Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 18.9 miles on Southern State Parkway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $6.93 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 56m. Total distance: 42.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
56m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (59%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from Brookhaven, NY to South Hempstead, NY covers 42.1 miles and takes about 56m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Southern State Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 18.9 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 1.5 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 9 decision points packed into just 42.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.6 miles (Sunrise Highway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
1.5 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward NY 27 West: New York
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Toward NY 27 West: New York
5
1.8 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
NY 27 / Sunrise Highway
Merge onto NY 27 / Sunrise Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
15.6 mi into trip
|
~22m in
|
Sunrise Highway
Turn slight right onto Sunrise Highway toward SO, H: New York, Hekscher Park
Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 46
Toward SO, H: New York, Hekscher Park
6
22.7 mi into trip
|
~31m 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.
7
41.5 mi into trip
|
~55m in
Take the exit toward Grand Avenue South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Exit 20S
Toward Grand Avenue South
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Brookhaven, NY and South Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward H: New York, Hekscher Park and So West: New York.
H: New York
15.6 mi in
|
~22m
|
via Sunrise Highway
Hekscher Park
15.6 mi in
|
~22m
|
via Sunrise Highway
So West: New York
16.3 mi in
|
~23m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Southern State Parkway | 18.9 mi | 23m |
| Sunrise Highway | 14.5 mi | 20m |
| Heckscher State Parkway | 6 mi | 7m |
| Montauk Highway | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Grand Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Country Road | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| Horseblock Road | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Stratford Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Southern State Parkway
— 18.9 mi, about 23m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Brookhaven, NY and South Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on CR 36
0.4 mi
·
46 sec
·
South Country Road
2
Continue on South Country Road
354 ft
·
16 sec
·
South Country Road
3
Turn straight onto CR 80
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Montauk Highway
4
Turn left onto CR 16
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Horseblock Road
Use the left lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
33 sec
Toward NY 27 West: New York
Use the right lane.
6
Merge onto NY 27
14 mi
·
18 min
·
Sunrise Highway
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Turn slight right onto Sunrise Highway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Sunrise Highway
Exit 46
Toward SO, H: New York, Hekscher Park
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Take the ramp
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
Toward SO West: New York
9
Merge onto H
6.0 mi
·
7 min
·
Heckscher State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Continue on SO
0.1 mi
·
9 sec
·
Southern State Parkway
11
Keep slight left at fork onto SO
19 mi
·
23 min
·
Southern State Parkway
Use the slight left lane.
12
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
33 sec
Exit 20S
Toward Grand Avenue South
Use the right lane.
13
Turn slight right onto Grand Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Grand Avenue
14
Turn right onto Stratford Road
119 ft
·
5 sec
·
Stratford Road
15
Arrive at destination
Stratford Road
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 21.1 mi from Brookhaven, NY · 29m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
21 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 42 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 21.1 miles from Brookhaven, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in South Hempstead, NY
Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into South Hempstead, NY if you are unfamiliar with the area.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.93 one way
$13.86 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
15 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $7.49 | $14.99 |
| premium | $4.92 | $8.16 | $16.32 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $9.30 | $18.59 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$7
Estimated CO2 emission: 14.7 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 12.6 | 0 | $4.42 | $2.02 |
| Efficient EV | 10.5 | 0 | $3.68 | $1.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 16.8 | 0 | $5.89 | $2.69 |
Gas CO2
15 kg
EV CO2
5 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.
Destination
South Hempstead, NY
Afternoon in South Hempstead on Friday
Local time
2:54 PM
EDT
Current temp
46°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
3 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
56m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Brookhaven, NY to South Hempstead, NY covers 42.1 miles and takes about 56m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Southern State Parkway, Sunrise Highway, Heckscher State Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 21.1 miles from Brookhaven, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $6.93 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a short but busy drive. With 9 decision points packed into just 42.1 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.
The main spots that need attention: at 1.5 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 15.6 miles (Sunrise Highway): Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Brookhaven, NY and South Hempstead, NY, road signs point toward H: New York, Hekscher Park and So West: New York.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Fire Island National Seashore, Gateway National Recreation Area and General Grant National Memorial. There are 6 parks within detour distance of this route.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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