Drive Time
8h 4m
Distance
378.8 mi
610 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
2-day trip
Fuel Cost
$60
one way
Photo: Renan Tagliaferro
The drive from Buffalo, NY to Kensington, NY covers 378.8 miles and takes about 8h 4m behind the wheel. It usually feels better as a 2-day road trip than as one long push.
The route leans on Perkins Drive, South Elmwood Avenue, Church Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $59.79 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Best split across 2 days
Treat the return leg as its own travel day rather than an afterthought.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
189.4 miles from Buffalo, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 4h 2m into the drive .
Expect a 8h 4m drive with frequent turns across 378.8 miles of local and secondary roads.
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
The route itself is not hard, but at 8h 4m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Buffalo, NY to Kensington, NY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Perkins Drive | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| South Elmwood Avenue | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Church Street | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 190 | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 190 South | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| Niagara Thruway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| I 90 West | Unavailable | Refreshing |
| New York State Thruway | Unavailable | Refreshing |
Per-road distance and duration are being refreshed from OSRM for this route.
Step-by-step road directions between Buffalo, NY and Kensington, NY.
Start on Niagara Square
Exit the rotary onto Perkins Drive
At the end of the road, turn left onto South Elmwood Avenue
Keep slight right
At the end of the road, turn right onto Church Street
Take the exit straight toward I 190, NY 5 West: Skyway, Peace Bridge, Canada
Keep slight left to continue on I 190 South, NY 5 West: Skyway
Merge slight left onto Niagara Thruway
Keep slight right to continue on I 90 West: Erie
Merge slight left onto New York State Thruway
Take the exit slight right toward NY 400, NY 16: West Seneca, East Aurora
Continue on Aurora Expressway
Take the exit slight right toward US 20A, NY 78: East Aurora
Turn left onto Main Street
Continue on Big Tree Road
Continue on Varysburg Road
Continue on West Buffalo Road
Continue on West Buffalo Street
Continue on Perry Center Road
Continue on Perry Road
Turn right onto Mount Morris Road
Continue on North Main Street
Continue on Sonyea Road
Take the ramp slight right
Merge slight left onto Genesee Expressway
Merge slight right onto Southern Tier Expressway
Keep slight right to continue on I 81 South: Scranton
Keep slight right to continue on I 84 East, I 380 South, US 6 East: Carbondale, Mt Pocono
Continue on I 84 East, I 380 South: Mount Pocono, Milford
Keep slight right to continue on I 380 South: Mount Pocono
Keep slight left to continue on I 80 East: Stroudsburg
Merge slight right onto Keystone Shortway
Take the exit slight left toward I 280 East: The Oranges, Newark
Continue on Essex Freeway
Take the exit slight right toward CR 508 East: Jersey City
Merge slight left onto Newark-Jersey City Turnpike
Continue on New Wittpenn Bridge
Take the exit slight right toward NJ 139 East: Hoboken, Holland Tunnel
Keep slight left to continue on Holland Tunnel, Lincoln Tunnel
Turn straight
Merge slight right onto Conrail Viaduct
Continue on 12th Street Viaduct
Continue on 12th Street
Keep slight left to continue on Holland Tunnel
Take the exit slight right toward NY 9A
Turn slight left onto Laight Street
At the end of the road, turn left onto West Street
Take the exit slight left toward Hugh L Carey Tunnel, Brooklyn
Continue on Gowanus Expressway
Take the exit slight left toward NY 27 East: Prospect Expressway
Take the exit slight right toward NY 27 East: SUNY Downstate Medical Center
Turn left onto Caton Avenue
Turn right onto Coney Island Avenue
Turn left onto Turner Place
Turn left onto Stratford Road
Turn left onto Albemarle Road
Arrive at your destination
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Consider an overnight stop or starting very early.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 83 miles or 1h 46m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 189.4 miles or 4h 2m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Overnight split
Day 1 wrap after about 189.4 miles or 4h 2m
Stop before fatigue turns the last few hours into a grind. You want day two to start fresh, not just resumed.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 47m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Kensington, NY than in the middle of the route.
Open the route before leaving Buffalo, 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.
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Treat this as a 2-day road trip and book the overnight stop before the busiest arrival window.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Buffalo, NY
Aim for roughly 189 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Day 2
Finish the approach into Kensington, NY
Aim for roughly 189 miles and 4 hours of wheel time on this day.
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 189.4 mi from Buffalo, NY · 4h 2m into the drive
Mid-route town
Overnight candidate
189 mi into the route
Best for: Hotel check-in, dinner, and a fresh start
This lines up well with a realistic day-end stop if you are breaking the drive into stages.
Find hotels in Syracuse, NYNight 1
189 mi · about 4h in
A practical overnight split lands near Syracuse, NY after about 189 miles or 4 hours of driving.
Find hotelsA short stop after about 83 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
The midpoint is around 189.4 miles from Buffalo, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Overnight split
Hotel stopFor a steadier pace, wrap day one after about 189 miles or 4 hours on the road.
The final approach into Kensington, NY usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Kensington, NY.
On a multi-day trip, keep the last day a little lighter so you reach Kensington, NY with some flexibility left in the schedule.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Regular Gas
$59.79 one way
$119.58 round trip
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.48 | $66.83 | $133.65 |
| premium | $4.86 | $72.49 | $144.99 |
| diesel | $4.69 | $70.00 | $140.01 |
Estimated Tolls: $32.00
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
$60
Tolls
$32
Hotel (1n)
$80–$140
Meals
$50–$100
Total
$222–$332
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 132.5 kg one way.
Driving Electric?
About $40 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 113.6 | 1 | $39.77 | $18.18 |
| Efficient EV | 94.7 | 1 | $33.14 | $15.15 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 151.5 | 1 | $53.03 | $24.24 |
Gas CO2
133 kg
EV CO2
44 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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. If you're planning ahead, check the forecast closer to your travel date.
Origin
Afternoon in Buffalo on Saturday
Local time
2:40 PM
EDT
Current temp
46°F
Forecast unavailable right now
Destination
Afternoon in Kensington on Saturday
Local time
2:40 PM
EDT
Current temp
59°F
Forecast unavailable right now
Along the Route
53°F
Syracuse, NY
189 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.
For long drives, weather on day two can matter just as much as conditions at departure, so check the whole travel window rather than only the first day.
Time zone
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
This is long enough that the arrival forecast matters almost as much as departure conditions. Recheck both ends before you roll.
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