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Trip from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 6m

Distance

43.7 mi

70 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 16 min
4 AM
1h 1m ★
6 AM
1h 6m
8 AM
1h 17m
10 AM
1h 10m
12 PM
1h 9m
3 PM
1h 11m
5 PM
1h 16m
8 PM
1h 3m

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

city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Clifton, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Monmouth Junction, NJ, NJ

Monmouth Junction, NJ

Alexa V. Mato

Trip Overview

The drive from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ covers 43.7 miles and takes about 1h 6m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Donna Drive, Olga B Terrace, Hutton Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.24 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 6m. Total distance: 43.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 6m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 6m drive with frequent turns across 43.7 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 26 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Donna Drive is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ is easy. At 1h 6m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Donna Drive
Olga B Terrace
Hutton Road
Clifton Avenue
Allwood Road
NJ 3 West
State Route 3
GSP South

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Donna Drive — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Clifton, NJ and Monmouth Junction, NJ.

1

Start on Holly Street

515 ft · 27 sec · Holly Street
2

Turn left onto Donna Drive

0.1 mi · 35 sec · Donna Drive
3

At the end of the road, turn right onto Olga B Terrace

443 ft · 21 sec · Olga B Terrace
4

Turn right onto Hutton Road

39 ft · 7 sec · Hutton Road
5

Turn left onto Olga B Terrace

174 ft · 13 sec · Olga B Terrace
6

Turn left onto Clifton Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Clifton Avenue
7

At the end of the road, turn right onto Allwood Road

0.2 mi · 31 sec · Allwood Road
8

Take the ramp left toward NJ 3 West, GSP South

0.1 mi · 18 sec · NJ 3 West, GSP South
9

Merge slight left onto State Route 3

305 ft · 4 sec · State Route 3
10

Take the exit slight right toward GSP South

0.4 mi · 49 sec · GSP South
11

Merge slight left onto Garden State Parkway

22 mi · 30 min · Garden State Parkway
12

Continue on Garden State Parkway Southbound

1.3 mi · 1 min · Garden State Parkway Southbound
13

Take the exit slight right toward US 1: Newark, Trenton

0.2 mi · 27 sec · US 1: Newark, Trenton
14

Keep slight right to continue on US 1 South: Trenton

0.3 mi · 35 sec · US 1 South: Trenton
15

Merge slight left

0.1 mi · 13 sec
16

Continue straight

2.1 mi · 3 min
17

Continue straight

7.4 mi · 11 min
18

Continue straight

0.1 mi · 10 sec
19

Keep slight left

276 ft · 4 sec
20

Keep slight left

387 ft · 6 sec
21

Keep slight left

3.6 mi · 5 min
22

Continue straight

3.2 mi · 4 min
23

Take the exit slight right toward Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park

400 ft · 13 sec · Monmouth Junction, Kendall Park
24

Turn left onto New Road

1.4 mi · 3 min · New Road
25

At the end of the road, turn right onto Ridge Road

46 ft · 1 sec · Ridge Road
26

Arrive at your destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 21.9 mi from Clifton, NJ · 33m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Staten Island, NY

22 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

New York City, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Staten Island, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.9 miles from Clifton, NJ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Monmouth Junction, NJ

The final approach into Monmouth Junction, NJ usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.24 one way

$14.49 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $7.93 $15.87
premium $4.93 $8.48 $16.95
diesel $5.61 $9.65 $19.30

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.1 0 $4.59 $2.10
Efficient EV 10.9 0 $3.82 $1.75
EV Truck/SUV 17.5 0 $6.12 $2.80

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.

Forecast as of Apr 16, 2026

Origin

Clifton, NJ

Morning in Clifton on Friday

Local time

9:20 AM

EDT

Current temp

69°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Monmouth Junction, NJ

Morning in Monmouth Junction on Friday

Local time

9:20 AM

EDT

Current temp

45°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

24 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

1h 6m 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 Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ covers 43.7 miles and takes about 1h 6m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Donna Drive, Olga B Terrace, Hutton Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 21.9 miles from Clifton, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.24 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.

The drive from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ is easy. At 1h 6m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Clifton, NJ to Monmouth Junction, NJ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ

Plan the drive back the other way.

43.9 mi 1h 6m

Explore more options from Clifton, NJ or browse trips ending in Monmouth Junction, NJ.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse NJ road trips.