This 25-mile drive from Copiague, NY to Richmond Hill, NY is a straightforward 36-minute trip that fits perfectly as a single-day excursion. You'll be navigating primarily along Sunrise Highway, the Belt Parkway, and the Van Wyck Expressway. With a modest fuel cost of around $4, this route is quite economical for a short hop within the Northeast region. The profile suggests a drive with numerous turns, indicating you'll be actively engaged with the road rather than cruising on a long, uninterrupted stretch. It's an ideal choice if you're looking for a quick, no-fuss journey between two points in New York.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 36m. Total distance: 25 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
36m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a "turn-heavy local drive" for this 25-mile journey. While 16% of your travel will be on highways, the majority of the route involves more intricate navigation. The longest continuous stretch you'll encounter is 16.7 miles, primarily on Sunrise Highway, before you transition to the Belt Parkway and Van Wyck Expressway. This means you'll be making frequent adjustments and paying attention to traffic patterns, especially as you approach more urban areas. It's less about scenic vistas and more about efficient transit through the local road network.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 15 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Sunrise Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 16.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 47 / Great Neck Road.
Driving Effort10/10
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 11 decision points packed into just 25 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 47 / Great Neck Road): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.6 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 11 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip|~0m in|CR 47 / Great Neck Road
Turn left onto CR 47 / Great Neck Road
Navigation decision point
5
2 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 right lane.
6
20.6 mi into trip|~28m in|BP / Belt Parkway
Keep slight left at fork onto BP / Belt Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
21 mi into trip|~29m in
Take the exit toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone Bridge
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 19
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whites...
8
24.1 mi into trip|~33m in
Take the exit toward Jamaica Avenue, Hillside Avenue
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 6
Toward Jamaica Avenue, Hillside Avenue
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Copiague, NY to Richmond Hill, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Belt Parkway West along the way.
Belt Parkway West
18.7 mi in|~25m
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Sunrise Highway
16.7 mi
21m
Belt Parkway
2.3 mi
3m
Van Wyck Expressway
1.9 mi
1m
Oak Street
1.4 mi
2m
Jamaica Avenue
0.8 mi
1m
Old Sunrise Highway
0.5 mi
<1m
Great Neck Road
0.1 mi
<1m
Marconi Boulevard
<0.1 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Sunrise Highway
— 16.7 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Copiague, NY and Richmond Hill, NY.
1
Start on Marconi Boulevard
35 ft·9 sec·Marconi Boulevard
2
Turn left onto CR 47
0.1 mi·17 sec·Great Neck Road
3
Turn right onto Oak Street
1.4 mi·2 min·Oak Street
4
Continue on Old Sunrise Highway
0.5 mi·53 sec·Old Sunrise Highway
5
Merge onto NY 27
17 mi·21 min·Sunrise Highway
Use the right lane.
6
Take the exit
0.1 mi·18 sec
Toward Belt Parkway West, Verrazano Bridge
7
Merge onto BP
1.8 mi·2 min·Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8
Keep slight left at fork onto BP
0.4 mi·39 sec·Belt Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9
Take the exit
0.5 mi·1 min
Exit 19Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway, Whitestone BridgeUse the straight / slight right lanes.
10
Keep slight left at fork
0.4 mi·47 sec
Toward I 678 North: Van Wyck Expressway
11
Keep slight left at fork
0.2 mi·25 sec
12
Continue on I 678
1.9 mi·1 min·Van Wyck Expressway
Use the slight right lane.
13
Take the exit
0.1 mi·25 sec
Exit 6Toward Jamaica Avenue, Hillside AvenueUse the straight / slight right lanes.
14
Turn left onto Jamaica Avenue
0.8 mi·1 min·Jamaica Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
15
Arrive at destination
Jamaica Avenue
Discover Along the Route
Interesting stops within a short detour of your drive.
Points of interest from OpenStreetMap contributors. Listings may not reflect current hours or availability.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.12 one way
$8.23 round trip
$4.18/gal25.4 MPG avg9 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.52
$4.45
$8.90
premium
$4.92
$4.85
$9.69
diesel
$5.61
$5.52
$11.04
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.7 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
7.5
0
$2.63
$1.20
Efficient EV
6.3
0
$2.19
$1.00
EV Truck/SUV
10
0
$3.50
$1.60
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 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
Copiague, NY
Night
in Copiague on Friday
Local time
10:09 PM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Richmond Hill, NY
Night
in Richmond Hill on Friday
Local time
10:09 PM
EDT
Current temp
47°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
2 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
36m 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 Copiague, NY to Richmond Hill, NY covers 25 miles and takes about 36m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Sunrise Highway, Belt Parkway, Van Wyck Expressway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 12.5 miles from Copiague, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.12 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 11 decision points packed into just 25 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 36m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 47 / Great Neck Road): Navigation decision point; at 2 miles (NY 27 / Sunrise Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 20.6 miles (BP / Belt Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Copiague, NY to Richmond Hill, NY, road signs begin pointing toward Belt Parkway West along the way.
Yes. Nearby national parks include African Burial Ground National Monument, Federal Hall National Memorial and Gateway National Recreation Area. 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.
