Origin
East Haven, CT
Morning in East Haven on Friday
Local time
7:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
17m
Distance
10.3 mi
17 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 16m
★
6 AM
0h 18m
8 AM
0h 21m
10 AM
0h 19m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 19m
5 PM
0h 21m
8 PM
0h 17m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
East Haven, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Hamden, CT
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
East Haven to Hamden is 10.3 miles and takes about 17 minutes via Whitney Avenue, Forbes Avenue, and East Street, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short drive stays within Connecticut, connecting two points in the Northeast region. Expect a local feel with frequent turns, making it more of a neighborhood hop than a long-haul adventure. It’s a quick trip, perfect for those who value efficiency and want to get to their destination without a significant time commitment.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 17m. Total distance: 10.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (5%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
This drive is characterized by its frequent turns, making it a 'turn-heavy local drive.' With only a 5% highway share, you'll primarily be navigating surface streets. The longest uninterrupted stretch you’ll encounter is 5.5 miles on Whitney Avenue. As you transition between Forbes Avenue and East Street, anticipate changes in the road's character, typical of local routes. It's a segment that requires your attention to navigation rather than settling into a high-speed cruise.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Whitney Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 5.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near US 1 / Saltonstall Parkway.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 17m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 1 / Saltonstall Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (East Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.2 miles (State Street): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 5 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0.3 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
US 1 / Saltonstall Parkway
Turn left onto US 1 / Saltonstall Parkway
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
4
3.1 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
East Street
Turn right onto East Street
Navigation decision point
5
4.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
State Street
At end of road, turn left onto State Street
Navigation decision point
3
4.2 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
Edwards Street
Turn right onto Edwards Street
Navigation decision point
5
4.8 mi into trip
|
~8m in
|
Whitney Avenue
Turn right onto Whitney Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Whitney Avenue | 5.5 mi | 8m |
| Forbes Avenue | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| East Street | 1.1 mi | 2m |
| Frontage Road | 0.7 mi | <1m |
| Edwards Street | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Saltonstall Parkway | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Hemingway Avenue | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Water Street | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Whitney Avenue
— 5.5 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between East Haven, CT and Hamden, CT.
1
Start on Hemingway Avenue
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Hemingway Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
2
Turn left onto US 1
0.5 mi
·
50 sec
·
Saltonstall Parkway
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
3
Continue on US 1
0.7 mi
·
55 sec
·
Frontage Road
4
Continue on US 1
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Forbes Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Continue on US 1
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Water Street
6
Turn right onto East Street
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East Street
7
At end of road, turn left onto State Street
221 ft
·
7 sec
·
State Street
8
Turn right onto Edwards Street
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Edwards Street
9
Turn right onto Whitney Avenue
5.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Whitney Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Arrive at destination
CT 10
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.66 one way
$3.32 round trip
$4.09/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.50 | $1.82 | $3.65 |
| premium | $4.86 | $1.97 | $3.94 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.27 | $4.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 3.6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.1 | 0 | $1.08 | $0.49 |
| Efficient EV | 2.6 | 0 | $0.90 | $0.41 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.44 | $0.66 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Hamden, CT
Morning in Hamden on Friday
Local time
7:33 AM
EDT
Current temp
53°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
11 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
17m 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 East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT covers 10.3 miles and takes about 17m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Whitney Avenue, Forbes Avenue, East Street. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.1 miles from East Haven, CT. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.66 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 straightforward 17m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 1 / Saltonstall Parkway): Lane positioning matters here; at 3.1 miles (East Street): Navigation decision point; at 4.2 miles (State Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Weir Farm National Historical Park.
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. National park proximity is from the NPS API. 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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