Skip to main content

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

15m

Distance

12.8 mi

21 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 14m ★
6 AM
0h 15m
8 AM
0h 18m
10 AM
0h 16m
12 PM
0h 16m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 15m

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

town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States

East Haven, CT

Wikimedia Commons

town in New Haven County, Connecticut, United States

Hamden, CT

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT covers 12.8 miles and takes about 15m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Saltonstall Parkway, Frontage Road, Forbes Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.06 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 12.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

15m 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 15m drive with frequent turns across 12.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

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.
Saltonstall Parkway 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 East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT is easy. At 15m 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 East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Saltonstall Parkway
Frontage Road
Forbes Avenue
Water Street
East Street
State Street
Edwards Street
Whitney Avenue

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Saltonstall Parkway — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

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 · 33 sec · Hemingway Avenue
2

Turn left onto Saltonstall Parkway

0.5 mi · 50 sec · Saltonstall Parkway
3

Continue on Frontage Road

0.7 mi · 55 sec · Frontage Road
4

Continue on Forbes Avenue

1.5 mi · 2 min · Forbes Avenue
5

Continue on Water Street

0.1 mi · 14 sec · Water Street
6

Turn right onto East Street

1.1 mi · 2 min · East Street
7

At the end of the road, turn left onto State Street

220 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
10

Arrive at your destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.06 one way

$4.12 round trip

$4.09/gal 25.4 MPG avg 5 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.50 $2.27 $4.53
premium $4.86 $2.45 $4.90
diesel $5.61 $2.83 $5.65

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.5 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 3.8 0 $1.34 $0.61
Efficient EV 3.2 0 $1.12 $0.51
EV Truck/SUV 5.1 0 $1.79 $0.82

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

East Haven, CT

Late night in East Haven on Friday

Local time

5:03 AM

EDT

Current temp

42°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Hamden, CT

Late night in Hamden on Friday

Local time

5:03 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

15m 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 12.8 miles and takes about 15m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Saltonstall Parkway, Frontage Road, Forbes Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 6.4 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 $2.06 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 East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT is easy. At 15m 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 East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from East Haven, CT to Hamden, CT 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.

Was this helpful?

Thanks for your feedback!

Your tip has been submitted. Thanks!

/500

Explore More

Return Trip

Hamden, CT to East Haven, CT

Plan the drive back the other way.

11.3 mi 17m

Explore more options from East Haven, CT or browse trips ending in Hamden, CT.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse CT road trips.