Origin
Elmwood Park, NJ
Morning in Elmwood Park on Saturday
Local time
7:08 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elmwood Park, NJ to Passaic, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
8m
Distance
5.9 mi
10 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$1
one way
EV Charging
Sparse
1 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 8m
★
6 AM
0h 8m
★
8 AM
0h 10m
10 AM
0h 9m
12 PM
0h 9m
3 PM
0h 9m
5 PM
0h 10m
8 PM
0h 8m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elmwood Park, NJ
Thomas Parker
Passaic, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Elmwood Park, NJ to Passaic, NJ covers 5.9 miles and takes about 8m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on NJ 21, US 46, Mola Boulevard for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 2.8 miles on NJ 21. At current regular gas prices, budget about $0.98 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 8m. Total distance: 5.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
8m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (74%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 8m highway drive covering 5.9 miles, with most of the trip on NJ 21 and US 46. The longest continuous stretch is about 2.8 miles on NJ 21.
Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
NJ 21 is the longest continuous segment at about 2.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NJ 21 and US 46. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near Mola Boulevard.
Driving Effort
5/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 5.9 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Mola Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (US 46): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (NJ 21): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Mola Boulevard
Turn right onto Mola Boulevard
Navigation decision point
5
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
US 46
Merge onto US 46
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight right lane.
6
2.4 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
NJ 21
Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
8
5.2 mi into trip
|
~6m in
Take the exit toward Main Avenue, Passaic
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 11
Toward Main Avenue, Passaic
4
5.4 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
CR 601 / Main Avenue
Turn right onto CR 601 / Main Avenue
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| NJ 21 | 2.8 mi | 2m |
| US 46 | 1.6 mi | 1m |
| Mola Boulevard | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Paulison Avenue | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Main Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Linden Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Passaic Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
NJ 21
— 2.8 mi, about 2m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elmwood Park, NJ and Passaic, NJ.
1
Start on Linden Avenue
128 ft
·
7 sec
·
Linden Avenue
2
Turn right onto Mola Boulevard
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Mola Boulevard
3
Take the ramp
331 ft
·
9 sec
4
Merge onto US 46
1.6 mi
·
1 min
·
US 46
Use the slight right lane.
5
Keep slight left at fork onto NJ 21
2.8 mi
·
2 min
·
NJ 21
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
Exit 11
Toward Main Avenue, Passaic
Use the slight right lane.
7
Turn right onto CR 601
508 ft
·
11 sec
·
Main Avenue
8
Turn left onto CR 618
0.4 mi
·
42 sec
·
Paulison Avenue
9
Turn right onto Passaic Avenue
95 ft
·
2 sec
·
Passaic Avenue
10
Arrive at destination
Passaic Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$0.98 one way
$1.96 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
2 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $1.07 | $2.14 |
| premium | $4.93 | $1.14 | $2.29 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $1.30 | $2.61 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$1
Estimated CO2 emission: 2.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 50% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 1.8 | 0 | $0.62 | $0.28 |
| Efficient EV | 1.5 | 0 | $0.52 | $0.24 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 2.4 | 0 | $0.83 | $0.38 |
Gas CO2
2 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (50% 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
Passaic, NJ
Morning in Passaic on Saturday
Local time
7:08 AM
EDT
Current temp
61°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
8m 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 Elmwood Park, NJ to Passaic, NJ covers 5.9 miles and takes about 8m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are NJ 21, US 46, Mola Boulevard. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 3 miles from Elmwood Park, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $0.98 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 5.9 miles you will encounter 7 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (Mola Boulevard): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (US 46): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 2.4 miles (NJ 21): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Elmwood Park, NJ to Passaic, NJ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park. There are 4 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.
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