Origin
Gaines, NY
Late night in Gaines on Saturday
Local time
4:12 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
7h 57m
Distance
374.7 mi
603 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$62
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
7h 49m
★
6 AM
7h 57m
8 AM
8h 15m
10 AM
8h 4m
12 PM
8h 2m
3 PM
8h 4m
5 PM
8h 14m
8 PM
7h 52m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Gaines, NY
Renan Tagliaferro
Trip Overview
The drive from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY covers 374.7 miles and takes about 7h 57m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Oak Orchard Road, North Main Street, East Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $61.68 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
187.4 miles from Gaines, NY
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 58m into the drive .
About the Cities
Starting in Gaines, NY
Full guide →Arriving in Hempstead, NY
Full guide →Hempstead is the most populous town in America, with a whopping 700,000 residents, located on the South Shore of Nassau County, New York. The town is highly urbanized and fragmented, containing 22 semi-autonomous villages within its boundaries, and forty other neighborhoods. Garden City, encompassing the "Nassau Hub" region, has its own article. The other prominent communities in Hempstead include Floral Park, Hempstead Village, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and the Five Towns area.
Top landmarks
- • Mitchel Air Force Base — US Air Force base in Long Island, New York
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 7h 57m. Total distance: 374.7 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 2 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
7h 57m drive, plan rest stops for pacing.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 7h 57m drive with frequent turns across 374.7 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 79 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Oak Orchard Road 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. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The route itself is not hard, but at 7h 57m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Oak Orchard Road | — | — |
| North Main Street | — | — |
| East Avenue | — | — |
| State Route 31 | — | — |
| Fancher Road | — | — |
| Holley Road | — | — |
| West Albion Street | — | — |
| Wright Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Oak Orchard Road
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Gaines, NY and Hempstead, NY.
1
Start on Gaines Road
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Gaines Road
2
Turn straight onto Oak Orchard Road
0.5 mi
·
51 sec
·
Oak Orchard Road
3
Continue on North Main Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
North Main Street
4
Turn left onto East Avenue
1.4 mi
·
1 min
·
East Avenue
5
Continue on State Route 31
3.8 mi
·
4 min
·
State Route 31
6
Continue on Fancher Road
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Fancher Road
7
Turn straight onto State Route 31
0.3 mi
·
19 sec
·
State Route 31
8
Continue on Holley Road
2.3 mi
·
2 min
·
Holley Road
9
Continue on West Albion Street
0.5 mi
·
37 sec
·
West Albion Street
10
Continue on Wright Street
0.1 mi
·
7 sec
·
Wright Street
11
Continue on Public Square
410 ft
·
5 sec
·
Public Square
12
Continue on Mechanic Street
381 ft
·
5 sec
·
Mechanic Street
13
Continue on State Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
State Street
14
Continue on Brockport-Holley Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Brockport-Holley Road
15
Continue on West Avenue
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
West Avenue
16
Turn right onto Redman Road
1.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Redman Road
17
Turn left onto Fourth Section Road
1.2 mi
·
1 min
·
Fourth Section Road
18
Continue on Brockport-Spencerport Road
4.8 mi
·
5 min
·
Brockport-Spencerport Road
19
Continue straight
7.5 mi
·
8 min
20
Keep slight left to continue on I 490 East: Rochester
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
I 490 East: Rochester
21
Merge slight right onto Western Expressway
20 mi
·
26 min
·
Western Expressway
22
Keep slight left to continue on I 90 East: Albany
0.6 mi
·
42 sec
·
I 90 East: Albany
23
Merge slight left onto New York State Thruway
30 mi
·
34 min
·
New York State Thruway
24
Take the exit slight right toward NY 414: Waterloo, Clyde
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
NY 414: Waterloo, Clyde
25
Keep slight right
328 ft
·
8 sec
26
Continue on State Route 414
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
State Route 414
27
Turn left
4.1 mi
·
7 min
28
At the end of the road, turn left onto Auburn Road
1.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Auburn Road
29
Continue on Clark Street Road
9.6 mi
·
11 min
·
Clark Street Road
30
Turn right onto State Street
226 ft
·
12 sec
·
State Street
31
Turn left onto Dill Street
0.1 mi
·
22 sec
·
Dill Street
32
Continue on Loop Road
459 ft
·
17 sec
·
Loop Road
33
Turn left onto Genesee Street
5.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Genesee Street
34
Continue on West Genesee Street Road
2.2 mi
·
4 min
·
West Genesee Street Road
35
Turn right onto East Lake Street
0.5 mi
·
45 sec
·
East Lake Street
36
Continue on East Lake Road
9.4 mi
·
13 min
·
East Lake Road
37
Continue on State Route 41
4.8 mi
·
7 min
·
State Route 41
38
Continue on East Lake Road
0.5 mi
·
49 sec
·
East Lake Road
39
Continue on State Highway 41
9.8 mi
·
13 min
·
State Highway 41
40
Turn right onto North West Street
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
North West Street
41
Take the ramp left
0.7 mi
·
1 min
42
Keep slight right to continue on I 81 South: Binghamton
0.3 mi
·
34 sec
·
I 81 South: Binghamton
43
Merge slight left
45 mi
·
54 min
44
Keep slight right to continue on I 81 South: Scranton
53 mi
·
1 hr 3 min
·
I 81 South: Scranton
45
Keep slight right to continue on I 84 East, I 380 South, US 6 East: Carbondale, Mt Pocono
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
I 84 East, I 380 South, US 6 East: Carbondale, Mt Pocono
46
Continue on I 84 East, I 380 South: Mount Pocono, Milford
3.7 mi
·
4 min
·
I 84 East, I 380 South: Mount Pocono, Milford
47
Keep slight right to continue on I 380 South: Mount Pocono
24 mi
·
25 min
·
I 380 South: Mount Pocono
48
Keep slight left to continue on I 80 East: Stroudsburg
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
I 80 East: Stroudsburg
49
Merge slight right onto Keystone Shortway
80 mi
·
1 hr 37 min
·
Keystone Shortway
50
Keep slight right to continue on Christopher Columbus Highway
5.5 mi
·
5 min
·
Christopher Columbus Highway
51
Keep slight left to continue on I 95 North: George Washington Bridge, New York City
0.3 mi
·
23 sec
·
I 95 North: George Washington Bridge, New York City
52
Keep slight right to continue on Leonia, Teaneck
0.4 mi
·
38 sec
·
Leonia, Teaneck
53
Turn right onto Leonia
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
Leonia
54
Turn straight onto Degraw Avenue
453 ft
·
9 sec
·
Degraw Avenue
55
Continue on Fort Lee Road
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Fort Lee Road
56
Continue on Main Street
469 ft
·
13 sec
·
Main Street
57
Take the ramp left toward George Washington Bridge
472 ft
·
13 sec
·
George Washington Bridge
58
Merge slight left onto Bergen Boulevard
0.3 mi
·
29 sec
·
Bergen Boulevard
59
Take the exit slight left toward George Washington Bridge Upper Level
312 ft
·
5 sec
·
George Washington Bridge Upper Level
60
Merge slight left
0.3 mi
·
20 sec
61
Keep slight left
0.8 mi
·
1 min
62
Continue on George Washington Bridge (upper level)
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
George Washington Bridge (upper level)
63
Continue on Trans-Manhattan Expressway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Trans-Manhattan Expressway
64
Continue on Cross Bronx Expressway
4.7 mi
·
6 min
·
Cross Bronx Expressway
65
Keep slight right to continue on Cross Bronx Expressway
2.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Cross Bronx Expressway
66
Merge slight left onto Throgs Neck Expressway
0.6 mi
·
58 sec
·
Throgs Neck Expressway
67
Continue on Throgs Neck Bridge
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Throgs Neck Bridge
68
Continue on Clearview Expressway
5.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Clearview Expressway
69
Turn left onto Hillside Avenue
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Hillside Avenue
70
Turn right onto Braddock Avenue
1.1 mi
·
2 min
·
Braddock Avenue
71
Turn left onto Jamaica Avenue
0.2 mi
·
34 sec
·
Jamaica Avenue
72
Continue on Jericho Turnpike
0.5 mi
·
57 sec
·
Jericho Turnpike
73
Turn slight right onto Tulip Avenue
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Tulip Avenue
74
Turn right onto New Hyde Park Road
0.4 mi
·
56 sec
·
New Hyde Park Road
75
Turn left onto Hempstead Turnpike
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Hempstead Turnpike
76
Turn slight right onto Front Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Front Street
77
Turn right onto Greenwich Street
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Greenwich Street
78
Turn left onto Peninsula Boulevard
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Peninsula Boulevard
79
Arrive at your destination
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 187.4 miles from Gaines, NY, or about 3h 58m into the drive.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 82 miles or 1h 44m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 187.4 miles or 3h 58m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 40m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Hempstead, NY than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Gaines, NY so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Gaines, NY
This is one driving day of about 374.7 miles and 7h 57m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 82 miles from Gaines, NY.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 187.4 mi from Gaines, NY · 3h 58m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
187 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 82 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 187.4 miles from Gaines, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Arriving in Hempstead, NY
The final approach into Hempstead, NY usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Hempstead, NY.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$61.68 one way
$123.36 round trip
$4.18/gal
25.4 MPG avg
131 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.52 | $66.69 | $133.39 |
| premium | $4.92 | $72.62 | $145.25 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $82.73 | $165.46 |
Estimated Tolls: $22.55
George Washington Bridge
$16.00
Throgs Neck Bridge
$6.55
New York State Thruway
$0.00
Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$62
Tolls
$23
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$109–$134
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 131.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $39 in charging · 1 stop · 66% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 112.4 | 1 | $39.34 | $17.99 |
| Efficient EV | 93.7 | 1 | $32.79 | $14.99 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 149.9 | 1 | $52.46 | $23.98 |
Gas CO2
131 kg
EV CO2
44 kg (66% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Hempstead, NY
Late night in Hempstead on Saturday
Local time
4:12 AM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
14 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
7h 57m on the road
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY covers 374.7 miles and takes about 7h 57m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Oak Orchard Road, North Main Street, East Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 187.4 miles from Gaines, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $61.68 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
The route itself is not hard, but at 7h 57m, endurance matters. Plan breaks every 2-3 hours. The 0 decision points are all manageable with basic attention.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Gaines, NY to Hempstead, NY does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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