Origin
Menlo Park, NJ
Morning in Menlo Park on Friday
Local time
7:09 AM
EDT
Current temp
45°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
15m
Distance
11.3 mi
18 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 15m
★
6 AM
0h 16m
8 AM
0h 19m
10 AM
0h 17m
12 PM
0h 17m
3 PM
0h 17m
5 PM
0h 19m
8 PM
0h 15m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Menlo Park, NJ
Wikimedia Commons
Union, NJ
Arjun Gheewala
Trip Overview
The drive from Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ covers 11.3 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 Lincoln Highway, GSP Toll North, Garden State Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.87 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 11.3 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 11.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
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.
Lincoln Highway 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 Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ 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 Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lincoln Highway | — | — |
| GSP Toll North | — | — |
| Garden State Parkway | — | — |
| US 22 | — | — |
| NJ 82 | — | — |
| Morris Avenue | — | — |
| Harding Avenue | — | — |
| Vauxhall Road | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Lincoln Highway
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Menlo Park, NJ and Union, NJ.
1
Start on Philip Street
0.2 mi
·
36 sec
·
Philip Street
2
At the end of the road, turn left onto Lincoln Highway
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Lincoln Highway
3
Take the ramp left toward GSP Toll North
466 ft
·
11 sec
·
GSP Toll North
4
Continue straight
0.2 mi
·
47 sec
5
Merge slight left onto Garden State Parkway
9.0 mi
·
12 min
·
Garden State Parkway
6
Take the exit slight right toward US 22, NJ 82: Hillside
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
·
US 22, NJ 82: Hillside
7
Merge slight left
157 ft
·
3 sec
8
Take the exit slight right toward NJ 82: Morris Avenue, Kean University, Elizabeth
0.2 mi
·
24 sec
·
NJ 82: Morris Avenue, Kean University, Elizabeth
9
Turn slight right onto Morris Avenue
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
Morris Avenue
10
Turn slight right
509 ft
·
44 sec
11
Turn left onto Morris Avenue
0.5 mi
·
55 sec
·
Morris Avenue
12
Turn right onto Harding Avenue
0.1 mi
·
29 sec
·
Harding Avenue
13
Turn right onto Vauxhall Road
33 ft
·
5 sec
·
Vauxhall Road
14
Turn left onto Harding Avenue
243 ft
·
11 sec
·
Harding Avenue
15
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.87 one way
$3.75 round trip
$4.21/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.61 | $2.05 | $4.10 |
| premium | $4.93 | $2.19 | $4.38 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.49 | $4.99 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4 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 | 3.4 | 0 | $1.19 | $0.54 |
| Efficient EV | 2.8 | 0 | $0.99 | $0.45 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
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
Union, NJ
Morning in Union on Friday
Local time
7:09 AM
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
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 Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ covers 11.3 miles and takes about 15m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Lincoln Highway, GSP Toll North, Garden State Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.7 miles from Menlo Park, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.87 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 Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ 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 Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Menlo Park, NJ to Union, NJ 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.
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