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Trip from Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 2m

Distance

43.8 mi

70 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 15 min
4 AM
0h 58m ★
6 AM
1h 3m
8 AM
1h 13m
10 AM
1h 6m
12 PM
1h 5m
3 PM
1h 7m
5 PM
1h 12m
8 PM
1h 0m

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

city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Clifton, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ covers 43.8 miles and takes about 1h 2m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on New Road, Newark|Newark, GSP Toll North for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $7.26 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 2m. Total distance: 43.8 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 2m 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 1h 2m drive with frequent turns across 43.8 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 28 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
New 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. 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 Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ is easy. At 1h 2m 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 Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
New Road
Newark|Newark
GSP Toll North
Garden State Parkway
Montclair
Watchung Avenue
East Passaic Avenue
West Passaic Avenue

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: New Road — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Monmouth Junction, NJ and Clifton, NJ.

1

Start on Ridge Road

46 ft · 5 sec · Ridge Road
2

Turn left onto New Road

1.4 mi · 3 min · New Road
3

Turn right

6.7 mi · 9 min
4

Keep slight left

0.1 mi · 9 sec
5

Keep slight left to continue on Newark|Newark, Camden, New Brunswick|Newark, Camden, New Brunswick

505 ft · 8 sec · Newark|Newark, Camden, New Brunswick|Newark, Camden, New Brunswick
6

Keep slight left

367 ft · 6 sec
7

Keep slight left

2.7 mi · 3 min
8

Continue straight

1.0 mi · 1 min
9

Continue straight

0.2 mi · 17 sec
10

Continue straight

0.2 mi · 20 sec
11

Continue straight

5.9 mi · 9 min
12

Take the exit slight right toward GSP Toll North: Garden State Parkway

0.4 mi · 1 min · GSP Toll North: Garden State Parkway
13

Merge slight left onto Garden State Parkway

21 mi · 29 min · Garden State Parkway
14

Take the exit slight right toward Montclair, Nutley

0.2 mi · 22 sec · Montclair, Nutley
15

Turn right onto Watchung Avenue

482 ft · 15 sec · Watchung Avenue
16

At the end of the road, turn left onto East Passaic Avenue

0.4 mi · 46 sec · East Passaic Avenue
17

Turn right onto West Passaic Avenue

0.5 mi · 53 sec · West Passaic Avenue
18

Turn left onto Darling Avenue

410 ft · 7 sec · Darling Avenue
19

Continue on Bloomfield Avenue

0.4 mi · 38 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
20

Enter the roundabout and take exit 3 toward Allwood Circle

262 ft · 5 sec · Allwood Circle
21

Exit the rotary onto Allwood Road

1.0 mi · 1 min · Allwood Road
22

Turn right onto Clifton Avenue

0.5 mi · 1 min · Clifton Avenue
23

Turn right onto Olga B Terrace

174 ft · 10 sec · Olga B Terrace
24

Turn right onto Hutton Road

39 ft · 7 sec · Hutton Road
25

Turn left onto Olga B Terrace

443 ft · 25 sec · Olga B Terrace
26

Turn left onto Donna Drive

0.1 mi · 34 sec · Donna Drive
27

Turn right onto Holly Street

515 ft · 23 sec · Holly Street
28

Arrive at your destination

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 21.9 mi from Monmouth Junction, NJ · 31m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Staten Island, NY

22 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

Edison, NJ

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Staten Island, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 21.9 miles from Monmouth Junction, NJ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Clifton, NJ

The final approach into Clifton, NJ usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.26 one way

$14.52 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 15 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $7.95 $15.91
premium $4.93 $8.49 $16.99
diesel $5.61 $9.67 $19.34

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.1 0 $4.60 $2.10
Efficient EV 11 0 $3.83 $1.75
EV Truck/SUV 17.5 0 $6.13 $2.80

Gas CO2

15 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (67% 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

Monmouth Junction, NJ

Morning in Monmouth Junction on Friday

Local time

6:34 AM

EDT

Current temp

45°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Clifton, NJ

Morning in Clifton on Friday

Local time

6:34 AM

EDT

Current temp

69°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

24 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

1h 2m 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 Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ covers 43.8 miles and takes about 1h 2m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are New Road, Newark|Newark, GSP Toll North. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 21.9 miles from Monmouth Junction, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $7.26 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 Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ is easy. At 1h 2m 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 Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, NJ is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Monmouth Junction, NJ to Clifton, 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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