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Trip from North Caldwell, NJ to Clifton, NJ

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

15m

Distance

7.2 mi

12 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$1

one way

EV Charging

Fair

2 stations

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 16m
5 PM
0h 18m
8 PM
0h 14m ★

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

Downtown North Caldwell, NJ, NJ

North Caldwell, NJ

Joel Zar

city in Passaic County, New Jersey, United States

Clifton, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from North Caldwell, NJ to Clifton, NJ covers 7.2 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 US 46, Mountain Avenue, West Lindsley Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mostly surface roads. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 1.5 miles on US 46. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.19 one way before food or hotel costs.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
US 46 1.5 mi 1m
Mountain Avenue 1.3 mi 3m
West Lindsley Road 1 mi 1m
Van Houten Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
Francisco Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
Clifton Avenue 0.3 mi <1m
Notch Road 0.3 mi <1m
Ridge Road 0.2 mi <1m
Longest stretch: US 46 — 1.5 mi, about 1m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between North Caldwell, NJ and Clifton, NJ.

1

Start on this road

113 ft · 13 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto East Greenbrook Road

0.1 mi · 25 sec · East Greenbrook Road
3

Turn left onto CR 527

1.3 mi · 3 min · Mountain Avenue
4

Continue on CR 527; CR 604

1.0 mi · 1 min · West Lindsley Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
5

Continue on (612)

0.7 mi · 1 min · Francisco Avenue
6

Turn left onto (641)

0.2 mi · 28 sec · Ridge Road
7

Continue on CR 631

0.2 mi · 17 sec · Long Hill Road
8

Turn straight

300 ft · 13 sec
9

Turn straight onto CR 633

0.3 mi · 38 sec · Notch Road
10

Take the ramp

193 ft · 5 sec
11

Continue on this road

0.1 mi · 16 sec · this road
12

Merge onto US 46

1.5 mi · 1 min · US 46
Use the straight / right lanes.
13

Take the exit

452 ft · 16 sec
Toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, Passaic Use the slight right lane.
14

At end of road, turn right onto CR 623

179 ft · 9 sec · Grove Street
15

Turn left onto CR 614

0.8 mi · 1 min · Van Houten Avenue
Use the left lane.
16

Turn right onto NJ 161

0.3 mi · 46 sec · Clifton Avenue
17

Turn left onto St James Place

0.1 mi · 31 sec · St James Place
18

Turn right onto Donna Drive

522 ft · 28 sec · Donna Drive
19

Turn left onto Holly Street

516 ft · 22 sec · Holly Street
20

Arrive at destination

Holly Street

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 5.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | East Greenbrook Road

Turn left onto East Greenbrook Road

Navigation decision point

5
4.1 mi into trip | ~9m in | US 46

Merge onto US 46

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / right lanes.
7
5.5 mi into trip | ~11m in

Take the exit toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton, 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. Toward Grove Street, Van Houten Avenue, Clifton...
5
5.6 mi into trip | ~11m in | CR 623 / Grove Street

At end of road, turn right onto CR 623 / Grove Street

Navigation decision point

5
5.7 mi into trip | ~11m in | CR 614 / Van Houten Avenue

Turn left onto CR 614 / Van Houten Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.19 one way

$2.39 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 3 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $1.31 $2.61
premium $4.93 $1.40 $2.79
diesel $5.61 $1.59 $3.18

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$1

Estimated CO2 emission: 2.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 2.2 0 $0.76 $0.35
Efficient EV 1.8 0 $0.63 $0.29
EV Truck/SUV 2.9 0 $1.01 $0.46

Gas CO2

3 kg

EV CO2

1 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 18, 2026

Origin

North Caldwell, NJ

Afternoon in North Caldwell on Saturday

Local time

1:28 PM

EDT

Current temp

66°F

Mostly Sunny

SE 5 to 10 mph 1% chance Live forecast

Destination

Clifton, NJ

Afternoon in Clifton on Saturday

Local time

1:28 PM

EDT

Current temp

68°F

Mostly Sunny

SE 3 to 10 mph 1% chance 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

The weather snapshot is not static. If you are leaving later, give both cities one more quick forecast check before departure.

Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.

What kind of drive is this?

7.2 mi in 15m across surface roads — expect steady turns and local traffic rather than long highway runs.

Only 20% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 1.5 mi on US 46.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East Greenbrook Road.

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 7.2 miles you will encounter 12 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 (East Greenbrook Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles (US 46): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.

On the drive from North Caldwell, NJ to Clifton, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Passaic along the way.

Passaic

5.5 mi in | ~11m

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 15m. Total distance: 7.2 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 (20%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 1.5 miles on US 46. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.

Yes. At under 2 hours behind the wheel, this works well for families — plan one quick stop if you have younger kids.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (East Greenbrook Road): Navigation decision point; at 4.1 miles (US 46): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 5.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Yes — Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park, Thomas Edison National Historical Park and Morristown National Historical Park (4 total within detour distance). See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Clifton, NJ before heading back.

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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