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Trip from North Caldwell, NJ to Edison, NJ

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

Drive Time

56m

Distance

35.5 mi

57 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 52m ★
6 AM
0h 57m
8 AM
1h 6m
10 AM
1h 0m
12 PM
0h 59m
3 PM
1h 0m
5 PM
1h 6m
8 PM
0h 54m

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

township in Middlesex County, New Jersey, United States

Edison, NJ

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from North Caldwell, NJ to Edison, NJ covers 35.5 miles and takes about 56m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Garden State Parkway, Essex Freeway, US 1 for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 13.3 miles on Garden State Parkway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.89 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 56m. Total distance: 35.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

56m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (77%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 56m highway drive covering 35.5 miles, with most of the trip on Garden State Parkway and Essex Freeway. The longest continuous stretch is about 13.3 miles on Garden State Parkway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 31 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Garden State Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 13.3 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and Essex Freeway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 3.8 miles in near CR 527; CR 611 / Eagle Rock Avenue.

Driving Effort 10/10

Focused - lots of decisions in a short distance, but it is over quickly

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 21 decision points packed into just 35.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles (CR 527; CR 611 / Eagle Rock Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.4 miles (Oraton Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 21 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

6
3.8 mi into trip | ~8m in | CR 527; CR 611 / Eagle Rock Avenue

At end of road, turn right onto CR 527; CR 611 / Eagle Rock Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
8
11.2 mi into trip | ~18m in

Take the exit toward Harrison Street, Clinton Street, East Orange

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 11A Toward Harrison Street, Clinton Street, East Or...
6
13.4 mi into trip | ~22m in | Oraton Parkway

Keep slight right at fork onto Oraton Parkway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight lane.
8
28.5 mi into trip | ~44m in

Take the exit toward US 1: Newark, Trenton

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 130B-A Toward US 1: Newark, Trenton
9
28.7 mi into trip | ~44m in

Keep slight right at fork toward US 1 South: Trenton

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Exit 130B Toward US 1 South: Trenton

Towns Mentioned on Route Signs

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

Between North Caldwell, NJ and Edison, NJ, road signs point toward Orange, Gsp Toll South and Trenton.

Orange

11.2 mi in | ~18m

Gsp Toll South

13.7 mi in | ~23m

Trenton

28.5 mi in | ~44m

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Garden State Parkway 13.3 mi 18m
Essex Freeway 6 mi 7m
US 1 5.1 mi 7m
Roseland Avenue 1.6 mi 2m
Smull Avenue 1.5 mi 3m
Garden State Parkway Southbound 1.3 mi 1m
Plainfield Avenue 1.1 mi 2m
Livingston Avenue 0.9 mi 1m
Longest stretch: Garden State Parkway — 13.3 mi, about 18m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

1

Start on this road

113 ft · 13 sec · this road
2

Turn left onto East Greenbrook Road

0.1 mi · 20 sec · East Greenbrook Road
3

Turn right onto CR 527

0.4 mi · 59 sec · Mountain Avenue
4

Turn right onto Smull Avenue

1.5 mi · 3 min · Smull Avenue
5

At end of road, turn left onto CR 506

0.1 mi · 23 sec · Bloomfield Avenue
6

Turn right onto CR 527

1.6 mi · 2 min · Roseland Avenue
7

At end of road, turn right onto CR 527; CR 611

0.1 mi · 15 sec · Eagle Rock Avenue
Use the right lane.
8

Turn left onto CR 527

0.9 mi · 1 min · Livingston Avenue
Use the straight lane.
9

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 33 sec
Toward I 280 East: Newark
10

Merge onto I 280

6.0 mi · 7 min · Essex Freeway
Use the straight / right lanes.
11

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 38 sec
Exit 11A Toward Harrison Street, Clinton Street, East Orange Use the slight right lane.
12

Turn straight onto Freeway Drive East

0.8 mi · 1 min · Freeway Drive East
13

Turn right onto South Oraton Parkway

0.4 mi · 42 sec · South Oraton Parkway
14

Continue on Whittlesey Avenue

0.4 mi · 38 sec · Whittlesey Avenue
15

Turn straight onto Maybaum Avenue

0.2 mi · 27 sec · Maybaum Avenue
16

Continue on Oraton Parkway

0.1 mi · 13 sec · Oraton Parkway
Use the straight lane.
17

Keep slight right at fork onto Oraton Parkway

0.3 mi · 33 sec · Oraton Parkway
Use the straight lane.
18

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 21 sec
Toward GSP Toll South
19

Merge onto GSP

13 mi · 18 min · Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20

Continue on Garden State Parkway

1.3 mi · 1 min · Garden State Parkway Southbound
21

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 27 sec
Exit 130B-A Toward US 1: Newark, Trenton Use the slight right lane.
22

Keep slight right at fork

0.3 mi · 35 sec
Exit 130B Toward US 1 South: Trenton Use the slight right lane.
23

Merge onto US 1

0.1 mi · 12 sec · US 1
24

Continue on US 1

2.1 mi · 3 min · US 1
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25

Continue on US 1

2.8 mi · 4 min · US 1
26

Take the exit

208 ft · 3 sec
Use the slight right lane.
27

Turn straight onto Fulton Street

0.1 mi · 19 sec · Fulton Street
28

Turn right onto CR 529

1.1 mi · 2 min · Plainfield Avenue
29

Turn left onto Central Avenue

345 ft · 17 sec · Central Avenue
30

Turn right onto Reed Street

523 ft · 28 sec · Reed Street
31

Arrive at destination

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 17.7 mi from North Caldwell, NJ · 29m into the drive

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Staten Island, NY

18 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

New Brunswick, NJ

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 35.5 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Staten Island, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 17.7 miles from North Caldwell, NJ, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Edison, NJ

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Edison, NJ if you are unfamiliar with the area.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.89 one way

$11.77 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 12 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $6.45 $12.89
premium $4.93 $6.88 $13.77
diesel $5.61 $7.84 $15.68

Estimated Tolls: $0.88

Garden State Parkway (14.6 mi) $0.88

Toll estimates based on average 2024-2025 rates. EZ-Pass/SunPass discounts may lower the actual cost.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Tolls

$1

Total

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 12.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 10.7 0 $3.73 $1.70
Efficient EV 8.9 0 $3.11 $1.42
EV Truck/SUV 14.2 0 $4.97 $2.27

Gas CO2

12 kg

EV CO2

4 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

North Caldwell, NJ

Late night in North Caldwell on Saturday

Local time

4:50 AM

EDT

Current temp

60°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Edison, NJ

Late night in Edison on Saturday

Local time

4:50 AM

EDT

Current temp

71°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

11 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

56m 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 North Caldwell, NJ to Edison, NJ covers 35.5 miles and takes about 56m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Garden State Parkway, Essex Freeway, US 1. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 17.7 miles from North Caldwell, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.89 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 is a short but busy drive. With 21 decision points packed into just 35.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 56m.

The main spots that need attention: at 3.8 miles (CR 527; CR 611 / Eagle Rock Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 13.4 miles (Oraton Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.

Between North Caldwell, NJ and Edison, NJ, road signs point toward Orange, Gsp Toll South and Trenton.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Thomas Edison National Historical Park, Paterson Great Falls 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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