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Trip from North Caldwell, NJ to Newark, NJ

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

Drive Time

25m

Distance

16.6 mi

27 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 23m ★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 27m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m

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

Trip Overview

The drive from North Caldwell, NJ to Newark, NJ covers 16.6 miles and takes about 25m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on NJ 21, NJ 3, Mountain Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 5.6 miles on NJ 21. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.75 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 25m. Total distance: 16.6 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

25m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (64%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 25m highway drive covering 16.6 miles, with most of the trip on NJ 21 and NJ 3. The longest continuous stretch is about 5.6 miles on NJ 21.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 20 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
NJ 21 is the longest continuous segment at about 5.6 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on NJ 21 and NJ 3. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East Greenbrook Road.

Driving Effort 8/10

Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a short but busy drive. With 12 decision points packed into just 16.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 25m.

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 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 12 key points

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

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.
6
9.1 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward NJ 21 South: Newark

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward NJ 21 South: Newark
7
15.4 mi into trip | ~22m in | Broad Street

Turn left onto Broad Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
16.3 mi into trip | ~24m in | CR 510 / Market Street

Turn left onto CR 510 / Market Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / left lanes.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
NJ 21 5.6 mi 6m
NJ 3 4.4 mi 5m
Mountain Avenue 1.3 mi 3m
West Lindsley Road 1 mi 1m
University Avenue 0.8 mi 1m
Francisco Avenue 0.7 mi 1m
US 46 0.6 mi <1m
Notch Road 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: NJ 21 — 5.6 mi, about 6m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

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

0.6 mi · 42 sec · US 46
Use the straight / right lanes.
13

Turn slight left onto NJ 3

4.4 mi · 5 min · NJ 3
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Take the exit

0.5 mi · 1 min
Toward NJ 21 South: Newark Use the slight right lane.
15

Merge onto NJ 21

5.6 mi · 6 min · NJ 21
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
16

Turn right onto CR 506 Spur

0.1 mi · 20 sec · Clay Street
17

Turn left onto Broad Street

0.1 mi · 15 sec · Broad Street
Use the left lane.
18

Keep slight right at fork onto University Avenue

0.8 mi · 1 min · University Avenue
19

Turn left onto CR 510

0.2 mi · 38 sec · Market Street
Use the straight / left lanes.
20

Arrive at destination

CR 510

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.75 one way

$5.50 round trip

$4.21/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.61 $3.01 $6.03
premium $4.93 $3.22 $6.44
diesel $5.61 $3.67 $7.33

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 5.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5 0 $1.74 $0.80
Efficient EV 4.2 0 $1.45 $0.66
EV Truck/SUV 6.6 0 $2.32 $1.06

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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 13, 2026

Origin

North Caldwell, NJ

Morning in North Caldwell on Saturday

Local time

7:30 AM

EDT

Current temp

60°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Newark, NJ

Morning in Newark on Saturday

Local time

7:30 AM

EDT

Current temp

81°F

Slight Chance Rain Showers

SW 17 mph 15% 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

21 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

25m 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

The drive from North Caldwell, NJ to Newark, NJ covers 16.6 miles and takes about 25m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are NJ 21, NJ 3, Mountain Avenue. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 8.3 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 $2.75 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 12 decision points packed into just 16.6 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 25m.

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 9.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

The route from North Caldwell, NJ to Newark, NJ does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

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