The drive from Paterson, NJ to Beach Haven, NJ covers 109.8 miles and takes about 2h 24m 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, NJ 72, Garden State Parkway Southbound for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is highway-focused drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 85.5 miles on Garden State Parkway.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $18.20 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
54.9 miles from Paterson, NJ
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 11m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 24m. Total distance: 109.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
2h 24m drive, comfortable solo distance.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (92%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Drive Character
This is a 2h 24m highway drive covering 109.8 miles, with most of the trip on Garden State Parkway and NJ 72. The longest continuous stretch is about 85.5 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 20 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 85.5 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Garden State Parkway and NJ 72. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near Memorial Drive.
Driving Effort9/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a demanding drive. With 15 significant decision points across 109.8 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 34.1 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 15 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
6
0.2 mi into trip|~0m in|Memorial Drive
Turn right onto Memorial Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
2.8 mi into trip|~4m in
Take the exit toward GSP South
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left lane.
Toward GSP South
6
34.1 mi into trip|~47m in|GSP / Garden State Parkway
Keep slight right at fork onto GSP / Garden State Parkway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
6
95.1 mi into trip|~1h 58m in
Take the exit toward NJ 72: Long Beach Island, Pemberton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Exit 63
Toward NJ 72: Long Beach Island, Pemberton
7
95.2 mi into trip|~1h 59m in
Keep slight right at fork toward NJ 72 East: Long Beach Island
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Toward NJ 72 East: Long Beach Island
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 Paterson, NJ to Beach Haven, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Pemberton along the way.
Pemberton
95.1 mi in|~1h 58m
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
Garden State Parkway
85.5 mi
1h 45m
NJ 72
7.1 mi
10m
Garden State Parkway Southbound
6.2 mi
8m
Long Beach Boulevard
4.5 mi
8m
NJ 19
2 mi
2m
North Bay Avenue
1.8 mi
3m
Central Avenue
0.9 mi
2m
Ward Street
0.3 mi
<1m
Longest stretch:
Garden State Parkway
— 85.5 mi, about 1h 45m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Paterson, NJ and Beach Haven, NJ.
1
Start on Colt Street
216 ft·17 sec·Colt Street
2
Turn right onto Ellison Street
0.2 mi·28 sec·Ellison Street
3
Turn right onto Memorial Drive
0.1 mi·14 sec·Memorial Drive
Use the right lane.
4
Turn right
267 ft·9 sec
5
Turn straight onto Ward Street
0.3 mi·34 sec·Ward Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Continue on NJ 19
0.2 mi·17 sec·Oliver Street
7
Turn slight left onto NJ 19
2.0 mi·2 min·NJ 19
Use the slight left lane.
8
Take the exit
0.5 mi·1 min
Toward GSP SouthUse the slight left lane.
9
Merge onto GSP
24 mi·33 min·Garden State Parkway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Continue on Garden State Parkway
6.2 mi·8 min·Garden State Parkway Southbound
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11
Keep slight left at fork onto GSP
0.7 mi·49 sec·Garden State Parkway
12
Keep slight right at fork onto GSP
61 mi·1 hr 11 min·Garden State Parkway
Use the slight left / slight right lanes.
13
Take the exit
0.1 mi·25 sec
Exit 63Toward NJ 72: Long Beach Island, Pemberton
14
Keep slight right at fork
0.2 mi·40 sec
Toward NJ 72 East: Long Beach Island
15
Merge onto NJ 72
7.1 mi·10 min·NJ 72
Use the right lane.
16
Turn right onto CR 89
0.9 mi·2 min·Central Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
17
At end of road, turn left onto (89)
366 ft·16 sec·West 28th Street
18
Turn right onto CR 607
4.5 mi·8 min·Long Beach Boulevard
Use the right lane.
19
Continue on CR 607
1.8 mi·3 min·North Bay Avenue
20
Arrive at destination
CR 607
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 54.9 miles from Paterson, NJ, or about 1h 11m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 85.5 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 24 miles or 34m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 54.9 miles or 1h 11m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 52m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Beach Haven, NJ than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Paterson, NJ so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Paterson, NJ
This is one driving day of about 109.8 miles and 2h 24m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 24 miles from Paterson, NJ.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on Garden State Parkway for about 85.5 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 54.9 mi from Paterson, NJ
· 1h 11m into the drive
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Paterson Great Falls National Historical Park
National Historical Park
Silk cloth and steam locomotives; textiles and continuous paper rolls; firearms and aircraft engines. What do these things have in common? All were manufactured in the same place - Paterson, NJ. In 17...
0 mi from route
~1 min detour
Free
Caution: Limited Amphitheater Accessibility
Caution: Overlook Park Parking Lot - Vehicles Must Be Parked in a Designated Spot
Today, the brick buildings on Main Street in West Orange, NJ seem quiet, betraying little evidence of the research, development, and innovation of their heyday. Visitors can step back in time to Thoma...
Morristown National Historical Park commemorates the sites of General Washington and the Continental Army’s winter encampment from December 1779 to June 1780, where soldiers survived the coldest winte...
15 mi from route
~37 min detour
Free
near mile 18.9
Spanning 27,000 acres from Sandy Hook in New Jersey to Breezy Point in New York City, the park is both the gateway from the ocean into New York Harbor, and the gateway to the National Park Service for...
18 mi from route
~45 min detour
Free
near mile 45.4
Station data from NREL Alternative Fuel Stations database.
Driving Electric?
About $12 in charging
· 0 stops
· 66% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
32.9
0
$11.53
$5.27
Efficient EV
27.5
0
$9.61
$4.39
EV Truck/SUV
43.9
0
$15.37
$7.03
Gas CO2
38 kg
EV CO2
13 kg (66% 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 16, 2026
Origin
Paterson, NJ
Morning
in Paterson on Friday
Local time
8:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
90°F
Mostly Sunny
SW 2 to 10 mph5% chanceLive forecast
Destination
Beach Haven, NJ
Morning
in Beach Haven on Friday
Local time
8:32 AM
EDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
40 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
2h 24m 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 Paterson, NJ to Beach Haven, NJ covers 109.8 miles and takes about 2h 24m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Garden State Parkway, NJ 72, Garden State Parkway Southbound. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 54.9 miles from Paterson, NJ. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $18.20 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 demanding drive. With 15 significant decision points across 109.8 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (Memorial Drive): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.8 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here; at 34.1 miles (GSP / Garden State Parkway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Paterson, NJ to Beach Haven, NJ, road signs begin pointing toward Pemberton along the way.
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 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.
EV charging comes from the
NREL Alternative Fuels
dataset.
National park proximity is from the
NPS API.
Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our
methodology page
documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
