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Trip from Thiells, NY to Hempstead, NY

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

Drive Time

1h 18m

Distance

52.7 mi

85 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$9

one way

EV Charging

Good

5 stations

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 18 min
4 AM
1h 12m ★
6 AM
1h 18m
8 AM
1h 30m
10 AM
1h 22m
12 PM
1h 21m
3 PM
1h 23m
5 PM
1h 30m
8 PM
1h 14m

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

Downtown Thiells, NY, NY

Thiells, NY

Renan Tagliaferro

Trip Overview

Thiells to Hempstead is 52.7 miles and takes about 1 hour 18 minutes via Palisades Interstate Parkway, Cross Bronx Expressway, and Clearview Expressway, with a fuel budget near $9 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This trip stays within New York, moving from the Northeast region to the Northeast region. Expect a drive that's predominantly on major highways, offering a fairly direct connection between these two points. It's a straightforward journey, best suited for those prioritizing efficiency over extensive sightseeing.

About the Cities

Arriving in Hempstead, NY

Full guide →

Hempstead is the most populous town in America, with a whopping 700,000 residents, located on the South Shore of Nassau County, New York. The town is highly urbanized and fragmented, containing 22 semi-autonomous villages within its boundaries, and forty other neighborhoods. Garden City, encompassing the "Nassau Hub" region, has its own article. The other prominent communities in Hempstead include Floral Park, Hempstead Village, Valley Stream, Rockville Centre, Freeport, Merrick, and the Five Towns area.

Top landmarks

  • Mitchel Air Force Base — US Air Force base in Long Island, New York

City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 18m. Total distance: 52.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 18m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (80%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This route is heavily focused on highway driving, with an 80% highway share. You'll experience long stretches of consistent speed, including a notable 25.8-mile segment on the Palisades Interstate Parkway. The primary roads you'll be on are designed for efficient travel, meaning you'll likely encounter consistent traffic flow typical of major expressways. While the specific scenery isn't the focus, the road's personality is that of a functional corridor connecting two areas.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 25 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Palisades Interstate Parkway is the longest continuous segment at about 25.8 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Palisades Interstate Parkway and Cross Bronx Expressway. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near CR 47 / Thiells-Mount Ivy Road.

Driving Effort 8/10

Demanding - plan breaks and stay ahead of the key maneuvers

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 52.7 miles you will encounter 15 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 (CR 47 / Thiells-Mount Ivy Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 34.9 miles (I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 44.5 miles (NY 25 / Hillside Avenue): 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.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | CR 47 / Thiells-Mount Ivy Road

Enter roundabout onto CR 47 / Thiells-Mount Ivy Road

Roundabout - know your exit number before entering

8
34.9 mi into trip | ~49m in | I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway

Keep slight right at fork onto I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes. Exit 6B Toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge
6
44.5 mi into trip | ~1h 2m in | NY 25 / Hillside Avenue

Turn left onto NY 25 / Hillside Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
49.5 mi into trip | ~1h 12m in | NY 24 / Hempstead Turnpike

Turn left onto NY 24 / Hempstead Turnpike

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
6
52.4 mi into trip | ~1h 17m in | Greenwich Street

Turn right onto Greenwich Street

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Palisades Interstate Parkway 25.8 mi 34m
Cross Bronx Expressway 6.6 mi 8m
Clearview Expressway 5 mi 5m
Thiells-Mount Ivy Road 2.2 mi 5m
Tulip Avenue 2 mi 3m
Throgs Neck Bridge 2 mi 3m
Hempstead Turnpike 2 mi 3m
Braddock Avenue 1.1 mi 2m
Longest stretch: Palisades Interstate Parkway — 25.8 mi, about 34m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Thiells, NY and Hempstead, NY.

1

Start on CR 47

50 ft · 1 sec · Thiells-Mount Ivy Road
2

Enter roundabout onto CR 47

274 ft · 7 sec · Thiells-Mount Ivy Road
3

Continue on CR 47

2.1 mi · 5 min · Thiells-Mount Ivy Road
4

At end of road, turn right onto US 202

0.1 mi · 11 sec · Route 202
5

Take the ramp

0.3 mi · 39 sec
6

Merge onto Palisades Interstate Parkway

26 mi · 34 min · Palisades Interstate Parkway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Merge onto I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR

0.5 mi · 52 sec · I 95 EXPR; US 1 EXPR; US 9 EXPR
8

Continue on I 95; US 1; US 9

0.6 mi · 1 min · George Washington Bridge (upper level)
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
9

Continue on I 95; US 1

0.7 mi · 1 min · Trans-Manhattan Expressway
10

Continue on I 95; US 1

4.7 mi · 6 min · Cross Bronx Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
11

Keep slight right at fork onto I 295

2.0 mi · 2 min · Cross Bronx Expressway
Exit 6B Toward I 295 South: Throgs Neck Bridge Use the straight / slight left lanes.
12

Merge onto I 295

0.6 mi · 58 sec · Throgs Neck Expressway
13

Continue on I 295

2.0 mi · 3 min · Throgs Neck Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
14

Continue on I 295

5.0 mi · 5 min · Clearview Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
15

Turn left onto NY 25

0.7 mi · 1 min · Hillside Avenue
Use the left lane.
16

Turn right onto NY 25

1.1 mi · 2 min · Braddock Avenue
17

Turn left onto NY 25

0.2 mi · 34 sec · Jamaica Avenue
18

Continue on NY 25

0.5 mi · 56 sec · Jericho Turnpike
19

Turn slight right onto Tulip Avenue

2.0 mi · 3 min · Tulip Avenue
Use the right lane.
20

Turn right onto New Hyde Park Road

0.4 mi · 56 sec · New Hyde Park Road
21

Turn left onto NY 24

2.0 mi · 3 min · Hempstead Turnpike
Use the left lane.
22

Turn slight right onto NY 102

0.8 mi · 1 min · Front Street
Use the right lane.
23

Turn right onto Greenwich Street

0.1 mi · 11 sec · Greenwich Street
Use the right lane.
24

Turn left onto Peninsula Boulevard

0.2 mi · 26 sec · Peninsula Boulevard
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
25

Arrive at destination

Peninsula Boulevard

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 26.3 mi from Thiells, NY · 38m into the drive

city in Westchester County, New York, United States

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Yonkers, NY

26 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

Valley Cottage, NY

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 12 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Yonkers, NY

Meal break

The midpoint is around 26.3 miles from Thiells, NY, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Hempstead, NY

The final approach into Hempstead, NY 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

$8.67 one way

$17.35 round trip

$4.18/gal 25.4 MPG avg 18 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.52 $9.38 $18.76
premium $4.92 $10.21 $20.43
diesel $5.61 $11.64 $23.27

Estimated Tolls: $22.73

George Washington Bridge $16.00
Throgs Neck Bridge $6.55
Hempstead Turnpike (2 mi) $0.14
Jericho Turnpike (0.5 mi) $0.04

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

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$9

Tolls

$23

Total

$31

Estimated CO2 emission: 18.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 15.8 0 $5.53 $2.53
Efficient EV 13.2 0 $4.61 $2.11
EV Truck/SUV 21.1 0 $7.38 $3.37

Gas CO2

18 kg

EV CO2

6 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 16, 2026

Origin

Thiells, NY

Late night in Thiells on Saturday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

66°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Hempstead, NY

Late night in Hempstead on Saturday

Local time

3:35 AM

EDT

Current temp

56°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

10 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

1h 18m 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 Thiells, NY to Hempstead, NY covers 52.7 miles and takes about 1h 18m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Palisades Interstate Parkway, Cross Bronx Expressway, Clearview Expressway. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 26.3 miles from Thiells, NY. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $8.67 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 52.7 miles you will encounter 15 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: near the start (CR 47 / Thiells-Mount Ivy Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 34.9 miles (I 295 / Cross Bronx Expressway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here; at 44.5 miles (NY 25 / Hillside Avenue): Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Thiells, NY to Hempstead, NY does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Hamilton Grange National Memorial, General Grant National Memorial and Stonewall National Monument. There are 6 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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