Origin
Apex, NC
Late night in Apex on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
74°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Apex, NC to Raleigh, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
13.8 mi
22 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Apex, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Raleigh, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Apex to Raleigh is a quick, straightforward journey covering just 13.8 miles. You can easily complete this drive in about 21 minutes, making it a perfect day trip for those looking to move between these two Southeast locations. Because the route is so short and efficient, you won't need to plan for any overnight stops or extensive travel logistics. Budgeting around $2 for fuel should be more than sufficient to cover the distance. This drive is ideal if you need a reliable, low-cost connection between these NC cities without the stress of a long-haul commute.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway | 7.5 mi | 8m |
| Western Boulevard | 3.1 mi | 5m |
| Center Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
| Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Wilmington Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Ten Ten Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Salem Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East South Street | <0.1 mi | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway
— 7.5 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Apex, NC and Raleigh, NC.
1
Start on North Salem Street
51 ft
·
9 sec
·
North Salem Street
2
Turn left onto SR 1010
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Center Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Continue on SR 1010
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
Ten Ten Road
4
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
33 sec
Toward US 1 North: Raleigh
5
Merge onto US 1
7.5 mi
·
8 min
·
Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
41 sec
Toward Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
Use the slight right lane.
7
Keep slight right at fork
446 ft
·
9 sec
Toward Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
8
Turn straight onto Western Boulevard
3.1 mi
·
5 min
·
Western Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
9
Continue on Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard
10
Turn left onto South Wilmington Street
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
South Wilmington Street
11
Turn left onto East South Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
East South Street
12
Arrive at destination
East South Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 85 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 13.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SR 1010 / Center Street
Turn left onto SR 1010 / Center Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
2.1 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 1 / Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway
Merge onto US 1 / Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7
9.5 mi into trip
|
~13m in
Take the exit toward Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
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 Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
6
9.9 mi into trip
|
~14m in
Keep slight right at fork toward Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward Western Boulevard: NC State Univ, Cary
5
13.8 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
East South Street
Turn left onto East South Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.16 one way
$4.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.36 | $4.72 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.55 | $5.11 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.05 | $6.09 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.1 | 0 | $1.45 | $0.66 |
| Efficient EV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.21 | $0.55 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.93 | $0.88 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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.
Destination
Raleigh, NC
Late night in Raleigh on Sunday
Local time
2:01 AM
EDT
Current temp
92°F
Mostly Sunny
S 0 to 9 mph
0% 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
18 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
21m 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive rather than a high-speed interstate cruise. You will spend your time navigating through local thoroughfares, specifically Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway, Western Boulevard, and Center Street. With a 0% highway share, this route feels more like a standard commute than an open-road adventure. Your longest uninterrupted stretch is 7.5 miles on the Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway, which provides the most consistent pace of the trip. Stay alert for frequent turns as you transition between these local roads to reach your destination.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
12 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.5 mi on Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 8 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near SR 1010 / Center Street.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 13.8 miles you will encounter 8 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 (SR 1010 / Center Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (US 1 / Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Elevation Profile
Mostly flat terrain
499 ft
267 ft
Total Climb
235 ft
Total Descent
419 ft
Highest Point
499 ft
Elevation Range
232 ft
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Apex, NC and Raleigh, NC, road signs point toward Western Boulevard: Nc State Univ and Cary.
Western Boulevard: Nc State Univ
9.5 mi in
|
~13m
Cary
9.5 mi in
|
~13m
About the Cities
Starting in Apex, NC
Full guide →Apex, the "Peak City", is a town near Raleigh in the state of North Carolina.
Arriving in Raleigh, NC
Full guide →The capital of North Carolina and the largest city of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is the primary political and economic driver of the metro area. Indeed, business and politics are the main draws to Raleigh, which lacks the more trendy feel or active arts scene of Durham or Chapel Hill to the west. However, a concerted effort to expand the residential base and move events downtown has led to significantly expanded retail and restaurant options in the downtown core. Also, visitors will find many of the state's cultural institutions here, namely a major performing arts center downtown and three state museums, and a college town atmosphere in the neighborhood around the campus of North Carolina State University, the state's largest university.
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 21m. Total distance: 13.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 7.5 miles on Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Raleigh, NC before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
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 (SR 1010 / Center Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 2.1 miles (US 1 / Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 9.5 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Raleigh, NC before heading back.
How this page is built
Compiled by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and USGS 3DEP for elevation. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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