Origin
Carrboro, NC
Late night in Carrboro on Sunday
Local time
2:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
71°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Carrboro, NC to Apex, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
38m
Distance
23.4 mi
38 km
Drive Score
8/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 45m
10 AM
0h 41m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 41m
5 PM
0h 45m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Carrboro, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Apex, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
If you are looking to get from Carrboro to Apex, you are facing a straightforward 24.6-mile commute across North Carolina. Expect the drive to take roughly 34 minutes under typical traffic conditions. Since this is a short trip, you can easily complete it in a single day without needing an overnight stay. Your journey will take you primarily along South Greensboro Street, NC 54 East, and Mount Carmel Church Road. Budgeting about $4 for fuel should keep you covered for the entire distance. Both towns are located within the Southeast region, making this a familiar, local-style transit rather than a cross-country expedition.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| US 64 | 6.8 mi | 9m |
| Farrington Road | 4.4 mi | 5m |
| Mount Carmel Church Road | 4 mi | 7m |
| Farrington Point Road | 3.7 mi | 5m |
| West Williams Street | 1.1 mi | 1m |
| Hunter Street | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| NC 54 | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| South Greensboro Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
US 64
— 6.8 mi, about 9m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Carrboro, NC and Apex, NC.
1
Start on West Main Street
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
·
West Main Street
2
Turn right onto South Greensboro Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South Greensboro Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Enter roundabout onto South Greensboro Street
87 ft
·
2 sec
·
South Greensboro Street
4
Continue on South Greensboro Street
0.2 mi
·
35 sec
·
South Greensboro Street
Use the straight lane.
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Toward NC 54 East: Chapel Hill
Use the left lane.
6
Merge onto NC 54
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
NC 54
7
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
Use the slight right lane.
8
Turn right onto US 15; US 501
215 ft
·
5 sec
·
US 15; US 501
Use the right lane.
9
Continue on US 15; US 501
0.1 mi
·
21 sec
·
US 15; US 501
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
10
Turn left onto Mount Carmel Church Road
0.4 mi
·
48 sec
·
Mount Carmel Church Road
Use the left lane.
11
Enter roundabout onto Mount Carmel Church Road
171 ft
·
3 sec
·
Mount Carmel Church Road
12
Continue on Mount Carmel Church Road
3.6 mi
·
6 min
·
Mount Carmel Church Road
13
Continue on Farrington Point Road
3.7 mi
·
5 min
·
Farrington Point Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
14
Continue on Farrington Road
4.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Farrington Road
15
Turn left onto US 64
6.8 mi
·
9 min
·
US 64
Use the straight lane.
16
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
48 sec
Toward NC 55: Apex, Durham
17
Turn right onto NC 55
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
West Williams Street
Use the right lane.
18
Turn left onto Hunter Street
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Hunter Street
Use the left lane.
19
Turn right onto North Salem Street
0.2 mi
·
40 sec
·
North Salem Street
20
Arrive at destination
North Salem Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 155 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 2.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Greensboro Street
Turn right onto South Greensboro Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
0.6 mi into trip
|
~2m in
|
South Greensboro Street
Enter roundabout onto South Greensboro Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
8
0.9 mi into trip
|
~2m in
Take the ramp toward NC 54 East: Chapel Hill
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Toward NC 54 East: Chapel Hill
7
1.9 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 15; US 501
Turn right onto US 15; US 501
Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
6
2.1 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Mount Carmel Church Road
Turn left onto Mount Carmel Church Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$3.66 one way
$7.32 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
8 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $4.00 | $8.00 |
| premium | $4.70 | $4.33 | $8.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.17 | $10.33 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 8.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 63% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7 | 0 | $2.46 | $1.12 |
| Efficient EV | 5.9 | 0 | $2.05 | $0.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 9.4 | 0 | $3.28 | $1.50 |
Gas CO2
8 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (63% 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
Apex, NC
Late night in Apex on Sunday
Local time
2:02 AM
EDT
Current temp
74°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
3 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
38m 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.
What kind of drive is this?
This is a turn-heavy local drive that keeps you focused on the road rather than cruising on autopilot. With a highway share of 0%, you won't be dealing with high-speed interstate monotony on this route. Instead, you will navigate local connections where the longest stretch of road is found on South Greensboro Street. Because the route relies entirely on local roads, the pace remains consistent but requires your full attention through every turn. It is a practical, functional drive that connects two areas without the fast-paced, multi-lane transitions typically found on major highways.
33% highway, the rest on surface roads — varied driving throughout.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.8 mi on US 64.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. You will hit about 15 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near South Greensboro 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 23.4 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: at 0.2 miles (South Greensboro Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (South Greensboro Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
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.
On the drive from Carrboro, NC to Apex, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Durham along the way.
Durham
21 mi in
|
~33m
About the Cities
Starting in Carrboro, NC
Full guide →Scenic and regularly decked out in "Carolina blue", Chapel Hill is a lovely college town in North Carolina that makes up the westernmost point of the Research Triangle. The town is the smallest of the Triangle's three cities, with an influence and pull that belies its size. Based around the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the town caters heavily to the local student population, with plenty of bars and restaurants near the university's beautiful campus. Immediately to the west of Chapel Hill is the adjacent town of Carrboro, an old mill town now known for its local shops, restaurants and nightlife.
Arriving in Apex, NC
Full guide →Apex, the "Peak City", is a town near Raleigh in the state of North Carolina.
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 38m. Total distance: 23.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
38m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (33%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mixed highway & surface route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.8 miles on US 64. 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 Apex, 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: at 0.2 miles (South Greensboro Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.6 miles (South Greensboro Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.9 miles: Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Apex, 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, and EIA for fuel prices. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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