Origin
Charleston, SC
Morning in Charleston on Tuesday
Local time
8:07 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Charleston, SC to Folly Beach, SC
Pin this tripCompiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
11.8 mi
19 km
Drive Score
7/10
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 21m
8 AM
0h 25m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 22m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 20m
★
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Folly Beach, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Charleston, SC to Folly Beach, SC is 11.8 miles and takes about 21 minutes via Folly Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within the Southeast region, making it a quick hop from one SC destination to another. It's mostly surface roads, so don't expect a high-speed interstate cruise. This route is ideal for a spontaneous beach run or an easy transfer between accommodations. Given its brevity, you have plenty of flexibility for when you depart.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Folly Road | 6.7 mi | 12m |
| James Island Expressway | 2.9 mi | 3m |
| Calhoun Street | 1 mi | 1m |
| Meeting Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Center Street | 0.4 mi | 1m |
| East Arctic Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| Broad Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Folly Road
— 6.7 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Charleston, SC and Folly Beach, SC.
1
Start on Broad Street
40 ft
·
5 sec
·
Broad Street
2
Turn right onto S-10-107
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Meeting Street
Use the straight lane.
3
Turn left onto Calhoun Street
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Calhoun Street
Use the straight lane.
4
Turn straight onto James Island Expressway
2.9 mi
·
3 min
·
James Island Expressway
Toward SC 30: James Island, Folly Beach
5
At end of road, turn left onto SC 171
6.7 mi
·
12 min
·
Folly Road
6
Continue on SC 171
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Center Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Turn left onto East Arctic Avenue
64 ft
·
1 sec
·
East Arctic Avenue
8
Arrive at destination
East Arctic Avenue
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 11.8 — 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
|
S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Turn right onto S-10-107 / Meeting Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
0.8 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
Calhoun Street
Turn left onto Calhoun Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
3
1.7 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
James Island Expressway
Turn straight onto James Island Expressway toward SC 30: James Island, Folly Beach
Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward SC 30: James Island, Folly Beach
4
4.7 mi into trip
|
~7m in
|
SC 171 / Folly Road
At end of road, turn left onto SC 171 / Folly Road
Navigation decision point
4
11.8 mi into trip
|
~21m in
|
East Arctic Avenue
Turn left onto East Arctic Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.85 one way
$3.69 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.02 | $4.04 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.18 | $4.37 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.61 | $5.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.5 | 0 | $1.24 | $0.57 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.03 | $0.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.76 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Folly Beach, SC
Morning in Folly Beach on Tuesday
Local time
8:07 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°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
9 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
21m 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 drive is primarily on surface roads, with only about 25% of the route on highways like the James Island Expressway. You'll encounter a longest stretch of 6.7 miles on Folly Road. Expect to navigate more local traffic and intersections, especially as you approach your destination. The transition from the expressway to surface streets is a noticeable change in pace.
Only 25% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 6.7 mi on Folly Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near S-10-107 / Meeting Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 21m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (S-10-107 / Meeting Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Calhoun Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (James Island Expressway): Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
About the Cities
Starting in Charleston, SC
Full guide →Charleston is the largest and oldest city in the state of South Carolina in the United States of America. Its historic downtown is on a peninsula formed by two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper, flowing into the Atlantic, and protected from the open ocean by surrounding islands. Charleston was captured in the American Civil War without much property damage, so the historic part of town has buildings that are hundreds of years old. The current downtown skyline, with practically no tall buildings due to the city's height restriction ordinance, is dominated by church steeples and the stunning Arthur Ravenel cable-stay bridge over the Cooper River. The city is a major port on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
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: 11.8 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.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (25%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 6.7 miles on Folly Road. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
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 (S-10-107 / Meeting Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 0.8 miles (Calhoun Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.7 miles (James Island Expressway): Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Yes — Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park. See the National Parks section for detour distances and tips on detours.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Folly Beach, SC 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 NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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