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Trip from High Point, NC to Pilot Mountain, NC

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 21, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

59m

Distance

45.2 mi

73 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$7

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 14 min
4 AM
0h 55m ★
6 AM
1h 0m
8 AM
1h 9m
10 AM
1h 3m
12 PM
1h 2m
3 PM
1h 4m
5 PM
1h 9m
8 PM
0h 57m

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

Best Time Drive vs Fly
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Downtown Pilot Mountain, NC, NC

Pilot Mountain, NC

Anna McDonald

Trip Overview

High Point, NC to Pilot Mountain, NC is 45.2 miles and takes about 59 minutes via John Gold Memorial Expressway and I-74, with a fuel budget near $7 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This straightforward drive stays within North Carolina, connecting two points in the Southeast region. You'll spend most of your time on well-maintained highways, making it an easy and efficient trip for a single day. Consider this route if you're looking for a quick, no-fuss journey between these two cities, prioritizing speed and ease of navigation.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
John Gold Memorial Expressway 27 mi 32m
I 74 9.6 mi 11m
South Main Street 3.9 mi 8m
I 40 2 mi 2m
South Key Street 1.2 mi 2m
North Key Street — —

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: John Gold Memorial Expressway — 27 mi, about 32m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between High Point, NC and Pilot Mountain, NC.

1

Start on South Main Street

3.9 mi · 8 min · South Main Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
2

Continue on this road

0.9 mi · 1 min · this road
Use the left / straight lanes.
3

Merge onto I 74

8.6 mi · 9 min · I 74
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4

Keep slight left at fork onto I 74

1.0 mi · 1 min · I 74
Toward I 40 West: Winston-Salem, Statesville
5

Merge onto I 40

2.0 mi · 2 min · I 40
6

Take the exit

0.4 mi · 46 sec
Toward US 52 North: Mount Airy Use the slight right lane.
7

Merge onto US 52; NC 8

27 mi · 32 min · John Gold Memorial Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.2 mi · 23 sec
Toward NC 268: Pilot Mountain, Elkin
9

Enter roundabout onto NC 268

20 ft · 0 sec · South Key Street
10

Continue on NC 268

1.2 mi · 2 min · South Key Street
11

Arrive at destination

NC 268

Where to Stop

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

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Winston-Salem, NC

23 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

Winston-Salem, NC

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 10 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Winston-Salem, NC

Meal break

The midpoint is around 22.6 miles from High Point, NC, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 4.8 and 43.8 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
4.8 mi into trip | ~10m in | I 74

Merge onto I 74

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
13.5 mi into trip | ~20m in | I 74

Keep slight left at fork onto I 74 toward I 40 West: Winston-Salem, Statesville

Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward I 40 West: Winston-Salem, Statesville
6
16.4 mi into trip | ~24m in

Take the exit toward US 52 North: Mount Airy

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here

Use the slight right lane. Toward US 52 North: Mount Airy
5
16.8 mi into trip | ~25m in | US 52; NC 8 / John Gold Memorial Expressway

Merge onto US 52; NC 8 / John Gold Memorial Expressway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
5
43.8 mi into trip | ~57m in

Take the exit toward NC 268: Pilot Mountain, Elkin

Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward NC 268: Pilot Mountain, Elkin

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$7.07 one way

$14.14 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 16 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $7.73 $15.46
premium $4.70 $8.37 $16.73
diesel $5.61 $9.98 $19.96

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$7

Estimated CO2 emission: 15.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 13.6 0 $4.75 $2.17
Efficient EV 11.3 0 $3.96 $1.81
EV Truck/SUV 18.1 0 $6.33 $2.89

Gas CO2

16 kg

EV CO2

5 kg (69% 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 17, 2026

Origin

High Point, NC

Morning in High Point on Tuesday

Local time

11:43 AM

EDT

Current temp

88°F

Mostly Sunny

NW 8 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Beach Hazards Statement

Beach Hazards Statement issued April 17 at 11:32AM EDT until April 17 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

Destination

Pilot Mountain, NC

Morning in Pilot Mountain on Tuesday

Local time

11:43 AM

EDT

Current temp

78°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

59m 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?

This is a highway-focused drive, with 86% of the route utilizing major roadways like the John Gold Memorial Expressway and I-74. Expect the majority of your journey to be on high-speed, multi-lane roads. The longest uninterrupted stretch is approximately 27 miles on the John Gold Memorial Expressway, offering a consistent pace. As you approach your destination, the character shifts slightly as you transition to local roads like South Main Street in Pilot Mountain, but the primary feel remains that of a highway cruise.

86% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 27 mi on John Gold Memorial Expressway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on John Gold Memorial Expressway and I 74. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 4.8 miles in near I 74.

Driving Effort 5/10

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 45.2 miles you will encounter 7 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 4.8 miles (I 74): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.5 miles (I 74): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. 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.

On the drive from High Point, NC to Pilot Mountain, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Statesville along the way.

Statesville

13.5 mi in | ~20m | via I 74

About the Cities

Starting in High Point, NC

Full guide →

High Point is part of the Piedmont Triad in North Carolina, along with Greensboro and Winston-Salem. High Point is often referred to as the furniture capital of the world due not only to the large number of furniture manufactures in the area, but also because of the International Home Furnishings Markets held each spring and fall. Over 8 million square feet of showroom space is used to draw over 70,000 people from all over the world to each market. This nearly doubles the population of High Point resulting in an economic boom to the entire Triad Area as hotel and motel rooms sell out and many residents rent out rooms, floors, or even their entire home for all or part of the 7 to 10 days during the market period.

Top landmarks

  • • Highland Cotton Mills Village Historic District — historic district in High Point, North Carolina
  • • Pickett Cotton Mills — historic industrial property at 1200 Redding Drive in southwestern High Point, N...

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 59m. Total distance: 45.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

59m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (86%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 27 miles on John Gold Memorial Expressway. 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: at 4.8 miles (I 74): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 13.5 miles (I 74): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 16.4 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Pilot Mountain, 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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