Origin
Jacksonville, NC
Late night in Jacksonville on Tuesday
Local time
4:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
73°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Jacksonville, NC to Ayden, NC
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
1h 28m
Distance
61.4 mi
99 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$10
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 21m
★
6 AM
1h 28m
8 AM
1h 42m
10 AM
1h 33m
12 PM
1h 32m
3 PM
1h 34m
5 PM
1h 41m
8 PM
1h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Jacksonville, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Ayden, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Jacksonville, NC to Ayden, NC is 61.4 miles and takes about 1 hour 28 minutes via Kinston Highway and Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, with a fuel budget near $10 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within North Carolina's Southeast region, offering a straightforward local journey. It's a short trip, ideal for a single day with minimal planning. Expect a local feel throughout, connecting communities without the intensity of major highway travel. This route is best suited for those prioritizing a direct and uncomplicated drive.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Kinston Highway | 22.6 mi | 31m |
| Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard | 16.1 mi | 21m |
| Richlands Highway | 11.9 mi | 17m |
| Koonce Fork Road | 3.4 mi | 5m |
| Old Pink Hill Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| South Lee Street | 1.9 mi | 3m |
| Goodman Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Marine Boulevard | 1.1 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Kinston Highway
— 22.6 mi, about 31m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Jacksonville, NC and Ayden, NC.
1
Start on US 17 Business; NC 24 Business
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Marine Boulevard
2
Keep slight right at fork onto US 258; NC 24 Business
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
Richlands Highway
3
Continue on US 258; NC 24
11 mi
·
15 min
·
Richlands Highway
4
Turn left onto Koonce Fork Road
3.4 mi
·
5 min
·
Koonce Fork Road
5
Turn right
75 ft
·
8 sec
6
Turn left onto US 258
23 mi
·
31 min
·
Kinston Highway
7
Turn left onto Central Avenue
347 ft
·
8 sec
·
Central Avenue
8
Turn right onto Goodman Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Goodman Road
9
At end of road, turn right onto NC 11; NC 55
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Old Pink Hill Road
10
Continue on NC 11; NC 55
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
East King Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Enter roundabout onto NC 11; NC 55
200 ft
·
2 sec
·
Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
12
Continue on NC 11; NC 55
16 mi
·
21 min
·
Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard
13
Turn right onto South Lee Street
1.9 mi
·
3 min
·
South Lee Street
14
Turn right onto East 2nd Street
499 ft
·
27 sec
·
East 2nd Street
15
Turn left onto South East Avenue
234 ft
·
10 sec
·
South East Avenue
16
Arrive at destination
South East Avenue
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
31 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
Fuel and coffee
A short stop after about 14 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 30.7 miles from Jacksonville, 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 115 decision points cluster between mile 1.1 and 61.3 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
1.1 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 258; NC 24 Business / Richlands Highway
Keep slight right at fork onto US 258; NC 24 Business / Richlands Highway
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
4
16.4 mi into trip
|
~24m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
4
16.4 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
US 258 / Kinston Highway
Turn left onto US 258 / Kinston Highway
Navigation decision point
4
39 mi into trip
|
~56m in
|
Central Avenue
Turn left onto Central Avenue
Navigation decision point
5
61.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 28m in
|
South East Avenue
Turn left onto South East Avenue
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$9.60 one way
$19.20 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
22 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $10.50 | $21.00 |
| premium | $4.70 | $11.36 | $22.73 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $13.56 | $27.11 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$10
Estimated CO2 emission: 21.5 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 | 18.4 | 0 | $6.45 | $2.95 |
| Efficient EV | 15.4 | 0 | $5.37 | $2.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 24.6 | 0 | $8.60 | $3.93 |
Gas CO2
21 kg
EV CO2
7 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.
Destination
Ayden, NC
Late night in Ayden on Tuesday
Local time
4:58 AM
EDT
Current temp
81°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
8 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
1h 28m 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 route is characterized as a turn-heavy local drive, with no highway mileage, meaning you'll be navigating surface streets and local roads for the entire 61.4 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 22.6 miles along Kinston Highway. You can anticipate frequent turns and changes in road character as you move through different towns and residential areas. The drive doesn't feature long, monotonous stretches, instead offering a more varied, albeit busy, experience behind the wheel.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
16 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 22.6 mi on Kinston Highway.
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 around 1.1 miles in near US 258; NC 24 Business / Richlands Highway.
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 1h 28m drive. You will face about 11 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 1.1 miles (US 258; NC 24 Business / Richlands Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 16.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 16.4 miles (US 258 / Kinston Highway): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Starting in Jacksonville, NC
Full guide →Jacksonville is the county seat of Onslow County, North Carolina. The home of Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River. Jacksonville is in North Carolina's Inner Banks region, approximately a one hour away from the "Port City" Wilmington.
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 28m. Total distance: 61.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 22.6 miles on Kinston Highway. 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 1.1 miles (US 258; NC 24 Business / Richlands Highway): Highway fork - watch signs carefully; at 16.4 miles: Navigation decision point; at 16.4 miles (US 258 / Kinston Highway): Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Ayden, 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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