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Trip from Rutherfordton, NC to Hopewell, NC

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Jun 4, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

29m

Distance

17.7 mi

28 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$3

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 8 min
4 AM
0h 27m ★
6 AM
0h 30m
8 AM
0h 35m
10 AM
0h 32m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 32m
5 PM
0h 35m
8 PM
0h 28m

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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town in Rutherford County, North Carolina, United States

Rutherfordton, NC

Wikimedia Commons

Downtown Hopewell, NC, NC

Hopewell, NC

Mark Stebnicki

Trip Overview

Rutherfordton, NC to Hopewell, NC is 17.7 miles and takes about 29 minutes via East Main Street/Hollis Road/US 74A, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within North Carolina, making it a straightforward local excursion. Expect a drive that involves frequent turns, so staying attentive to navigation is key. Given its brief duration, this route is ideal for a quick trip or as a segment of a larger journey, offering a simple transit between two points in the Southeast region.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
East Main Street 5.9 mi 9m
Hollis Road 4.4 mi 6m
US 74A 4 mi 6m
Oak Street 1.8 mi 3m
Charlotte Road 0.9 mi 2m
South Broadway Street 0.4 mi <1m
North Main Street 0.3 mi <1m
Longest stretch: East Main Street — 5.9 mi, about 9m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Rutherfordton, NC and Hopewell, NC.

1

Start on US 221

0.3 mi · 56 sec · North Main Street
2

Turn left onto US 74 Business; US 221A

0.9 mi · 2 min · Charlotte Road
3

Turn right onto US 74A; US 221 Truck

4.0 mi · 6 min · US 74A; US 221 Truck
Use the left / straight lanes.
4

Turn left onto Oak Street

1.8 mi · 3 min · Oak Street
5

At end of road, turn left onto US 221A

0.4 mi · 54 sec · South Broadway Street
6

At end of road, turn right onto US 74 Business

5.9 mi · 9 min · East Main Street
7

Turn left onto Hollis Road

4.4 mi · 6 min · Hollis Road
8

Turn right

57 ft · 4 sec
9

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 7

5 decision points cluster between mile 0.3 and 7.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

3
0.3 mi into trip | ~0m in | US 74 Business; US 221A / Charlotte Road

Turn left onto US 74 Business; US 221A / Charlotte Road

Navigation decision point

5
1.2 mi into trip | ~3m in | US 74A; US 221 Truck

Turn right onto US 74A; US 221 Truck

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left / straight lanes.
3
5.2 mi into trip | ~9m in | Oak Street

Turn left onto Oak Street

Navigation decision point

5
7 mi into trip | ~12m in | US 221A / South Broadway Street

At end of road, turn left onto US 221A / South Broadway Street

Navigation decision point

4
7.4 mi into trip | ~13m in | US 74 Business / East Main Street

At end of road, turn right onto US 74 Business / East Main Street

Navigation decision point

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$2.82 one way

$5.63 round trip

$4.04/gal 25.4 MPG avg 6 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.41 $3.07 $6.14
premium $4.78 $3.33 $6.66
diesel $5.35 $3.73 $7.46

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$3

Estimated CO2 emission: 6.2 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-06-01.

Driving Electric?

About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 5.3 0 $1.86 $0.85
Efficient EV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71
EV Truck/SUV 7.1 0 $2.48 $1.13

Gas CO2

6 kg

EV CO2

2 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.

Forecast as of Jun 3, 2026

Origin

Rutherfordton, NC

Evening in Rutherfordton on Wednesday

Local time

8:14 PM

EDT

Current temp

77°F

Sunny

ENE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Beach Hazards Statement

Beach Hazards Statement issued June 3 at 11:23AM EDT until June 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

Beach Hazards Statement

Beach Hazards Statement issued June 3 at 11:23AM EDT until June 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

Destination

Hopewell, NC

Evening in Hopewell on Wednesday

Local time

8:14 PM

EDT

Current temp

76°F

Sunny

ENE 5 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Beach Hazards Statement

Beach Hazards Statement issued June 3 at 11:23AM EDT until June 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

Beach Hazards Statement

Beach Hazards Statement issued June 3 at 11:23AM EDT until June 3 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Newport/Morehead City NC

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

1 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

29m 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 drive presents itself as a turn-heavy local excursion, with a highway share of only 23%. You'll experience a mix of navigating local streets and brief stints on US 74A. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is approximately 5.9 miles along East Main Street. The road character shifts as you progress, transitioning from more urban or town-centric paths to potentially more open stretches depending on the specific segment of US 74A you use. Be prepared for frequent adjustments in direction.

Only 23% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
9 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 5.9 mi on East Main Street.

How Hard Is This Drive?

3/10

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 0.3 miles in near US 74 Business; US 221A / Charlotte Road.

Driving Effort 3/10

Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This is a straightforward 29m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (US 74 Business; US 221A / Charlotte Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 74A; US 221 Truck): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.2 miles (Oak Street): Navigation decision point.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,063 ft 808 ft

Total Climb

590 ft

Total Descent

506 ft

Highest Point

1,063 ft

~1.3 mi in

Elevation Range

255 ft

Detours Along the Way

Tagged by where each one fits in your drive — first break, midpoint, final stretch.

Dragon Palace

Restaurant

Early in the drive, right off the route

7min in 0.2 mi from route ~1 min detour

Cuisine: chinese

Randall's Ellenboro Restaurant

Restaurant

Later in the drive, right off the route

23min in 0.5 mi from route ~1 min detour

Ellenboro, NC

Mi Pueblito

Restaurant

Near the start, right off the route

0.3 mi from route ~1 min detour

Cuisine: mexican

China & Hibachi

Restaurant

Early in the drive, right off the route

10min in 0.5 mi from route ~1 min detour

Forest City, NC

Cuisine: chinese

Subway

Fast_food

Near the start, right off the route

0.8 mi from route ~2 min detour

Rutherfordton, NC

Cuisine: sandwich

Hours: Mo-Th 07:30-21:00; Fr 07:30-21:30; Sa-Su...

Visit website

Forest City Fish Camp

Restaurant

Around the midpoint, right off the route

17min in 0.6 mi from route ~1 min detour

Bostic, NC

ICC Pool

Park

Early in the drive, right off the route

7min in 0.4 mi from route ~1 min detour

Caboose

Attraction

Around the midpoint, short detour

17min in 2.1 mi from route ~5 min detour

Econo Lodge

Motel

Early in the drive, right off the route

10min in 0.7 mi from route ~2 min detour

Forest City, NC

Visit website

Points of interest from OpenStreetMap contributors. Listings may not reflect current hours or availability.

About the Cities

Starting in Rutherfordton, NC

Full guide →

Founded 1787

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 29m. Total distance: 17.7 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

29m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (23%). Straightforward navigation.

Scenic Drive

Mostly surface roads route profile.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 5.9 miles on East Main Street. 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 0.3 miles (US 74 Business; US 221A / Charlotte Road): Navigation decision point; at 1.2 miles (US 74A; US 221 Truck): Lane positioning matters here; at 5.2 miles (Oak Street): Navigation decision point.

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