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Trip from Simpsonville, SC to Watson Orchard, SC

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Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Oct 19, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

17m

Distance

11.1 mi

18 km

Drive Score

8/10

Great drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

4 AM
0h 16m ★
6 AM
0h 17m
8 AM
0h 20m
10 AM
0h 18m
12 PM
0h 18m
3 PM
0h 18m
5 PM
0h 20m
8 PM
0h 16m ★

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

Best Time
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Downtown Simpsonville, SC, SC

Simpsonville, SC

Connor Scott McManus

Downtown Watson Orchard, SC, SC

Watson Orchard, SC

Ritvars Garoza

Trip Overview

Simpsonville, SC to Watson Orchard, SC is 11.1 miles and takes about 17 minutes via Golden Strip Freeway and Northeast Main Street, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This quick trip stays within South Carolina, moving you through the Southeast region. It's a straightforward connection, ideal for a short hop without much planning. You won't be spending a lot of time on the road, making it easy to fit into a busy schedule.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Golden Strip Freeway 7.5 mi 8m
Northeast Main Street 2.3 mi 4m
Haywood Road 0.2 mi <1m
Darien Way 0.2 mi <1m
Pelham Road 0.2 mi <1m
Highbourne Drive 0.2 mi <1m
East Curtis Street <0.1 mi <1m
Hedge Street <0.1 mi <1m
Longest stretch: Golden Strip Freeway — 7.5 mi, about 8m

Traffic on I-385

Hour-of-day weekday pattern from 40 FHWA count stations on your route.

Peak

5 PM

~4,300 veh/hr typical

Quietest

2 AM

~137 veh/hr

Peak-to-quiet ratio

31.4×

busier at peak than in the quiet hours

12a 6a noon 6p 11p

Averaged across 102 weeks of 2023 FHWA Travel Monitoring Analysis System data. Weekday hours only (Mon–Fri).

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Simpsonville, SC and Watson Orchard, SC.

1

Start on this road

107 ft · 9 sec · this road
2

Turn right

175 ft · 17 sec
3

Turn left onto Hedge Street

146 ft · 11 sec · Hedge Street
4

Turn left onto SC 417

374 ft · 11 sec · East Curtis Street
5

Turn right onto SC 14; SC 417

2.3 mi · 4 min · Northeast Main Street
6

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 20 sec
7

Merge onto I 385

7.5 mi · 8 min · Golden Strip Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
8

Take the exit

0.3 mi · 41 sec
Exit 39 Toward Haywood Road Use the slight right lane.
9

Turn right onto Haywood Road

0.2 mi · 31 sec · Haywood Road
Use the right lane.
10

Turn right onto Pelham Road

0.2 mi · 22 sec · Pelham Road
Use the right lane.
11

Turn left onto Highbourne Drive

0.2 mi · 40 sec · Highbourne Drive
12

Turn right onto Darien Way

0.2 mi · 45 sec · Darien Way
13

Turn left

59 ft · 4 sec
14

Arrive at destination

Heads-up: tricky spots

5 of 12

5 decision points cluster between mile 0 and 10.6 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in

Turn right

Navigation decision point

5
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | SC 417 / East Curtis Street

Turn left onto SC 417 / East Curtis Street

Navigation decision point

7
10.1 mi into trip | ~14m in

Take the exit toward Haywood Road

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

Use the slight right lane. Exit 39 Toward Haywood Road
6
10.4 mi into trip | ~14m in | Haywood Road

Turn right onto Haywood Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.
7
10.6 mi into trip | ~15m in | Pelham Road

Turn right onto Pelham Road

Lane positioning matters here

Use the right lane.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.76 one way

$3.53 round trip

$4.04/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.40 $1.92 $3.85
premium $4.78 $2.09 $4.18
diesel $6.18 $2.70 $5.40

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 3.9 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-10-12.

Driving Electric?

About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 3.3 0 $1.17 $0.53
Efficient EV 2.8 0 $0.97 $0.44
EV Truck/SUV 4.4 0 $1.55 $0.71

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.

Forecast as of Oct 18, 2026

Origin

Simpsonville, SC

Morning in Simpsonville on Monday

Local time

8:12 AM

EDT

Current temp

41°F

Clear

NE 12 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued October 17 at 8:01PM EDT until October 18 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston SC

Lake Wind Advisory

Lake Wind Advisory issued October 17 at 7:53PM EDT until October 19 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Charleston SC

Destination

Watson Orchard, SC

Morning in Watson Orchard on Monday

Local time

8:12 AM

EDT

Current temp

42°F

Clear

NE 12 mph 0% chance Live forecast

Rip Current Statement

Rip Current Statement issued October 17 at 8:01PM EDT until October 18 at 8:00PM EDT by NWS Charleston SC

Lake Wind Advisory

Lake Wind Advisory issued October 17 at 7:53PM EDT until October 19 at 2:00AM EDT by NWS Charleston SC

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 warmer at arrival

A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.

Road read

17m 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 11.1-mile route is mostly highway, with 67% of it on freeways. You'll experience about 7.5 miles on the Golden Strip Freeway before transitioning to surface roads like Northeast Main Street and Haywood Road. Expect a concentrated stretch of highway driving before you get onto more local streets.

67% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 7.5 mi on Golden Strip Freeway.

How Hard Is This Drive?

5/10

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on Golden Strip Freeway and Northeast Main Street. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.

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 11.1 miles you will encounter 12 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SC 417 / East Curtis Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.1 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here.

Elevation Profile

Mostly flat terrain

1,084 ft 840 ft

Total Climb

331 ft

Total Descent

122 ft

Highest Point

1,084 ft

~10.3 mi in

Elevation Range

244 ft

About the Cities

Starting in Simpsonville, SC

Full guide →

Simpsonville is a suburban city in the Upcountry of South Carolina southeast of the major city of Greenville. Simpsonville has experienced steady growth since 2008, and as a result, many restaurants and stores have been introduced to the area. Simpsonville has around 20,000 residents.

Top landmarks

  • • First Baptist Simpsonville — church building in Simpsonville, South Carolina, U.S.A.
  • • Burdette Building — building in Simpsonville, South Carolina, U.S.A.

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 17m. Total distance: 11.1 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

17m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (67%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Frequently Asked Questions

The longest stretch is about 7.5 miles on Golden Strip Freeway. 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: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SC 417 / East Curtis Street): Navigation decision point; at 10.1 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 Watson Orchard, 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, USGS 3DEP for elevation, and FHWA TMAS for hourly traffic volumes. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.

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