Snow Hill, NC to Wilmington, NC is 104 miles and takes about 2 hours 15 minutes via I 40 and NC 11, with a fuel budget near $16 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This drive stays within North Carolina, covering ground in the Southeast region. Given its mostly highway profile and manageable distance, it's a straightforward trip for a single day. You'll be on the road for a short time, making it a convenient option if you're looking for a quick transfer between these two NC locations.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Midpoint
51.9 miles from Snow Hill, NC
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 14m into the drive
.
Main Roads
Road
Distance
Duration
I 40
47.1 mi
50m
NC 11
16.2 mi
22m
NC 903
10.6 mi
17m
West Harper Street
7 mi
9m
NC 111
4.1 mi
5m
Piney Grove Road
3.8 mi
5m
Hardy Bridge Road
3.5 mi
4m
Burncoat Road
2.3 mi
3m
Longest stretch:
I 40
— 47.1 mi, about 50m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Snow Hill, NC and Wilmington, NC.
1
Start on West Harper Street
7.0 mi·9 min·West Harper Street
2
Continue on NC 903
11 mi·17 min·NC 903
3
At end of road, turn right onto Hardy Bridge Road
3.5 mi·4 min·Hardy Bridge Road
4
Continue on Smith-Grady Road
2.0 mi·2 min·Smith-Grady Road
5
Turn right onto Burncoat Road
2.3 mi·3 min·Burncoat Road
6
Continue on Piney Grove Road
3.8 mi·5 min·Piney Grove Road
7
Turn left onto NC 903
196 ft·4 sec·NC 903
8
Turn right
81 ft·3 sec
9
Turn left onto NC 111
4.1 mi·5 min·NC 111
10
At end of road, turn right onto NC 11; NC 903
16 mi·22 min·NC 11; NC 903
Use the straight lane.
11
Take the exit
0.3 mi·38 sec
12
Merge onto I 40
47 mi·50 min·I 40
13
Continue on US 117; NC 132
1.2 mi·1 min·North College Road
14
Turn right onto US 74
1.1 mi·1 min·Martin Luther King Jr Parkway
15
Turn left onto North Kerr Avenue
0.8 mi·1 min·North Kerr Avenue
16
Turn right onto US 17 Business
2.3 mi·4 min·Market Street
17
Turn left onto South 16th Street
0.7 mi·1 min·South 16th Street
18
Turn right onto US 17; US 76
1.0 mi·2 min·Wooster Street
19
Turn right onto US 17 Business
92 ft·2 sec·South 3rd Street
20
Arrive at destination
US 17 Business
Trip Plan
Given the 2 hour 15 minute duration, leaving Snow Hill in the morning will give you ample time to reach Wilmington without feeling rushed. Since this is a relatively short, one-day trip, you have flexibility with your departure time. The $16 fuel estimate suggests you won't need to worry too much about gas stops, but it's always wise to top off your tank before leaving Snow Hill. Pay attention as you exit I 40 onto NC 11, as this is where the driving environment will change from highway cruising to more local road conditions.
Morning Departure
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch.
Evening Departure
Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
You may only need one short stretch break if traffic stays light.
The halfway point lands around 51.9 miles from Snow Hill, NC, or about 1h 14m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 47.1 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 23 miles or 34m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 51.9 miles or 1h 14m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 1h 50m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Wilmington, NC than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Snow Hill, NC so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Snow Hill, NC
This is one driving day of about 103.9 miles and 2h 15m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 23 miles from Snow Hill, NC.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
The longest stretch is on I 40 for about 47.1 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 13
5 decision points cluster between mile 17.5 and 102.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
17.5 mi into trip|~27m in|Hardy Bridge Road
At end of road, turn right onto Hardy Bridge Road
Navigation decision point
3
23 mi into trip|~34m in|Burncoat Road
Turn right onto Burncoat Road
Navigation decision point
6
33.3 mi into trip|~49m in|NC 11; NC 903
At end of road, turn right onto NC 11; NC 903
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
5
49.5 mi into trip|~1h 11m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
4
102.9 mi into trip|~2h 13m in|US 17; US 76 / Wooster Street
Turn right onto US 17; US 76 / Wooster Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$16.25 one way
$32.50 round trip
$3.97/gal25.4 MPG avg36 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.34
$17.77
$35.53
premium
$4.70
$19.23
$38.46
diesel
$5.61
$22.94
$45.88
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$16
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$41–$66
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 36.4 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $11 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
31.2
0
$10.91
$4.99
Efficient EV
26
0
$9.09
$4.16
EV Truck/SUV
41.6
0
$14.55
$6.65
Gas CO2
36 kg
EV CO2
12 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 Apr 17, 2026
Origin
Snow Hill, NC
Afternoon
in Snow Hill on Sunday
Local time
1:29 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Wilmington, NC
Afternoon
in Wilmington on Sunday
Local time
1:29 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
4 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
2h 15m 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.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Moores Creek National Battlefield
National Battlefield
In the early morning hours of February 27, 1776, Loyalist forces charged across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge. Beyond the bridge, nearly 1,000 North Carolina Patriots waited quietly with...
13 mi from route
~33 min detour
Free
near mile 82.4
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
More Details
What kind of drive is this?
This drive is predominantly on highways, with 76% of the route utilizing them. You'll experience a continuous stretch of 47.1 miles on I 40, indicating a significant portion of the drive will be at higher speeds with fewer interruptions. The remaining 24% of the route will be on surface roads like NC 11 and NC 903, likely involving more local traffic and lower speed limits as you transition between major arteries and your destination.
76% highway — fuel and pacing are the main things to plan.
20 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 47.1 mi on I 40.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on I 40 and NC 11. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 17.5 miles in near Hardy Bridge Road.
Driving Effort3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 2h 15m drive. You will face about 13 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 17.5 miles (Hardy Bridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 23 miles (Burncoat Road): Navigation decision point; at 33.3 miles (NC 11; NC 903): Lane positioning matters here.
Wilmington is a city in the southeastern part of North Carolina. It is the county seat of New Hanover County, and home to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial, the Cape Fear Museum, Airlie Gardens, and a large historic district. It is convenient to nearby beaches, and is a relatively short drive from the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, SC, and the I-95 corridor.
The longest stretch is about 47.1 miles on I 40. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
Yes — we found about 1 rest area or service plaza within a short detour of the route (from OpenStreetMap). See the Rest Stops tab under Nearby Places for locations and mile markers. Plan to stretch, use the bathroom, and top off fluids every 2–3 hours on longer drives.
Yes, with realistic expectations. Build in a stop roughly every 2 hours, have snacks and activities ready, and check the Nearby Places tabs for kid-friendly stops along the way.
The main spots that need attention: at 17.5 miles (Hardy Bridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 23 miles (Burncoat Road): Navigation decision point; at 33.3 miles (NC 11; NC 903): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes — Moores Creek National Battlefield. 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 Wilmington, NC before heading back.
