Origin
Wake Forest, NC
Night in Wake Forest on Saturday
Local time
10:46 PM
EDT
Current temp
50°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wake Forest, NC to Raleigh, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
33m
Distance
18.4 mi
30 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Good
8 stations
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 30m
★
6 AM
0h 33m
8 AM
0h 39m
10 AM
0h 35m
12 PM
0h 34m
3 PM
0h 35m
5 PM
0h 38m
8 PM
0h 31m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Wake Forest, NC
Jason Gooljar
Raleigh, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Wake Forest to Raleigh is 18.4 miles and takes about 33 minutes via Capital Boulevard, with a fuel budget near $3 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within North Carolina, connecting two locations in the Southeast region. Expect a local drive with frequent turns, making it feel more like navigating through neighborhoods than a highway journey. Given the minimal distance and time, this route is best suited for a same-day excursion, allowing for plenty of flexibility in your schedule.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Capital Boulevard | 13.7 mi | 21m |
| Durham Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| North Blount Street | 1.3 mi | 4m |
| Wake Forest Road | 1 mi | 2m |
| Old Louisburg Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| South Avenue | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Front Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East South Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Capital Boulevard
— 13.7 mi, about 21m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wake Forest, NC and Raleigh, NC.
1
Start on US 1A
526 ft
·
20 sec
·
Front Street
2
Continue on US 1A; NC 98 Business
391 ft
·
14 sec
·
East South Avenue
3
Enter roundabout onto NC 98 Business
52 ft
·
0 sec
·
South Avenue
4
Continue on NC 98 Business
0.2 mi
·
29 sec
·
South Avenue
5
Continue on NC 98 Business
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Durham Road
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
7
Merge onto US 1
4.4 mi
·
6 min
·
Capital Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
8
Keep slight right at fork onto US 1
8.1 mi
·
13 min
·
Capital Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
9
Continue on US 401
1.2 mi
·
2 min
·
Capital Boulevard
10
Keep slight right at fork onto Old Louisburg Road
0.2 mi
·
42 sec
·
Old Louisburg Road
11
Turn left onto Wake Forest Road
1.0 mi
·
2 min
·
Wake Forest Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
12
Continue on North Blount Street
1.3 mi
·
4 min
·
North Blount Street
13
Turn right onto East South Street
506 ft
·
19 sec
·
East South Street
14
Arrive at destination
East South Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 75 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 15.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
NC 98 Business / South Avenue
Enter roundabout onto NC 98 Business / South Avenue
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
2.1 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
US 1 / Capital Boulevard
Merge onto US 1 / Capital Boulevard
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
6
6.4 mi into trip
|
~10m in
|
US 1 / Capital Boulevard
Keep slight right at fork onto US 1 / Capital Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
15.7 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Old Louisburg Road
Keep slight right at fork onto Old Louisburg Road
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
15.9 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
Wake Forest Road
Turn left onto Wake Forest Road
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.88 one way
$5.75 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $3.15 | $6.29 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.41 | $6.81 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $4.06 | $8.12 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.5 | 0 | $1.93 | $0.88 |
| Efficient EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.61 | $0.74 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.4 | 0 | $2.58 | $1.18 |
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.
Destination
Raleigh, NC
Night in Raleigh on Saturday
Local time
10:46 PM
EDT
Current temp
51°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
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
33m 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 drive is characterized by its turn-heavy local nature, with 0% of the route on highways. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 13.7 miles along Capital Boulevard, offering a relatively consistent section before further local navigation. You'll primarily be on Capital Boulevard, Durham Road, and North Blount Street, indicating a route that winds through urban and suburban areas rather than open country. Be prepared for numerous intersections and changes in speed limits as you transition between different local roads.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
14 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 13.7 mi on Capital Boulevard.
How Hard Is This Drive?
6/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 7 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.2 miles in near NC 98 Business / South Avenue.
Driving Effort
6/10
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 18.4 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 0.2 miles (NC 98 Business / South Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 2.1 miles (US 1 / Capital Boulevard): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles (US 1 / Capital Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Raleigh, NC
Full guide →The capital of North Carolina and the largest city of the Research Triangle, Raleigh is the primary political and economic driver of the metro area. Indeed, business and politics are the main draws to Raleigh, which lacks the more trendy feel or active arts scene of Durham or Chapel Hill to the west. However, a concerted effort to expand the residential base and move events downtown has led to significantly expanded retail and restaurant options in the downtown core. Also, visitors will find many of the state's cultural institutions here, namely a major performing arts center downtown and three state museums, and a college town atmosphere in the neighborhood around the campus of North Carolina State University, the state's largest university.
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 33m. Total distance: 18.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
33m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 13.7 miles on Capital Boulevard. The full list of main roads is in the Roads section above.
It helps. This route has a higher-than-average number of complex decision points, which get harder in the dark. If the last hour of the trip is on surface roads or mountain grades, aim to arrive at Raleigh, NC before sunset when you can. Check the Trip Plan for departure windows that land you in daylight.
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 0.2 miles (NC 98 Business / South Avenue): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 2.1 miles (US 1 / Capital Boulevard): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here; at 6.4 miles (US 1 / Capital Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Raleigh, 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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