Origin
Walkertown, NC
Afternoon in Walkertown on Tuesday
Local time
4:18 PM
EDT
Current temp
82°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Walkertown, NC to Raleigh, 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
Distance
39.4 mi
63 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$6
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 56m
★
6 AM
1h 1m
8 AM
1h 11m
10 AM
1h 4m
12 PM
1h 3m
3 PM
1h 5m
5 PM
1h 10m
8 PM
0h 58m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Walkertown, NC
Mark Stebnicki
Raleigh, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This 39.4-mile drive from Walkertown, NC to Raleigh, NC is a quick trip, estimated to take just about 1 hour. It's a perfect candidate for a single-day adventure, requiring no overnight stays. You'll navigate primarily using Fayetteville Road and South Main Street, eventually merging onto US 401. With a modest fuel cost of around $6, this route offers an accessible journey through the Southeast region of North Carolina. The overall feel is a turn-heavy local drive, meaning you'll be making more frequent directional changes than on a typical interstate cruise.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Fayetteville Road | 9.3 mi | 13m |
| South Main Street | 9 mi | 13m |
| US 401 | 5.9 mi | 8m |
| North Carolina Highway 55 | 4.8 mi | 7m |
| North Main Street | 2.8 mi | 3m |
| Wire Road | 2.6 mi | 3m |
| South Wilmington Street | 2.4 mi | 4m |
| North Raleigh Street | 1.6 mi | 3m |
Longest stretch:
Fayetteville Road
— 9.3 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Walkertown, NC and Raleigh, NC.
1
Start on Wire Road
2.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Wire Road
2
At end of road, turn right onto McNeill Hobbs Road
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
McNeill Hobbs Road
3
Turn left onto US 401
5.9 mi
·
8 min
·
US 401
4
Turn right onto East Northington Street
413 ft
·
15 sec
·
East Northington Street
5
Turn left onto South 1st Street
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
South 1st Street
6
Turn left onto East Harnett Street
387 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Harnett Street
7
Turn right onto US 401; US 421; NC 27; NC 210
9.0 mi
·
13 min
·
South Main Street
Use the left lane.
8
Turn left onto NC 55
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
North Raleigh Street
9
Continue on NC 55
4.8 mi
·
7 min
·
North Carolina Highway 55
Use the straight / right lanes.
10
Turn right onto US 401
2.8 mi
·
3 min
·
North Main Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Continue on US 401
9.3 mi
·
13 min
·
Fayetteville Road
Use the left lane.
12
Continue on South Wilmington Street
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
South Wilmington Street
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
13
Turn left onto East South Street
24 ft
·
0 sec
·
East South Street
14
Arrive at destination
East South Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
20 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 39 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 19.7 miles from Walkertown, 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 95 decision points cluster between mile 2.6 and 24.9 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
2.6 mi into trip
|
~3m in
|
McNeill Hobbs Road
At end of road, turn right onto McNeill Hobbs Road
Navigation decision point
4
2.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 401
Turn left onto US 401
Navigation decision point
4
8.8 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
East Northington Street
Turn right onto East Northington Street
Navigation decision point
5
9.4 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 401; US 421; NC 27; NC 210 / South Main Street
Turn right onto US 401; US 421; NC 27; NC 210 / South Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
24.9 mi into trip
|
~39m in
|
US 401 / North Main Street
Turn right onto US 401 / North Main Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$6.05 one way
$12.11 round trip
$3.90/gal
25.4 MPG avg
14 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.28 | $6.63 | $13.27 |
| premium | $4.64 | $7.19 | $14.39 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $8.70 | $17.40 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$6
Estimated CO2 emission: 13.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-20.
Driving Electric?
About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 64% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 11.8 | 0 | $4.14 | $1.89 |
| Efficient EV | 9.9 | 0 | $3.45 | $1.58 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 15.8 | 0 | $5.52 | $2.52 |
Gas CO2
14 kg
EV CO2
5 kg (64% 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
Afternoon in Raleigh on Tuesday
Local time
4:18 PM
EDT
Current temp
78°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
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
1h 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?
Expect a turn-heavy local drive for this 1-hour journey. Only about 27% of this route involves highway driving, so be prepared for more frequent turns and traffic lights. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 9.3 miles along Fayetteville Road. As you progress, the road will likely transition from more local streets to the busier US 401, offering a changing driving experience. This isn't a monotonous cruise; it's a route where you'll be actively navigating through communities.
Only 27% 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: 9.3 mi on Fayetteville Road.
How Hard Is This Drive?
5/10
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 2.6 miles in near McNeill Hobbs Road.
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 39.4 miles you will encounter 9 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 2.6 miles (McNeill Hobbs Road): Navigation decision point; at 2.8 miles (US 401): Navigation decision point; at 8.8 miles (East Northington Street): Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Arriving in Raleigh, NC
Full guide →Founded 1770
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.
Top landmarks
- • North Carolina Museum of Art — state art museum in Raleigh, North Carolina
- • North Carolina State Capitol — state capitol building of the U.S. state of North Carolina
- • Dorton Arena — arena in Raleigh, North Carolina
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. Total distance: 39.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (27%). Some complex stretches to watch for.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 9.3 miles on Fayetteville Road. 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 2.6 miles (McNeill Hobbs Road): Navigation decision point; at 2.8 miles (US 401): Navigation decision point; at 8.8 miles (East Northington Street): Navigation decision point.
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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