Origin
Walnut Cove, NC
Late night in Walnut Cove on Sunday
Local time
4:06 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Walnut Cove, NC to Winston-Salem, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
27m
Distance
17.1 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 25m
★
6 AM
0h 27m
8 AM
0h 32m
10 AM
0h 29m
12 PM
0h 29m
3 PM
0h 29m
5 PM
0h 32m
8 PM
0h 26m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Walnut Cove, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Walnut Cove to Winston-Salem covers a short 18.7-mile distance that typically takes about 26 minutes to complete. Because this route stays entirely within the Southeast region of North Carolina, it functions perfectly as a quick day trip rather than an overnight excursion. You will navigate primarily via Main Street, Harley Drive, and New Walkertown Road Northeast to reach your destination. With a fuel cost of approximately $3, this is an incredibly budget-friendly commute or weekend outing. Since there are no mandatory stops required, you can complete the entire journey in one straightforward stretch. It is a practical, no-nonsense path that connects these two local communities efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Main Street | 8.6 mi | 12m |
| New Walkertown Road Northeast | 6.6 mi | 10m |
| East 5th Street | 0.9 mi | 1m |
| Main Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Harley Drive | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Martin Luther King Jr Drive | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Main Street
— 8.6 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Walnut Cove, NC and Winston-Salem, NC.
1
Start on US 311
8.6 mi
·
12 min
·
North Main Street
2
Continue on US 311
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
3
Turn right onto US 311
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
·
Harley Drive
4
Turn slight left onto US 311
6.6 mi
·
10 min
·
New Walkertown Road Northeast
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
Turn left onto North Martin Luther King Jr Drive
0.1 mi
·
26 sec
·
North Martin Luther King Jr Drive
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6
Turn right onto East 5th Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
East 5th Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Turn left onto North Main Street
67 ft
·
1 sec
·
North Main Street
8
Arrive at destination
North Main Street
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 9.3 and 17.1 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
3
9.3 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 311 / Harley Drive
Turn right onto US 311 / Harley Drive
Navigation decision point
3
9.5 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
US 311 / New Walkertown Road Northeast
Turn slight left onto US 311 / New Walkertown Road Northeast
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
16.1 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
North Martin Luther King Jr Drive
Turn left onto North Martin Luther King Jr Drive
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
6
16.3 mi into trip
|
~25m in
|
East 5th Street
Turn right onto East 5th Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
17.1 mi into trip
|
~27m in
|
North Main Street
Turn left onto North Main Street
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.67 one way
$5.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.92 | $5.85 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.16 | $6.33 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.78 | $7.55 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 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 | 5.1 | 0 | $1.80 | $0.82 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.50 | $0.68 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.8 | 0 | $2.39 | $1.09 |
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
Winston-Salem, NC
Late night in Winston-Salem on Sunday
Local time
4:06 AM
EDT
Current temp
42°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
7 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
27m 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 rather than a high-speed interstate experience, as this route features zero highway miles. The road maintains a local character throughout the entire 18.7-mile journey, requiring your full attention as you transition between Main Street, Harley Drive, and New Walkertown Road Northeast. You will not encounter any long, uninterrupted highway stretches, with the longest continuous segment being 0 miles on Main Street. Behind the wheel, you should prepare for a series of turns that keep the pace steady and grounded in the local landscape. This is a classic neighborhood-to-city connection that prioritizes local navigation over highway cruising.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
8 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 8.6 mi on North Main Street.
How Hard Is This Drive?
4/10
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 9.3 miles in near US 311 / Harley Drive.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 27m drive. You will face about 5 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 9.3 miles (US 311 / Harley Drive): Navigation decision point; at 9.5 miles (US 311 / New Walkertown Road Northeast): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.1 miles (North Martin Luther King Jr Drive): Lane positioning matters here.
About the Cities
Arriving in Winston-Salem, NC
Full guide →Winston-Salem is a city in North Carolina. It has an approximate population of 251,000 (2022). Winston-Salem is one of three cities that make up the Piedmont Triad; the others are Greensboro and High Point.
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 27m. Total distance: 17.1 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
27m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 8.6 miles on North 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 9.3 miles (US 311 / Harley Drive): Navigation decision point; at 9.5 miles (US 311 / New Walkertown Road Northeast): Lane positioning matters here; at 16.1 miles (North Martin Luther King Jr Drive): Lane positioning matters here.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Winston-Salem, 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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