Origin
Walterboro, SC
Morning in Walterboro on Tuesday
Local time
6:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
87°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Walterboro, SC to Charleston, SC
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 17m
Distance
48.5 mi
78 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$8
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
1h 12m
★
6 AM
1h 18m
8 AM
1h 30m
10 AM
1h 22m
12 PM
1h 21m
3 PM
1h 23m
5 PM
1h 29m
8 PM
1h 14m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Walterboro, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
Traveling from Walterboro to Charleston covers 48.6 miles and takes approximately 1 hour and 8 minutes. Since both cities are located within the Southeast region of South Carolina, you will experience a consistent regional atmosphere throughout your journey. This trip is perfectly suited for a single-day excursion, as the modest duration makes an overnight stay unnecessary. With a fuel budget of just $8, it is an incredibly cost-effective way to transition from the inland plains to the coast. You will navigate primarily via Hampton Street, Charleston Highway, and Ace Basin Parkway, keeping the drive straightforward and manageable.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Savannah Highway | 29.7 mi | 43m |
| Charleston Highway | 12.7 mi | 22m |
| Hampton Street | 3 mi | 5m |
| Ace Basin Parkway | 1 mi | 1m |
| Lockwood Drive | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| Broad Street | 0.9 mi | 2m |
| US 17 Alt | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| US 15 | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Savannah Highway
— 29.7 mi, about 43m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Walterboro, SC and Charleston, SC.
1
Start on US 15
227 ft
·
5 sec
·
US 15
2
Continue on US 17 Alt
0.2 mi
·
30 sec
·
US 17 Alt
3
Turn left onto SC 63
3.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Hampton Street
4
Continue on SC 64
13 mi
·
22 min
·
Charleston Highway
5
At end of road, turn left onto US 17
1.0 mi
·
1 min
·
Ace Basin Parkway
6
Continue on US 17
30 mi
·
43 min
·
Savannah Highway
7
Take the exit
441 ft
·
12 sec
8
Keep slight right at fork
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
9
Turn straight onto Lockwood Drive
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Lockwood Drive
10
Continue on Broad Street
0.9 mi
·
2 min
·
Broad Street
Use the straight lane.
11
Arrive at destination
Broad Street
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Mid-route town
Meal stop
24 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 11 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 24.3 miles from Walterboro, SC, 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
4 of 44 decision points cluster between mile 0.2 and 46.7 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
4
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SC 63 / Hampton Street
Turn left onto SC 63 / Hampton Street
Navigation decision point
4
15.9 mi into trip
|
~28m in
|
US 17 / Ace Basin Parkway
At end of road, turn left onto US 17 / Ace Basin Parkway
Navigation decision point
3
46.6 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
5
46.7 mi into trip
|
~1h 13m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$7.58 one way
$15.17 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
17 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $8.29 | $16.59 |
| premium | $4.70 | $8.98 | $17.95 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $10.71 | $21.42 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$8
Estimated CO2 emission: 17 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $5 in charging · 0 stops · 65% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 14.5 | 0 | $5.09 | $2.33 |
| Efficient EV | 12.1 | 0 | $4.24 | $1.94 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 19.4 | 0 | $6.79 | $3.10 |
Gas CO2
17 kg
EV CO2
6 kg (65% 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
Charleston, SC
Morning in Charleston on Tuesday
Local time
6:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
82°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
5 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 17m 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 contains zero highway miles. You will navigate through local roads, with Hampton Street serving as the initial leg of your journey before transitioning onto the Charleston Highway and Ace Basin Parkway. Because the longest uninterrupted stretch on Hampton Street is 0 miles, you should be prepared for frequent turns and steady attention to the road. This character makes for a more engaged driving experience compared to a monotonous freeway cruise. The lack of highway segments ensures you remain on local thoroughfares for the entirety of the 48.6-mile trip.
Only 2% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
11 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 29.7 mi on Savannah Highway.
How Hard Is This Drive?
3/10
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 0.2 miles in near SC 63 / Hampton Street.
Driving Effort
3/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 1h 17m drive. You will face about 4 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.2 miles (SC 63 / Hampton Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.9 miles (US 17 / Ace Basin Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 46.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
About the Cities
Arriving in Charleston, SC
Full guide →Charleston is the largest and oldest city in the state of South Carolina in the United States of America. Its historic downtown is on a peninsula formed by two rivers, the Ashley and the Cooper, flowing into the Atlantic, and protected from the open ocean by surrounding islands. Charleston was captured in the American Civil War without much property damage, so the historic part of town has buildings that are hundreds of years old. The current downtown skyline, with practically no tall buildings due to the city's height restriction ordinance, is dominated by church steeples and the stunning Arthur Ravenel cable-stay bridge over the Cooper River. The city is a major port on the eastern seaboard of the U.S. and a popular destination for domestic and international tourists.
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 17m. Total distance: 48.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
1h 17m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (2%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Mostly surface roads route profile with national parks nearby.
Frequently Asked Questions
The longest stretch is about 29.7 miles on Savannah Highway. 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 0.2 miles (SC 63 / Hampton Street): Navigation decision point; at 15.9 miles (US 17 / Ace Basin Parkway): Navigation decision point; at 46.6 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Yes — Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Historical Park and Reconstruction Era National Historical Park. 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 Charleston, 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, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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