Origin
Wilmington, NC
Morning in Wilmington on Sunday
Local time
7:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Wilmington, NC to Kirkland, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the US Trip Planner planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 19, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
23m
Distance
11.4 mi
18 km
Drive Score
5/10
Practical drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 21m
★
6 AM
0h 23m
8 AM
0h 27m
10 AM
0h 25m
12 PM
0h 24m
3 PM
0h 25m
5 PM
0h 27m
8 PM
0h 22m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Kirkland, NC
Mark Stebnicki
Trip Overview
Wilmington to Kirkland is 11.4 miles and takes about 23 minutes via Market Street and Porters Neck Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short trip stays within North Carolina's Southeast region, offering a straightforward local drive. It's ideal if you're looking for a quick hop between nearby towns without a significant time commitment. Consider this route for its simplicity and minimal travel time, perfect for a day trip or connecting two points efficiently.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Market Street | 10.4 mi | 19m |
| South 3rd Street | 0.7 mi | 1m |
| Porters Neck Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Market Street
— 10.4 mi, about 19m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Wilmington, NC and Kirkland, NC.
1
Start on US 17 Business
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
South 3rd Street
2
Turn right onto US 17 Business
10 mi
·
19 min
·
Market Street
Use the straight / right lanes.
3
Turn right
499 ft
·
41 sec
Use the straight / right lanes.
4
At end of road, turn left
0.1 mi
·
49 sec
5
At end of road, turn left onto Porters Neck Road
250 ft
·
9 sec
·
Porters Neck Road
6
Turn right
150 ft
·
10 sec
7
Arrive at destination
Heads-up: tricky spots
5 of 55 decision points cluster between mile 0.7 and 11.4 — GPS handles the exact turns, but know they're coming. Your lane choice matters more than the turn itself.
5
0.7 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
US 17 Business / Market Street
Turn right onto US 17 Business / Market Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
11.1 mi into trip
|
~21m in
Turn right
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
5
11.2 mi into trip
|
~22m in
At end of road, turn left
Navigation decision point
6
11.3 mi into trip
|
~22m in
|
Porters Neck Road
At end of road, turn left onto Porters Neck Road
Complex interchange - multiple decisions in a short stretch
5
11.4 mi into trip
|
~23m in
Turn right
Navigation decision point
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.78 one way
$3.57 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $1.95 | $3.90 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.11 | $4.22 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.52 | $5.03 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $1 in charging · 0 stops · 75% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 3.4 | 0 | $1.20 | $0.55 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.00 | $0.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.60 | $0.73 |
Gas CO2
4 kg
EV CO2
1 kg (75% 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
Kirkland, NC
Morning in Kirkland on Sunday
Local time
7:28 AM
EDT
Current temp
64°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
12 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
23m 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 route is a turn-heavy local drive with no highway mileage, meaning you'll be navigating city streets and local roads for the entire 11.4 miles. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 10.4 miles on Market Street. Expect to make several turns as you transition from South 3rd Street to Porters Neck Road, characteristic of a local commute rather than an open road journey. The pace will likely be dictated by local traffic, so keep an eye out for frequent changes in speed limits and road conditions.
Only 0% highway — the rest is turn-by-turn surface driving.
7 navigation steps total — most of the decisions cluster near the start and finish.
Longest single stretch: 10.4 mi on Market Street.
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 0.7 miles in near US 17 Business / Market 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 23m 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 0.7 miles (US 17 Business / Market Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Navigation decision point.
About the Cities
Starting in Wilmington, NC
Full guide →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.
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 23m. Total distance: 11.4 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
23m 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 10.4 miles on Market 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 0.7 miles (US 17 Business / Market Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 11.1 miles: Lane positioning matters here; at 11.2 miles: Navigation decision point.
Yes. A round trip is manageable in a single day if you plan a break at Kirkland, 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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