Origin
Bluffton, SC
Morning in Bluffton on Friday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bluffton, SC to Beaufort, SC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
37m
Distance
29.3 mi
47 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 35m
★
6 AM
0h 38m
8 AM
0h 44m
10 AM
0h 40m
12 PM
0h 40m
3 PM
0h 40m
5 PM
0h 44m
8 PM
0h 36m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bluffton, SC
Connor Scott McManus
Beaufort, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Bluffton, SC to Beaufort, SC covers 29.3 miles and takes about 37m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Okatie Highway, Fording Island Road, Robert Smalls Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 12.2 miles on Okatie Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.58 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 37m. Total distance: 29.3 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
37m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (18%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 37m drive with frequent turns across 29.3 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Okatie Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 12.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
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 early in the drive near SC 46 / Bluffton Road.
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 37m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (SC 46 / Bluffton Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (SC 46 / Bluffton Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 7.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 7 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SC 46 / Bluffton Road
Turn right onto SC 46 / Bluffton Road
Navigation decision point
4
0.9 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
SC 46 / Bluffton Road
Enter roundabout onto SC 46 / Bluffton Road
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
3
7.3 mi into trip
|
~10m in
Take the exit
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
5
7.5 mi into trip
|
~11m in
Keep slight right at fork
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
3
7.6 mi into trip
|
~11m in
|
SC 170 / Okatie Highway
Merge onto SC 170 / Okatie Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Okatie Highway | 12.2 mi | 13m |
| Fording Island Road | 5.6 mi | 7m |
| Robert Smalls Parkway | 5.2 mi | 6m |
| Boundary Street | 2.1 mi | 3m |
| Edward Burton Rodgers Bridge | 1.7 mi | 1m |
| Bluffton Road | 1.7 mi | 2m |
| Carteret Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Bruin Road | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Okatie Highway
— 12.2 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bluffton, SC and Beaufort, SC.
1
Start on Bruin Road
87 ft
·
5 sec
·
Bruin Road
2
Turn right onto SC 46
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Bluffton Road
3
Enter roundabout onto SC 46
170 ft
·
3 sec
·
Bluffton Road
4
Continue on SC 46
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Bluffton Road
5
Turn left onto US 278
5.6 mi
·
7 min
·
Fording Island Road
6
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
39 sec
7
Keep slight right at fork
147 ft
·
4 sec
8
Merge onto SC 170
12 mi
·
13 min
·
Okatie Highway
9
Continue on SC 170
1.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Edward Burton Rodgers Bridge
10
Continue on SC 170
5.2 mi
·
6 min
·
Robert Smalls Parkway
11
Turn right onto US 21
2.1 mi
·
3 min
·
Boundary Street
12
Continue on US 21 Business
0.5 mi
·
54 sec
·
Carteret Street
13
Turn left onto Port Republic Street
39 ft
·
1 sec
·
Port Republic Street
14
Arrive at destination
Port Republic Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.58 one way
$9.16 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
10 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $5.01 | $10.02 |
| premium | $4.70 | $5.42 | $10.85 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.47 | $12.94 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 8.8 | 0 | $3.08 | $1.41 |
| Efficient EV | 7.3 | 0 | $2.56 | $1.17 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 11.7 | 0 | $4.10 | $1.88 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Beaufort, SC
Morning in Beaufort on Friday
Local time
6:20 AM
EDT
Current temp
57°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
Very similar conditions
Both ends of the route are sitting at about the same temperature right now.
Road read
37m 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.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Bluffton, SC to Beaufort, SC covers 29.3 miles and takes about 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Okatie Highway, Fording Island Road, Robert Smalls Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.7 miles from Bluffton, SC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.58 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This is a straightforward 37m drive. You will face about 7 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (SC 46 / Bluffton Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.9 miles (SC 46 / Bluffton Road): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 7.3 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early.
The route from Bluffton, SC to Beaufort, SC does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Reconstruction Era National Historical Park.
How this page is built
Compiled and maintained by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy (Helsinki). Each route is built from authoritative open government and mapping datasets rather than crowdsourced reviews. Distances and geometry come from OSRM over OpenStreetMap. Fuel cost uses EIA weekly regional averages. National park proximity is from the NPS API. Pages are published only after passing our data-quality checks; our methodology page documents refresh cadence, editorial standards, and known limitations.
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