Origin
Bryson City, NC
Late night in Bryson City on Thursday
Local time
12:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
44°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Bryson City, NC to Wilmington, NC
Last recalculated Apr 16, 2026
Drive Time
7h 43m
Distance
376.8 mi
606 km
Drive Score
9/10
Great drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$59
one way
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
7h 34m
★
6 AM
7h 44m
8 AM
8h 3m
10 AM
7h 50m
12 PM
7h 48m
3 PM
7h 51m
5 PM
8h 2m
8 PM
7h 38m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Bryson City, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Bryson City, NC to Wilmington, NC covers 376.8 miles and takes about 7h 43m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Andrew Jackson Highway, US 74, Great Smoky Mountains Expressway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is mixed drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 104.8 miles on Andrew Jackson Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $58.92 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is possible, but it will make for a full day on the road.
Break Rhythm
2 planned breaks
Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
Midpoint
188.4 miles from Bryson City, NC
A natural place for your longest stop of the day , about 3h 53m into the drive .
Drive Character
The drive from Bryson City, NC to Wilmington, NC covers 376.8 miles and takes about 7h 43m, using a mix of highways and local roads.
Expect a mix of faster highway mileage and slower local approaches near the beginning or end.
There are about 50 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Andrew Jackson Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 104.8 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes around 94.3 miles in near US 74 / Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway.
Route Complexity
10/10
High effort - long or complex enough to need steady focus all day
This is a demanding drive. With 24 significant decision points across 376.8 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 94.3 miles (US 74 / Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 149 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 175.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 24 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
8
94.3 mi into trip
|
~1h 58m in
|
US 74 / Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway
Take the exit onto US 74 / Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway toward US 74 East, NC 108: Columbus, Rutherfordton
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 67
Toward US 74 East, NC 108: Columbus, Rutherford...
8
149 mi into trip
|
~3h 4m in
Keep slight left at fork toward I 85 North: Gastonia, Charlotte
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Toward I 85 North: Gastonia, Charlotte
8
175.9 mi into trip
|
~3h 36m in
Take the exit toward NC 16: Brookshire Boulevard, Downtown Charlotte
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the slight right lane.
Exit 36
Toward NC 16: Brookshire Boulevard, Downtown Ch...
9
176.1 mi into trip
|
~3h 36m in
Keep slight right at fork toward NC 16 South: Downtown Charlotte, Brookshire Boulevard, Charlotte, Bank of America Stadium
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the left / right lanes.
Toward NC 16 South: Downtown Charlotte, Brooksh...
9
193 mi into trip
|
~4h in
|
US 74 BYP / Monroe Expressway
Keep slight left at fork onto US 74 BYP / Monroe Expressway toward US 74 Toll Bypass East: Rockingham, Wilmington
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
Exit 255
Toward US 74 Toll Bypass East: Rockingham, Wilm...
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
Between Bryson City, NC and Wilmington, NC, road signs point toward Spartanburg, Rutherfordton, Charlotte and Bank Of America Stadium.
Spartanburg
59.5 mi in
|
~1h 16m
|
via US 74; US 64 Truck
Rutherfordton
94.3 mi in
|
~1h 58m
|
via US 74
Charlotte
149 mi in
|
~3h 4m
Bank Of America Stadium
176.1 mi in
|
~3h 36m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Andrew Jackson Highway | 104.8 mi | 2h 7m |
| US 74 | 41.3 mi | 51m |
| Great Smoky Mountains Expressway | 39.5 mi | 49m |
| American Indian Highway | 33.6 mi | 36m |
| Monroe Expressway | 18.7 mi | 21m |
| Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway | 18.2 mi | 19m |
| Senator Marshall Arthur Rauch Highway | 17.6 mi | 21m |
| James A. Callahan Highway | 15.2 mi | 17m |
Longest stretch:
Andrew Jackson Highway
— 104.8 mi, about 2h 7m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Bryson City, NC and Wilmington, NC.
1
Start on this road
61 ft
·
6 sec
·
this road
2
Turn right onto Bryson Avenue
450 ft
·
24 sec
·
Bryson Avenue
3
Turn left onto Slope Street
0.3 mi
·
56 sec
·
Slope Street
4
Continue on US 19
370 ft
·
8 sec
·
Highway 19 South
5
Continue on US 19 Connector
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Veterans Boulevard
6
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
21 sec
7
Merge onto US 74
40 mi
·
49 min
·
Great Smoky Mountains Expressway
8
Keep slight right at fork onto US 74; US 64 Truck
18 mi
·
23 min
·
US 74; US 64 Truck
Toward I 40 East: Asheville
9
Take the exit onto US 74; US 64 Truck
23 mi
·
27 min
·
US 74; US 64 Truck
Toward I 26 East, US 74 East, US 64 Truck East: Hendersonville, Spartanburg
10
Keep slight left at fork onto I 26; US 74
12 mi
·
14 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
11
Take the exit onto US 74
0.3 mi
·
18 sec
·
Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway
Exit 67
Toward US 74 East, NC 108: Columbus, Rutherfordton
Use the slight right lane.
12
Keep slight left at fork onto US 74
0.2 mi
·
10 sec
·
Sergeant W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway
Toward US 74 East: Forest City, Rutherfordton
13
Continue on US 74
18 mi
·
19 min
·
Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway
14
Continue on US 74
15 mi
·
17 min
·
James A. Callahan Highway
15
Take the exit onto US 74
12 mi
·
17 min
·
West Dixon Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
16
Continue on US 74
1.8 mi
·
2 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
17
Continue on US 74
6.8 mi
·
7 min
·
Senator J. Ollie Harris Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
18
Take the exit
0.1 mi
·
7 sec
Toward I 85, US 29 South: Charlotte, Spartanburg
19
Keep slight left at fork
0.8 mi
·
55 sec
Toward I 85 North: Gastonia, Charlotte
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
20
Merge onto I 85
18 mi
·
21 min
·
Senator Marshall Arthur Rauch Highway
Use the straight lane.
21
Continue on I 85
8.5 mi
·
10 min
·
Cameron Morrison Bridge
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
22
Take the exit
0.2 mi
·
26 sec
Exit 36
Toward NC 16: Brookshire Boulevard, Downtown Charlotte
Use the slight right lane.
23
Keep slight right at fork
386 ft
·
11 sec
Toward NC 16 South: Downtown Charlotte, Brookshire Boulevard, Charlotte, Bank of America Stadium
Use the left / right lanes.
24
Merge onto NC 16
0.3 mi
·
21 sec
·
Brookshire Boulevard
25
Continue on NC 16
3.6 mi
·
5 min
·
Brookshire Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
26
Take the exit
0.4 mi
·
55 sec
Exit 2B
Toward US 74 East, NC 27 East: Independence Boulevard
Use the slight left / straight lanes.
27
Merge onto US 74; NC 27
3.3 mi
·
4 min
·
East Independence Expressway
Use the straight / right lanes.
28
Keep slight right at fork onto US 74
357 ft
·
4 sec
·
East Independence Boulevard
Toward US 74 East
29
Continue on US 74
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
East Independence Expressway
Use the straight / right lanes.
30
Continue on US 74
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
East Independence Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
31
Continue on US 74
4.5 mi
·
6 min
·
Independence Boulevard
Use the straight lane.
32
Keep slight left at fork onto US 74 BYP
19 mi
·
21 min
·
Monroe Expressway
Exit 255
Toward US 74 Toll Bypass East: Rockingham, Wilmington
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
33
Merge onto US 74
0.3 mi
·
27 sec
·
Carroll M. Edwards Highway
Use the straight lane.
34
Continue on US 74
2.9 mi
·
5 min
·
West Marshville Boulevard
35
Continue on US 74
2.5 mi
·
3 min
·
Carroll M. Edwards Highway
36
Continue on US 74
6.1 mi
·
8 min
·
W. Cliff Martin Highway
Use the straight lane.
37
Keep slight right at fork onto US 74
6.7 mi
·
9 min
·
W. Cliff Martin Highway
38
Continue on US 52; US 74; NC 742
0.7 mi
·
1 min
·
Salisbury Street
39
Continue on US 52; US 74; NC 742
2.4 mi
·
4 min
·
West Caswell Street
40
Continue on US 74
10 mi
·
13 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
Use the straight lane.
41
Keep slight left at fork onto US 74
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
Toward US 74 East: Lumberton
42
Continue on US 74
15 mi
·
16 min
·
G R Kindley Freeway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
43
Continue on US 74
9.7 mi
·
11 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
44
Keep slight right at fork onto US 74
10 mi
·
10 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
45
Continue on US 74
34 mi
·
36 min
·
American Indian Highway
46
Continue on US 74; NC 130
60 mi
·
1 hr 13 min
·
Andrew Jackson Highway
Use the straight lane.
47
Continue on US 17; US 74; US 76
3.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Ocean Highway East
48
Continue on US 17; US 76; US 421
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
49
Turn left onto US 421; US 17 Business
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
South 3rd Street
50
Arrive at destination
US 17 Business
Trip Plan
Morning Departure
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Evening Departure
This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
You can normally do this drive in one day.
Plan roughly 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, and rest.
The halfway point lands around 188.4 miles from Bryson City, NC, or about 3h 53m into the drive.
The longest continuous stretch on this route runs about 104.8 miles.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
Departure
Before you leave
Start with fuel, water, and navigation already sorted so the first hour feels easy.
First stop
Around 83 miles or 1h 45m in
Use this first pause for coffee, a restroom break, and a quick traffic check ahead.
Halfway reset
Around 188.4 miles or 3h 53m in
This is the best place for your longest stop, a real meal, and a full fuel check.
Final approach
Final hour starts around 6h 29m
Traffic, exits, and arrival timing usually matter more near Wilmington, NC than in the middle of the route.
Before You Leave
+
Open the route before leaving Bryson City, NC so your first major turns are already loaded.
+
Leave with enough water and a charging cable within reach, not packed away.
+
Check your fuel range against the first long segment, especially if you are starting outside city service areas.
+
Pick one backup stop option before the midpoint in case traffic changes your pacing.
Day 1
Settle into the route from Bryson City, NC
This is one driving day of about 376.8 miles and 7h 43m.
Your first comfortable stop window is around 83 miles from Bryson City, NC.
This route can stay practical as a one-day drive if traffic stays reasonable.
Plan about 2 real breaks rather than only quick fuel stops.
The longest stretch is on Andrew Jackson Highway for about 104.8 miles.
Where to Stop
Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.
Halfway Point
Midpoint
About 188.4 mi from Bryson City, NC · 3h 53m into the drive
Mid-route town
Meal stop
188 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 83 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.
Meal break
The midpoint is around 188.4 miles from Bryson City, NC, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.
Before the longest stretch
Fuel checkTop up before Andrew Jackson Highway if your tank is already low. That segment runs about 104.8 miles.
Arriving in Wilmington, NC
The final approach into Wilmington, NC usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.
Try to arrive with enough fuel left to skip an immediate station stop unless you already know the area around Wilmington, NC.
After long uninterrupted mileage, take five minutes before the last urban segment to reset and refocus on exits, merges, and city traffic.
These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$58.92 one way
$117.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
132 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $64.43 | $128.85 |
| premium | $4.70 | $69.74 | $139.48 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $83.19 | $166.39 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$59
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$84–$109
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 131.8 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $40 in charging · 1 stop · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 113 | 1 | $39.56 | $18.09 |
| Efficient EV | 94.2 | 1 | $32.97 | $15.07 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 150.7 | 1 | $52.75 | $24.12 |
Gas CO2
132 kg
EV CO2
44 kg (67% less)
Plan for 1 charging stop. A 30-minute DC fast charge mid-route should be enough to complete the trip comfortably.
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
Wilmington, NC
Late night in Wilmington on Thursday
Local time
12:26 AM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
74°F
Belmont, NC
188 mi in
Seasonal Notes
Summer travel usually means heavier construction, hotter rest stops, and busier weekend traffic around major cities.
Winter travel shortens daylight, so a route that looks manageable on paper can feel much longer after dark.
Holiday weekends tend to make both departure and arrival windows slower than the raw route time suggests.
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
8 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
7h 43m on the road
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Bryson City, NC to Wilmington, NC covers 376.8 miles and takes about 7h 43m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Andrew Jackson Highway, US 74, Great Smoky Mountains Expressway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 188.4 miles from Bryson City, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $58.92 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Start early — leave by 6-7 AM to arrive at a reasonable hour. This is a long drive — plan for a morning departure or consider splitting it into two days.
Plan about 2 meaningful breaks for fuel, food, or rest. Plan on a short reset every 3 to 4 hours to stay fresh behind the wheel.
This is a demanding drive. With 24 significant decision points across 376.8 miles, you will need to stay alert - especially through interchange areas and urban stretches. Consider splitting it into segments if you are not comfortable with fast highway navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 94.3 miles (US 74 / Sgt W Dean Arledge Memorial Highway): Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 149 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one; at 175.9 miles: Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Lane positioning matters here. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Between Bryson City, NC and Wilmington, NC, road signs point toward Spartanburg, Rutherfordton, Charlotte and Bank Of America Stadium.
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