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Trip from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

22m

Distance

12.5 mi

20 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$2

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 6 min
4 AM
0h 20m ★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 24m
5 PM
0h 26m
8 PM
0h 21m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

Downtown Cary, NC, NC

Cary, NC

C k

Downtown Holly Springs, NC, NC

Holly Springs, NC

R9 Media Photo Collective

Trip Overview

The drive from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC covers 12.5 miles and takes about 22m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on Dry Avenue, Kildaire Farm Road, Southeast Cary Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.95 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 22m. Total distance: 12.5 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

22m 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

Turn-heavy local drive route profile.

Drive Character

Expect a 22m drive with frequent turns across 12.5 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 11 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Dry Avenue is one of the defining roads on this drive.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.

Driving Effort 1/10

Very easy - short and simple to drive

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

The drive from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC is easy. At 22m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

Where does it get tricky?

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
Dry Avenue
Kildaire Farm Road
Southeast Cary Parkway
US 1 South
Claude E
NC 55
East Williams Street
North Main Street

Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.

Longest stretch: Dry Avenue — detailed segment metrics are refreshing.

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Cary, NC and Holly Springs, NC.

1

Start on North Academy Street

0.6 mi · 1 min · North Academy Street
2

At the end of the road, turn left onto Dry Avenue

220 ft · 5 sec · Dry Avenue
3

Continue on Kildaire Farm Road

1.8 mi · 4 min · Kildaire Farm Road
4

Turn left onto Southeast Cary Parkway

1.0 mi · 1 min · Southeast Cary Parkway
5

Take the ramp slight right toward US 1 South, US 64 West: Sanford

0.2 mi · 31 sec · US 1 South, US 64 West: Sanford
6

Merge slight left onto Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway

4.1 mi · 4 min · Claude E. Pope Memorial Highway
7

Take the exit slight right toward NC 55: Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina

0.2 mi · 33 sec · NC 55: Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina
8

Turn left onto East Williams Street

1.5 mi · 2 min · East Williams Street
9

Turn left onto East Williams Street

1.1 mi · 1 min · East Williams Street
10

Continue on North Main Street

2.0 mi · 3 min · North Main Street
11

Arrive at your destination

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$1.95 one way

$3.91 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 4 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $2.14 $4.27
premium $4.70 $2.31 $4.63
diesel $5.61 $2.76 $5.52

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$2

Estimated CO2 emission: 4.4 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 3.8 0 $1.31 $0.60
Efficient EV 3.1 0 $1.09 $0.50
EV Truck/SUV 5 0 $1.75 $0.80

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.

Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026

Origin

Cary, NC

Morning in Cary on Friday

Local time

11:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

51°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Holly Springs, NC

Morning in Holly Springs on Friday

Local time

11:06 AM

EDT

Current temp

50°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

1 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

22m 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 Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC covers 12.5 miles and takes about 22m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are Dry Avenue, Kildaire Farm Road, Southeast Cary Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 6.3 miles from Cary, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.95 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.

The drive from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC is easy. At 22m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.

This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.

The route from Cary, NC to Holly Springs, NC does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

How this page is built

Compiled by the Trip.ovh 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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