Origin
Elk Park, NC
Morning in Elk Park on Saturday
Local time
7:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
49°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Elk Park, NC to Mount Gilead, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
28m
Distance
17.2 mi
28 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$3
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 26m
★
6 AM
0h 28m
8 AM
0h 33m
10 AM
0h 30m
12 PM
0h 30m
3 PM
0h 30m
5 PM
0h 33m
8 PM
0h 27m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Elk Park, NC
Niki Clark
Mount Gilead, NC
Mark Stebnicki
Trip Overview
The drive from Elk Park, NC to Mount Gilead, NC covers 17.2 miles and takes about 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Beech Mountain Road, Russ Norris Road, Banner Elk Highway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.9 miles on Beech Mountain Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.69 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 28m. Total distance: 17.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
28m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (15%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 28m drive with frequent turns across 17.2 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Beech Mountain Road is the longest continuous segment at about 7.9 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 around 0.6 miles in near NC 194 / Banner Elk Highway.
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 28m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (NC 194 / Banner Elk Highway): Navigation decision point; at 2.7 miles (Beech Mountain Road): Navigation decision point; at 11.1 miles (Russ Norris Road): Navigation decision point.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
3
0.6 mi into trip
|
~1m in
|
NC 194 / Banner Elk Highway
Turn left onto NC 194 / Banner Elk Highway
Navigation decision point
4
2.7 mi into trip
|
~5m in
|
Beech Mountain Road
Turn left onto Beech Mountain Road
Navigation decision point
4
11.1 mi into trip
|
~16m in
|
Russ Norris Road
Turn right onto Russ Norris Road
Navigation decision point
3
14.1 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
US 321
Turn left onto US 321
Navigation decision point
3
16.1 mi into trip
|
~24m in
|
Flat Springs Road
Turn left onto Flat Springs Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Beech Mountain Road | 7.9 mi | 10m |
| Russ Norris Road | 2.4 mi | 3m |
| Banner Elk Highway | 2.1 mi | 4m |
| US 321 | 2 mi | 3m |
| Flat Springs Road | 1.6 mi | 4m |
| Buckeye Road | 0.6 mi | <1m |
| North US Highway 19E | 0.6 mi | 1m |
Longest stretch:
Beech Mountain Road
— 7.9 mi, about 10m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Elk Park, NC and Mount Gilead, NC.
1
Start on US 19E
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
North US Highway 19E
2
Turn left onto NC 194
2.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Banner Elk Highway
3
Turn left onto Beech Mountain Road
7.9 mi
·
10 min
·
Beech Mountain Road
4
Turn slight left onto Flat Springs Road
0.5 mi
·
46 sec
·
Flat Springs Road
5
Turn right onto Russ Norris Road
2.4 mi
·
3 min
·
Russ Norris Road
6
Turn straight onto Buckeye Road
0.6 mi
·
53 sec
·
Buckeye Road
7
Turn left onto US 321
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
US 321
8
Turn left onto Flat Springs Road
1.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Flat Springs Road
9
Turn left
75 ft
·
5 sec
10
Arrive at destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.69 one way
$5.38 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.94 | $5.88 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.18 | $6.37 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.80 | $7.60 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 5.2 | 0 | $1.81 | $0.83 |
| Efficient EV | 4.3 | 0 | $1.51 | $0.69 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.9 | 0 | $2.41 | $1.10 |
Gas CO2
6 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (67% 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
Mount Gilead, NC
Morning in Mount Gilead on Saturday
Local time
7:46 AM
EDT
Current temp
51°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
2 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
28m 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 Elk Park, NC to Mount Gilead, NC covers 17.2 miles and takes about 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Beech Mountain Road, Russ Norris Road, Banner Elk Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 8.6 miles from Elk Park, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.69 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 28m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.6 miles (NC 194 / Banner Elk Highway): Navigation decision point; at 2.7 miles (Beech Mountain Road): Navigation decision point; at 11.1 miles (Russ Norris Road): Navigation decision point.
The route from Elk Park, NC to Mount Gilead, 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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