Origin
Ellenboro, NC
Morning in Ellenboro on Saturday
Local time
11:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Ellenboro, NC to Union, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
24m
Distance
18 mi
29 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 23m
★
6 AM
0h 25m
8 AM
0h 29m
10 AM
0h 26m
12 PM
0h 26m
3 PM
0h 27m
5 PM
0h 29m
8 PM
0h 24m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Union, NC
Clip It Comunicación
Trip Overview
The drive from Ellenboro, NC to Union, NC covers 18 miles and takes about 24m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Solon David Smart Memorial Highway, Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway, Union Road for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 8.2 miles on Solon David Smart Memorial Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $2.81 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 24m. Total distance: 18 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
24m 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 24m drive with frequent turns across 18 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.
Solon David Smart Memorial Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 8.2 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 US 74 Business / Main 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 24m 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 (US 74 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Henrietta Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles (US 74 / Solon David Smart Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
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
|
US 74 Business / Main Street
Turn left onto US 74 Business / Main Street
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Henrietta Street
Turn right onto Henrietta Street
Navigation decision point
5
2.3 mi into trip
|
~4m in
|
US 74 / Solon David Smart Memorial Highway
Merge onto US 74 / Solon David Smart Memorial Highway
Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
4
15.5 mi into trip
|
~18m in
Take the exit toward Union Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward Union Road
4
15.8 mi into trip
|
~19m in
|
Union Road
Turn right onto Union Road
Navigation decision point
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Solon David Smart Memorial Highway | 8.2 mi | 8m |
| Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway | 5 mi | 5m |
| Union Road | 2.2 mi | 5m |
| Ellenboro Henrietta Road | 1.6 mi | 2m |
| Henrietta Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| North Glenn Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Solon David Smart Memorial Highway
— 8.2 mi, about 8m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Ellenboro, NC and Union, NC.
1
Start on North Glenn Street
73 ft
·
10 sec
·
North Glenn Street
2
Turn left onto US 74 Business
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
·
Main Street
3
Turn right onto Henrietta Street
0.3 mi
·
40 sec
·
Henrietta Street
4
Turn left onto Ellenboro Henrietta Road
1.6 mi
·
2 min
·
Ellenboro Henrietta Road
5
Take the ramp
0.2 mi
·
27 sec
6
Merge onto US 74
8.2 mi
·
8 min
·
Solon David Smart Memorial Highway
Use the straight lane.
7
Continue on US 74
5.0 mi
·
5 min
·
Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway
8
Take the exit
0.3 mi
·
42 sec
Toward Union Road
9
Turn right onto Union Road
2.2 mi
·
5 min
·
Union Road
10
Arrive at destination
Union Road
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.81 one way
$5.63 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
6 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $3.08 | $6.16 |
| premium | $4.70 | $3.33 | $6.66 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.97 | $7.95 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$3
Estimated CO2 emission: 6.3 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 | 5.4 | 0 | $1.89 | $0.86 |
| Efficient EV | 4.5 | 0 | $1.58 | $0.72 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 7.2 | 0 | $2.52 | $1.15 |
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
Union, NC
Morning in Union on Saturday
Local time
11:38 AM
EDT
Current temp
83°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
24m 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 Ellenboro, NC to Union, NC covers 18 miles and takes about 24m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Solon David Smart Memorial Highway, Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway, Union Road. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 9 miles from Ellenboro, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.81 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 24m 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 (US 74 Business / Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Henrietta Street): Navigation decision point; at 2.3 miles (US 74 / Solon David Smart Memorial Highway): Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Ellenboro, NC to Union, 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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