The drive from Fayetteville, NC to Surf City, NC covers 110.2 miles and takes about 2h 37m behind the wheel.
This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on NC 50, Grove Street, Roseboro Highway for much of the mileage,
and the overall profile is mixed drive.
The longest uninterrupted segment is about 36.2 miles on NC 50.
At current regular gas prices, budget about $17.23 one way before food or hotel costs.
Trip Pace
Same-day drive is realistic
A same-day return is realistic if you keep stops short.
Break Rhythm
1 planned break
A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
Midpoint
55.1 miles from Fayetteville, NC
A natural place for your longest stop of the day
, about 1h 18m into the drive
.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 2h 37m. Total distance: 110.2 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 1 natural rest stops along the way.
Mixed drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
The drive from Fayetteville, NC to Surf City, NC covers 110.2 miles and takes about 2h 37m, 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 35 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
NC 50 is the longest continuous segment at about 36.2 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
This route mixes highway mileage with some local-road sections near the start or finish. There are only a few real navigation decisions along the way. The trickiest moment comes around 0.3 miles in near Person Street.
Driving Effort4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 2h 37m drive. You will face about 22 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Person Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.6 miles (B Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.9 miles (NC 24; NC 210 / Grove Street): Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 22 key points
These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0.3 mi into trip|~0m in|Person Street
Enter roundabout onto Person Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
5
0.6 mi into trip|~0m in|B Street
Enter roundabout onto B Street
Roundabout - know your exit number before entering
6
0.9 mi into trip|~1m in|NC 24; NC 210 / Grove Street
Turn right onto NC 24; NC 210 / Grove Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
33.9 mi into trip|~48m in|NC 24
Take the exit onto NC 24 toward US 421 South, US 701 South, NC 24 East
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward US 421 South, US 701 South, NC 24 East
5
54.5 mi into trip|~1h 17m in|NC 24
Take the exit onto NC 24 toward NC 24 East, NC 903: Magnolia, Kenansville
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Place data sourced from public business listings. Hours and availability may vary.
National Parks Near This Route
Worth a detour if your schedule allows.
Moores Creek National Battlefield
National Battlefield
In the early morning hours of February 27, 1776, Loyalist forces charged across a partially dismantled Moores Creek Bridge. Beyond the bridge, nearly 1,000 North Carolina Patriots waited quietly with...
28 mi from route
~69 min detour
Free
near mile 87.4
Park data from the National Park Service API. Alerts update every 2 hours.
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$17.23 one way
$34.47 round trip
$3.97/gal25.4 MPG avg39 kg CO2
Fuel Type
$/gal
One Way
Round Trip
midgrade
$4.34
$18.84
$37.68
premium
$4.70
$20.40
$40.79
diesel
$5.61
$24.33
$48.66
No toll roads detected on this route.
Estimated Trip Cost (one way, 1 person)
Fuel
$17
Meals
$25–$50
Total
$42–$67
Rough estimate based on US averages. Hotel $80–$140/night, meals $25–$50/day.
Estimated CO2 emission: 38.6 kg one way.
Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $12 in charging
· 0 stops
· 67% less CO2
Vehicle Type
kWh
Stops
DC Fast
Home Charge
Average EV
33.1
0
$11.57
$5.29
Efficient EV
27.6
0
$9.64
$4.41
EV Truck/SUV
44.1
0
$15.43
$7.05
Gas CO2
39 kg
EV CO2
13 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.
Forecast as of Apr 15, 2026
Origin
Fayetteville, NC
Afternoon
in Fayetteville on Friday
Local time
3:46 PM
EDT
Current temp
51°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Destination
Surf City, NC
Afternoon
in Surf City on Friday
Local time
3:46 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
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
1 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
2h 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 Fayetteville, NC to Surf City, NC covers 110.2 miles and takes about 2h 37m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are NC 50, Grove Street, Roseboro Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 55.1 miles from Fayetteville, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $17.23 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.
Plan about 1 meaningful break for fuel, food, or rest. A short stop every 2 to 3 hours is enough for this drive.
This is a straightforward 2h 37m drive. You will face about 22 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: at 0.3 miles (Person Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.6 miles (B Street): Roundabout - know your exit number before entering; at 0.9 miles (NC 24; NC 210 / Grove Street): Lane positioning matters here.
On the drive from Fayetteville, NC to Surf City, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Kenansville along the way.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Moores Creek National Battlefield.
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, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
