Origin
Folly Beach, SC
Evening in Folly Beach on Friday
Local time
5:45 PM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Folly Beach, SC to North Charleston, SC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
29m
Distance
15.5 mi
25 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 27m
★
6 AM
0h 29m
8 AM
0h 34m
10 AM
0h 31m
12 PM
0h 31m
3 PM
0h 31m
5 PM
0h 34m
8 PM
0h 28m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Folly Beach, SC
Wikimedia Commons
North Charleston, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
This short, 15.5-mile drive from Folly Beach, SC, to North Charleston, SC, is easily manageable in about 29 minutes, making it a perfect day trip. The estimated fuel cost is a low $2, so you won't break the bank getting there. You'll primarily navigate via Folly Road, Cosgrove Avenue, and Saint Andrews Boulevard, with no highway driving involved. This is a straightforward local route through the Southeast region, perfect for a quick transition between destinations. Given its brevity, you have plenty of flexibility for departure times and can focus on enjoying the immediate surroundings rather than planning extensive stops.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 29m. Total distance: 15.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
29m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a turn-heavy local drive on this route, with a profile that keeps you engaged on South Carolina's surface streets. With 0% highway share, you'll be experiencing the local road network the entire way. The longest uninterrupted stretch you'll encounter is 8.7 miles along Folly Road. This means you'll be making frequent turns and navigating through various local intersections, so staying alert is key. The character of the drive is consistently urban and suburban, without any extended periods of high-speed travel.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 14 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
Folly Road is the longest continuous segment at about 8.7 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. This route has several spots where lane changes, forks, or exits need your full attention. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive.
Driving Effort
7/10
Focused - busy navigation packed into a short drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 15.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Ashley Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 9.1 miles (SC 171; SC 700 / Folly Road Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 8 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
5
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
Turn left
Navigation decision point
5
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
East Ashley Avenue
At end of road, turn left onto East Ashley Avenue
Navigation decision point
6
9.1 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
SC 171; SC 700 / Folly Road Boulevard
Keep slight left at fork onto SC 171; SC 700 / Folly Road Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
9.4 mi into trip
|
~18m in
|
SC 61 / Saint Andrews Boulevard
At end of road, turn left onto SC 61 / Saint Andrews Boulevard
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
11 mi into trip
|
~22m in
|
SC 171; SC 61 / Saint Andrews Boulevard
Keep slight right at fork onto SC 171; SC 61 / Saint Andrews Boulevard
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here
Use the right lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Folly Road | 8.7 mi | 16m |
| Cosgrove Avenue | 2 mi | 3m |
| Saint Andrews Boulevard | 1.7 mi | 3m |
| Old Towne Road | 1.5 mi | 2m |
| Sam Rittenberg Boulevard | 0.8 mi | 1m |
| Center Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Wesley Drive | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| Rivers Avenue | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Folly Road
— 8.7 mi, about 16m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Folly Beach, SC and North Charleston, SC.
1
Start on East Arctic Avenue
214 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Arctic Avenue
2
Turn left
200 ft
·
19 sec
3
At end of road, turn left onto East Ashley Avenue
272 ft
·
11 sec
·
East Ashley Avenue
4
Turn right onto SC 171
0.3 mi
·
51 sec
·
Center Street
5
Continue on SC 171
8.7 mi
·
16 min
·
Folly Road
Use the straight / right lanes.
6
Keep slight left at fork onto SC 171; SC 700
159 ft
·
4 sec
·
Folly Road Boulevard
Use the straight / right lanes.
7
Continue on Wesley Drive
0.3 mi
·
32 sec
·
Wesley Drive
Use the left / straight / right lanes.
8
At end of road, turn left onto SC 61
1.6 mi
·
3 min
·
Saint Andrews Boulevard
Use the left lane.
9
Keep slight right at fork onto SC 171; SC 61
0.1 mi
·
12 sec
·
Saint Andrews Boulevard
Use the right lane.
10
Continue on SC 171
1.5 mi
·
2 min
·
Old Towne Road
11
Turn straight onto SC 7
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Sam Rittenberg Boulevard
12
Continue on SC 7
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
Cosgrove Avenue
13
Turn right onto US 52; US 78
0.1 mi
·
11 sec
·
Rivers Avenue
14
Arrive at destination
US 52; US 78
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$2.42 one way
$4.85 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
5 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.65 | $5.30 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.87 | $5.74 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $3.42 | $6.84 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 5.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $2 in charging · 0 stops · 60% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.63 | $0.74 |
| Efficient EV | 3.9 | 0 | $1.36 | $0.62 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 6.2 | 0 | $2.17 | $0.99 |
Gas CO2
5 kg
EV CO2
2 kg (60% 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
North Charleston, SC
Evening in North Charleston on Friday
Local time
5:45 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°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
6 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
29m 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 Folly Beach, SC to North Charleston, SC covers 15.5 miles and takes about 29m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Folly Road, Cosgrove Avenue, Saint Andrews Boulevard. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 7.8 miles from Folly Beach, SC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $2.42 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 short but busy drive. With 8 decision points packed into just 15.5 miles, you will need to pay attention to lane changes and exits — but the whole thing is over in 29m.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Ashley Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 9.1 miles (SC 171; SC 700 / Folly Road Boulevard): Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Lane positioning matters here.
The route from Folly Beach, SC to North Charleston, SC 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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