Origin
Folly Beach, SC
Late night in Folly Beach on Saturday
Local time
5:29 AM
EDT
Current temp
62°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Folly Beach, SC to Charleston, SC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
21m
Distance
11.5 mi
19 km
Drive Score
7/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$2
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 20m
★
6 AM
0h 22m
8 AM
0h 26m
10 AM
0h 23m
12 PM
0h 23m
3 PM
0h 23m
5 PM
0h 25m
8 PM
0h 21m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Folly Beach, SC
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Folly Beach, SC to Charleston, SC covers 11.5 miles and takes about 21m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on Folly Road, SC 30, Rutledge Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 6.6 miles on Folly Road. At current regular gas prices, budget about $1.80 one way before food or hotel costs.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 21m. Total distance: 11.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
21m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (25%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 21m drive with frequent turns across 11.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 10 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 6.6 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.
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 21m 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: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Ashley Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SC 171 / Center Street): 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.
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
4
0.1 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
SC 171 / Center Street
Turn right onto SC 171 / Center Street
Navigation decision point
3
7.1 mi into trip
|
~14m in
|
SC 30
Turn right onto SC 30 toward SC 30 East: Downtown
Navigation decision point
Toward SC 30 East: Downtown
5
11 mi into trip
|
~20m in
|
Broad Street
Turn left onto Broad Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight lane.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Folly Road | 6.6 mi | 12m |
| SC 30 | 2.9 mi | 4m |
| Rutledge Avenue | 0.6 mi | 1m |
| Broad Street | 0.5 mi | <1m |
| Calhoun Street | 0.4 mi | <1m |
| Center Street | 0.3 mi | <1m |
| East Ashley Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
| East Arctic Avenue | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Folly Road
— 6.6 mi, about 12m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Folly Beach, SC and 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
6.6 mi
·
12 min
·
Folly Road
6
Turn right onto SC 30
2.9 mi
·
4 min
·
SC 30
Toward SC 30 East: Downtown
7
Continue on Calhoun Street
0.4 mi
·
44 sec
·
Calhoun Street
8
Turn slight right onto Rutledge Avenue
0.6 mi
·
1 min
·
Rutledge Avenue
Use the straight / right lanes.
9
Turn left onto Broad Street
0.5 mi
·
59 sec
·
Broad Street
Use the straight lane.
10
Arrive at destination
Broad Street
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$1.80 one way
$3.60 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $1.97 | $3.93 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.13 | $4.26 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.54 | $5.08 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 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 | 3.4 | 0 | $1.21 | $0.55 |
| Efficient EV | 2.9 | 0 | $1.01 | $0.46 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.6 | 0 | $1.61 | $0.74 |
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.
Destination
Charleston, SC
Late night in Charleston on Saturday
Local time
5:29 AM
EDT
Current temp
58°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
4 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
21m 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 Charleston, SC covers 11.5 miles and takes about 21m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Folly Road, SC 30, Rutledge Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.8 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 $1.80 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 21m drive. You will face about 6 decision points, but nothing that requires special attention if you follow navigation.
The main spots that need attention: near the start: Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (East Ashley Avenue): Navigation decision point; at 0.1 miles (SC 171 / Center Street): Navigation decision point.
The route from Folly Beach, SC to 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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