Origin
Forest City, NC
Afternoon in Forest City on Friday
Local time
1:52 PM
EDT
Current temp
46°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Forest City, NC to Union, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
18m
Distance
11.8 mi
19 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 17m
★
6 AM
0h 19m
8 AM
0h 22m
10 AM
0h 20m
12 PM
0h 20m
3 PM
0h 20m
5 PM
0h 22m
8 PM
0h 18m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Forest City, NC
Wikimedia Commons
Union, NC
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Trip Overview
Forest City, NC to Union, NC is 11.8 miles and takes about 18 minutes via Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway and Union Road, with a fuel budget near $2 and enough daylight to finish in a day. This short hop stays within North Carolina, connecting two points in the Southeast region. It's a quick, local drive that won't eat up much of your day, making it ideal if you're looking for a brief journey or need to connect two nearby areas without a significant time commitment. Consider this a straightforward connection rather than an epic adventure.
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 18m. Total distance: 11.8 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
18m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (2%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
This drive is characterized by frequent turns, making it a dynamic local route. With only a 2 on the highway share, expect a good portion of your 18-minute journey to be on less direct roads. The longest continuous stretch is about 5 miles on Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway, after which you'll likely encounter more changes in direction. The profile of this route suggests a pace that requires attention to navigation, rather than a cruise control experience.
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.
Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 5 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; US 221A / West Main Street.
Driving Effort
4/10
Easy - simple navigation with a manageable amount of wheel time
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This is a straightforward 18m 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 (US 74 Business; US 221A / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (South Church Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 6 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; US 221A / West Main Street
Turn right onto US 74 Business; US 221A / West Main Street
Navigation decision point
6
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Church Street
Turn left onto South Church Street
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
6
1.8 mi into trip
|
~4m in
Keep slight right at fork toward US 74 West: Columbus, Asheville
Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one
Toward US 74 West: Columbus, Asheville
4
9.3 mi into trip
|
~12m in
Take the exit toward Union Road
Exit ramp - move to the correct lane early
Toward Union Road
4
9.6 mi into trip
|
~13m in
|
Union Road
Turn right onto Union Road
Navigation decision point
Towns Mentioned on Route Signs
Based on OSRM destination-sign hints, not a full list of every settlement the road passes.
On the drive from Forest City, NC to Union, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Asheville along the way.
Asheville
1.8 mi in
|
~4m
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway | 5 mi | 5m |
| Union Road | 2.2 mi | 5m |
| James A. Callahan Highway | 2.1 mi | 2m |
| South Church Street | 1.4 mi | 3m |
| US 74A | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| West Main Street | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Cherry Mountain Street | <0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway
— 5 mi, about 5m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Forest City, NC and Union, NC.
1
Start on Cherry Mountain Street
54 ft
·
5 sec
·
Cherry Mountain Street
2
Turn right onto US 74 Business; US 221A
0.2 mi
·
47 sec
·
West Main Street
3
Turn left onto South Church Street
1.4 mi
·
3 min
·
South Church Street
Use the left lane.
4
Turn left onto US 74A
0.2 mi
·
23 sec
·
US 74A
5
Keep slight right at fork
0.4 mi
·
52 sec
Toward US 74 West: Columbus, Asheville
6
Merge onto US 74
2.1 mi
·
2 min
·
James A. Callahan Highway
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
$1.85 one way
$3.69 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
4 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $2.02 | $4.04 |
| premium | $4.70 | $2.18 | $4.37 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $2.61 | $5.21 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$2
Estimated CO2 emission: 4.1 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 | 3.5 | 0 | $1.24 | $0.57 |
| Efficient EV | 3 | 0 | $1.03 | $0.47 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 4.7 | 0 | $1.65 | $0.76 |
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
Union, NC
Afternoon in Union on Friday
Local time
1:52 PM
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
37 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
18m 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 Forest City, NC to Union, NC covers 11.8 miles and takes about 18m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are Lieutenant Governor Walter H Dalton Highway, Union Road, James A. Callahan Highway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 5.9 miles from Forest City, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $1.85 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 18m 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 (US 74 Business; US 221A / West Main Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (South Church Street): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.8 miles: Highway fork - watch signs carefully. Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.
On the drive from Forest City, NC to Union, NC, road signs begin pointing toward Asheville along the way.
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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