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Trip from Johns Creek, GA to Ellijay, GA

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 17, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

1h 28m

Distance

61.2 mi

98 km

Drive Score

7/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$10

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 20 min
4 AM
1h 22m ★
6 AM
1h 29m
8 AM
1h 42m
10 AM
1h 33m
12 PM
1h 32m
3 PM
1h 34m
5 PM
1h 42m
8 PM
1h 25m

Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.

city in Fulton County, Georgia, United States

Johns Creek, GA

Wikimedia Commons

city in Gilmer County, Georgia, United States of America

Ellijay, GA

Wikimedia Commons

Trip Overview

The drive from Johns Creek, GA to Ellijay, GA covers 61.2 miles and takes about 1h 28m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on APD Highway, Ball Ground Road, Peachtree Parkway for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 24.5 miles on APD Highway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $9.57 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 1h 28m. Total distance: 61.2 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

1h 28m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (14%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Scenic Drive

Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.

Drive Character

Expect a 1h 28m drive with frequent turns across 61.2 miles of local and secondary roads.

This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 23 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
APD Highway is the longest continuous segment at about 24.5 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes around 0.1 miles in near Groomsbridge Road.

Driving Effort 5/10

Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing

Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.

This drive requires moderate attention. Across 61.2 miles you will encounter 12 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

Where does it get tricky?

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Groomsbridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Grove Point Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.1 miles (GA 20 / Canton Highway): Lane positioning matters here.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 12 key points

These are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.

4
0.1 mi into trip | ~0m in | Groomsbridge Road

Turn left onto Groomsbridge Road

Navigation decision point

4
0.6 mi into trip | ~2m in | Grove Point Road

At end of road, turn right onto Grove Point Road

Navigation decision point

6
18.1 mi into trip | ~29m in | GA 20 / Canton Highway

Turn left onto GA 20 / Canton Highway

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
5
35.7 mi into trip | ~55m in | GA 5; GA 515 / APD Highway

Merge onto GA 5; GA 515 / APD Highway

Merge point - match speed before joining. Lane positioning matters here

Use the straight / slight left lanes.
5
60.2 mi into trip | ~1h 26m in | US 76; GA 2 / 1st Avenue

Turn left onto US 76; GA 2 / 1st Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
APD Highway 24.5 mi 30m
Ball Ground Road 8.9 mi 12m
Peachtree Parkway 7 mi 9m
Medlock Bridge Road 3.3 mi 4m
Bethelview Road 3.3 mi 5m
Canton Highway 2.4 mi 3m
Post Road 2.2 mi 3m
Cumming Highway 1.9 mi 2m
Longest stretch: APD Highway — 24.5 mi, about 30m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Johns Creek, GA and Ellijay, GA.

1

Start on Morgan Hill Court

270 ft · 17 sec · Morgan Hill Court
2

Turn left onto Groomsbridge Road

0.5 mi · 2 min · Groomsbridge Road
3

At end of road, turn right onto Grove Point Road

0.2 mi · 44 sec · Grove Point Road
4

Turn left onto GA 141

3.3 mi · 4 min · Medlock Bridge Road
Use the straight lane.
5

Continue on GA 141

7.0 mi · 9 min · Peachtree Parkway
Use the straight lane.
6

Continue on GA 141

3.3 mi · 5 min · Bethelview Road
7

Turn left onto Kelly Mill Road

1.5 mi · 2 min · Kelly Mill Road
8

Turn right onto GA 371

2.2 mi · 3 min · Post Road
Use the straight lane.
9

Turn left onto GA 20

1.8 mi · 2 min · Canton Highway
Use the left lane.
10

Continue on GA 20

1.9 mi · 2 min · Cumming Highway
11

Turn right onto GA 372

2.9 mi · 4 min · Ball Ground Road
12

Enter roundabout onto GA 372

114 ft · 2 sec · Ball Ground Road
13

Continue on GA 372

6.0 mi · 8 min · Ball Ground Road
14

Continue on GA 372

0.7 mi · 1 min · Gilmer Ferry Road
15

Continue on GA 372

0.2 mi · 34 sec · A. W. Roberts Drive
Use the slight right lane.
16

Turn right onto GA 372; GA 5 Business

0.5 mi · 54 sec · Canton Highway
17

Continue on GA 372; GA 5 Business

1.6 mi · 2 min · Ball Ground Highway
18

Continue on GA 372; GA 5 Business

1.8 mi · 2 min · GA 372; GA 5 Business
19

Merge onto GA 5; GA 515

24 mi · 30 min · APD Highway
Use the straight / slight left lanes.
20

Turn left onto US 76; GA 2

0.1 mi · 17 sec · 1st Avenue
Use the left lane.
21

At end of road, turn left onto GA 2; GA 52

0.9 mi · 2 min · River Street
22

Turn right onto North Church Street

43 ft · 1 sec · North Church Street
23

Arrive at destination

North Church Street

Where to Stop

Rest stops, refuel points, and overnight suggestions along this route.

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 30.6 mi from Johns Creek, GA · 47m into the drive

Downtown Cumming, GA, GA

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Cumming, GA

31 mi into the route

Best for: Lunch, fuel, and a longer reset

This sits close to the middle of the route, so it works well for the longest stop of the day.

Pacing Suggestions

Alpharetta, GA

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 13 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

Jasper, GA

Meal break

The midpoint is around 30.6 miles from Johns Creek, GA, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Ellijay, GA

The final approach into Ellijay, GA usually feels slower than the middle of the drive, so avoid planning your tightest schedule at the very end.

These stop ideas are pacing suggestions — the exact town or exit can change with traffic, hotel plans, and fuel range.

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$9.57 one way

$19.14 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 21 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $10.46 $20.93
premium $4.70 $11.33 $22.65
diesel $5.61 $13.51 $27.02

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$10

Estimated CO2 emission: 21.4 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $6 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 18.4 0 $6.43 $2.94
Efficient EV 15.3 0 $5.35 $2.45
EV Truck/SUV 24.5 0 $8.57 $3.92

Gas CO2

21 kg

EV CO2

7 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

Johns Creek, GA

Evening in Johns Creek on Friday

Local time

7:08 PM

EDT

Current temp

52°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Ellijay, GA

Evening in Ellijay on Friday

Local time

7:08 PM

EDT

Current temp

51°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

1 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

1h 28m 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 Johns Creek, GA to Ellijay, GA covers 61.2 miles and takes about 1h 28m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are APD Highway, Ball Ground Road, Peachtree Parkway. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 30.6 miles from Johns Creek, GA. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $9.57 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 61.2 miles you will encounter 12 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.

The main spots that need attention: at 0.1 miles (Groomsbridge Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.6 miles (Grove Point Road): Navigation decision point; at 18.1 miles (GA 20 / Canton Highway): Lane positioning matters here.

The route from Johns Creek, GA to Ellijay, GA does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.

Yes. Nearby national parks include Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.

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.

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Explore More

Return Trip

Ellijay, GA to Johns Creek, GA

Plan the drive back the other way.

61.2 mi 1h 29m

Explore more options from Johns Creek, GA or browse trips ending in Ellijay, GA.

Looking for more statewide routes? Browse GA road trips.