Origin
Saint James, NC
Afternoon in Saint James on Saturday
Local time
12:22 PM
EDT
Current temp
56°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
44m
Distance
29.9 mi
48 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$5
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 41m
★
6 AM
0h 45m
8 AM
0h 52m
10 AM
0h 47m
12 PM
0h 46m
3 PM
0h 48m
5 PM
0h 52m
8 PM
0h 42m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Saint James, NC
Jo Kassis
Trip Overview
The drive from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC covers 29.9 miles and takes about 44m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on St James Drive Southeast, Members Club Boulevard, Wingfoot Drive for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.68 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Arriving in Wilmington, NC
Full guide →Wilmington is a city in the southeastern part of North Carolina. It is the county seat of New Hanover County, and home to the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, the U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship Memorial, the Cape Fear Museum, Airlie Gardens, and a large historic district. It is convenient to nearby beaches, and is a relatively short drive from the Triangle (Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill), Charlotte, Myrtle Beach, SC, and the I-95 corridor.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 44m. Total distance: 29.9 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
44m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
First-Time Driver
Mostly highway driving (0%). Straightforward navigation.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile.
Drive Character
Expect a 44m drive with frequent turns across 29.9 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 21 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
St James Drive Southeast is one of the defining roads on this drive.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. Navigation is very simple - set it and forget it for most of the drive.
Driving Effort
1/10
Very easy - short and simple to drive
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
The drive from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC is easy. At 44m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
Where does it get tricky?
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| St James Drive Southeast | — | — |
| Members Club Boulevard | — | — |
| Wingfoot Drive | — | — |
| Fairway Village Drive | — | — |
| Ellington Place | — | — |
| Parkridge Drive | — | — |
| the route | — | — |
| Middleton Street | — | — |
Some road-level metrics are being recalculated.
Longest stretch:
St James Drive Southeast
— detailed segment metrics are refreshing.
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Saint James, NC and Wilmington, NC.
1
Start on the route
118 ft
·
13 sec
·
the route
2
Turn left onto St James Drive Southeast
0.7 mi
·
2 min
·
St James Drive Southeast
3
Turn left onto Members Club Boulevard
0.8 mi
·
3 min
·
Members Club Boulevard
4
Turn right onto Wingfoot Drive
207 ft
·
9 sec
·
Wingfoot Drive
5
Turn left onto Fairway Village Drive
220 ft
·
15 sec
·
Fairway Village Drive
6
Turn straight onto Wingfoot Drive
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Wingfoot Drive
7
Turn right onto Ellington Place
0.3 mi
·
1 min
·
Ellington Place
8
At the end of the road, turn right onto Parkridge Drive
0.4 mi
·
1 min
·
Parkridge Drive
9
Enter the roundabout and take exit 2 toward the route
243 ft
·
11 sec
·
the route
10
Exit the roundabout
0.4 mi
·
1 min
11
Turn right onto Middleton Street
1.1 mi
·
1 min
·
Middleton Street
12
Continue on Midway Road Southeast
6.5 mi
·
9 min
·
Midway Road Southeast
13
Turn right onto Old Ocean Highway
0.5 mi
·
41 sec
·
Old Ocean Highway
14
Continue on Main Street
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
Main Street
15
Continue on Old Ocean Highway
0.3 mi
·
35 sec
·
Old Ocean Highway
16
Turn right onto Ocean Highway East
13 mi
·
18 min
·
Ocean Highway East
17
Keep slight right to continue on US 17
0.5 mi
·
38 sec
·
US 17
18
Continue on Ocean Highway East
3.1 mi
·
4 min
·
Ocean Highway East
19
Continue on Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
0.8 mi
·
1 min
·
Cape Fear Memorial Bridge
20
Turn left onto South 3rd Street
0.1 mi
·
15 sec
·
South 3rd Street
21
Arrive at your destination
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.68 one way
$9.35 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
11 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.34 | $5.11 | $10.22 |
| premium | $4.70 | $5.53 | $11.07 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $6.60 | $13.20 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$5
Estimated CO2 emission: 10.5 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 70% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 9 | 0 | $3.14 | $1.44 |
| Efficient EV | 7.5 | 0 | $2.62 | $1.20 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 12 | 0 | $4.19 | $1.91 |
Gas CO2
10 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (70% 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
Wilmington, NC
Afternoon in Wilmington on Saturday
Local time
12:22 PM
EDT
Current temp
52°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
44m 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 Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC covers 29.9 miles and takes about 44m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are St James Drive Southeast, Members Club Boulevard, Wingfoot Drive. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 14.9 miles from Saint James, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.68 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.
The drive from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC is easy. At 44m with 0% highway, most drivers will find it relaxed and low-stress.
This route does not have any notably tricky sections. Most of the drive from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC is straightforward, with well-signed roads and simple exits.
The route from Saint James, NC to Wilmington, NC 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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