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Trip from Winston-Salem, NC to Flat Rock, NC

Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards

Drive Time

48m

Distance

37.4 mi

60 km

Drive Score

6/10

Good drive

Same Day?

Yes, doable

Fuel Cost

$6

one way

EV Charging

Unknown

Best Time to Leave

Save up to 12 min
4 AM
0h 44m ★
6 AM
0h 48m
8 AM
0h 56m
10 AM
0h 51m
12 PM
0h 50m
3 PM
0h 51m
5 PM
0h 56m
8 PM
0h 46m

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

Downtown Flat Rock, NC, NC

Flat Rock, NC

Mo Eid

Trip Overview

The drive from Winston-Salem, NC to Flat Rock, NC covers 37.4 miles and takes about 48m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.

The route leans on John Gold Memorial Expressway, South Andy Griffith Parkway, South Main Street for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is highway-focused drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 29.3 miles on John Gold Memorial Expressway. At current regular gas prices, budget about $5.85 one way before food or hotel costs.

Who Is This Route For?

Weekend Trip

Doable as a same-day drive at 48m. Total distance: 37.4 miles.

Family Friendly

Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.

Solo Traveler

48m drive, comfortable solo distance.

EV Driver

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

First-Time Driver

Mostly highway driving (85%). Some complex stretches to watch for.

Drive Character

This is a 48m highway drive covering 37.4 miles, with most of the trip on John Gold Memorial Expressway and South Andy Griffith Parkway. The longest continuous stretch is about 29.3 miles on John Gold Memorial Expressway.

Most of the miles stay on highways, which makes pacing and fuel planning easier than turn-by-turn city driving.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
John Gold Memorial Expressway is the longest continuous segment at about 29.3 miles.

How Hard Is This Drive?

This is a straightforward highway drive that stays mostly on John Gold Memorial Expressway and South Andy Griffith Parkway. You will hit about 12 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near East 5th Street.

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 37.4 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: near the start (East 5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (North Patterson Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

Critical Maneuvers

5 of 12 key points

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

5
0 mi into trip | ~0m in | East 5th Street

Turn right onto East 5th Street

Navigation decision point

5
0.2 mi into trip | ~0m in | North Patterson Avenue

Turn left onto North Patterson Avenue

Lane positioning matters here

Use the left lane.
4
1.5 mi into trip | ~3m in

Take the ramp toward US 52 North, NC 8 North

Multiple destination signs - pick the right one

Toward US 52 North, NC 8 North
5
1.7 mi into trip | ~3m in | US 52; NC 8 / John Gold Memorial Expressway

Merge onto US 52; NC 8 / John Gold Memorial Expressway

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

Use the straight / slight right lanes.
4
31 mi into trip | ~37m in | US 52 / South Andy Griffith Parkway

Keep slight right at fork onto US 52 / South Andy Griffith Parkway

Highway fork - watch signs carefully

Main Roads

Road Distance Duration
John Gold Memorial Expressway 29.3 mi 33m
South Andy Griffith Parkway 2.4 mi 2m
South Main Street 1.5 mi 2m
North Liberty Street 0.9 mi 1m
East Pine Street 0.8 mi 1m
Welcome Baptist Church Road 0.7 mi 1m
Westfield Road 0.6 mi 1m
Hamburg Street 0.5 mi 1m
Longest stretch: John Gold Memorial Expressway — 29.3 mi, about 33m

Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions

Step-by-step road directions between Winston-Salem, NC and Flat Rock, NC.

1

Start on North Main Street

67 ft · 5 sec · North Main Street
2

Turn right onto East 5th Street

0.2 mi · 27 sec · East 5th Street
3

Turn left onto North Patterson Avenue

0.4 mi · 47 sec · North Patterson Avenue
Use the left lane.
4

Turn right onto North Liberty Street

0.9 mi · 1 min · North Liberty Street
5

Take the ramp

0.2 mi · 22 sec
Toward US 52 North, NC 8 North
6

Merge onto US 52; NC 8

29 mi · 33 min · John Gold Memorial Expressway
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
7

Keep slight right at fork onto US 52

2.4 mi · 2 min · South Andy Griffith Parkway
8

Turn right onto US 52 Business

324 ft · 5 sec · Charlie Norman Road
9

Continue on US 52 Business

1.5 mi · 2 min · South Main Street
10

Turn right onto NC 89

0.6 mi · 1 min · Westfield Road
11

Turn left onto Midway Street

459 ft · 19 sec · Midway Street
12

Continue on Welcome Baptist Church Road

0.7 mi · 1 min · Welcome Baptist Church Road
13

At end of road, turn right onto Hamburg Street

0.5 mi · 1 min · Hamburg Street
14

Turn left onto Lovers Lane

93 ft · 5 sec · Lovers Lane
15

Turn right onto NC 103

0.8 mi · 1 min · East Pine Street
16

Arrive at destination

NC 103

Where to Stop

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

Halfway Point

Midpoint

About 18.7 mi from Winston-Salem, NC · 23m into the drive

Downtown Pilot Mountain, NC, NC

Mid-route town

Meal stop

Pilot Mountain, NC

19 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

Mount Airy, NC

Fuel and coffee

A short stop after about 37 miles helps settle the day before fatigue starts building.

King, NC

Meal break

The midpoint is around 18.7 miles from Winston-Salem, NC, which is a good place for a longer meal and fuel stop.

Arriving in Flat Rock, NC

Allow a few extra minutes for the final approach into Flat Rock, NC if you are unfamiliar with the area.

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

Fuel & Cost

Regular Gas

$5.85 one way

$11.70 round trip

$3.97/gal 25.4 MPG avg 13 kg CO2
Fuel Type $/gal One Way Round Trip
midgrade $4.34 $6.39 $12.79
premium $4.70 $6.92 $13.84
diesel $5.61 $8.26 $16.51

No toll roads detected on this route.

Drive Cost (one way)

Fuel

$6

Estimated CO2 emission: 13.1 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.

Driving Electric?

About $4 in charging · 0 stops · 69% less CO2

Vehicle Type kWh Stops DC Fast Home Charge
Average EV 11.2 0 $3.93 $1.80
Efficient EV 9.4 0 $3.27 $1.50
EV Truck/SUV 15 0 $5.24 $2.39

Gas CO2

13 kg

EV CO2

4 kg (69% 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 14, 2026

Origin

Winston-Salem, NC

Late night in Winston-Salem on Saturday

Local time

12:11 AM

EDT

Current temp

42°F

Unavailable

Live forecast

Destination

Flat Rock, NC

Late night in Flat Rock on Saturday

Local time

12:11 AM

EDT

Current temp

44°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

2 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

48m 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 Winston-Salem, NC to Flat Rock, NC covers 37.4 miles and takes about 48m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.

The main roads are John Gold Memorial Expressway, South Andy Griffith Parkway, South Main Street. Most of the drive stays on highways, so watch for ramps and exits.

This is a comfortable same-day trip.

The midpoint is about 18.7 miles from Winston-Salem, NC. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.

At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $5.85 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 drive requires moderate attention. Across 37.4 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: near the start (East 5th Street): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (North Patterson Avenue): Lane positioning matters here; at 1.5 miles: Multiple destination signs - pick the right one.

The route from Winston-Salem, NC to Flat Rock, 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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