How Long - Outer Banks from DC?
 

Just curious if anyone knows how long it takes to drive from DC area (or Silver Spring, MD) to Nags Head or around there. Randmcnally.com, which is usually pretty accurate, says 5 1/2 hours, which surprised me. Mapquest said the same thing. A coworker says it took her 4 hours from Virginia suburbs of DC - although she didn't tell me how fast she drove, or when she went! I know traffic on I-95 south of DC can be very variable, but I'll be going on a Saturday morning in January, so I don't think traffic will be too horrible. Can anyone venture a guess?

Hi Roothy,

Asked my husband, who is an average/fast driver - typically 75 MPH on I-95. He says between 5 and 6 hours. (He didn't know what you wrote in your post about the Mapquest estimate - sounds like it may be fairly accurate from his experience.)

Best wishes, SusanEva

thanks. somehow I was hoping it was quicker, but I guess not!

I agree with SusanEva. About 5 1/2 hours from Silver Spring without traffic burps.

Leaving on a Sat/Sun morning by 5am,will get you there in 5 hours. Leaving after 7 am can make the trip much longer! I'm in Norther MD and we go every summer. Made the mistake and left about 8am on a Saturday! Now there was traffic almost the whole way (construction on 95), but we finally arrived on Hatteras island and 4pm!

5 to 6 hours. You might add an hour if you hit the summer traffic on Saturday morning-afternoon. To bypass the traffic, you might want to take Route 17 through the Dismal Swamp and head toward the Outer Banks either at Elizabeth City or, if you cross Albermarle sound, take Route 264? east to Nags Head.

I just drove from upper NW Washington, immediately below SS, to Nags head last Friday and it took about 5 hours; I stopped once, for gas.

A LOT will depend on the time of day you leave (I was not able to use the express lanes southbound) and i also think the time of day you are hitting Hampton (I would definitely use 664 and then the Chesapeake Expressway).

I find it hard to believe that it only took your co-worker 4 hours. She must have driven in the middle of the night in the dead of winter.

Traffic on I-95 is always horrible.