This 160 mile route roughly parallels the course of the Cape Fear River through the southeast coastal plain to the coast. Rolling hills give way to flat land in the swamps and Carolina bays typical of this region of the state. Just south of the Triangle, NC 5 begins at its connection with US 1 in Apex, continuing through Fuquay-Varina, passing near Fayetteville, and ending in Wilmington at its intersection with the NC 3 Ports of Call route.
