It goes from Topsail Beach in the south to Creedmoor in the north, connecting the cities of Warsaw, Newton Grove, Benson, and Raleigh.

However, because it parallels I-40 along the majority of its route, the highway is typically relegated to local traffic except at its southern end.

Entering back into Pender County, it crosses NC 53 at Maple Hill and skirts nearby Angola Bay State Game Land.

Taking a more northerly direction now, it eventually enters Wake County, having an interchange with NC 540 before passing by Lake Benson and into Garner, where it begins its overlap with US 70.

The route is predominantly surrounded by farmland with the occasional city, where farmers bring their products to market.

As it nears Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the highway splits into northbound McDowell and southbound Dawson streets.

Near the Crabtree Valley Mall, NC 50 splits from US 70 and continues north along Creedmoor Road.

Crossing over the Neuse River, inside the Falls Lake State Recreation Area, it soon enters rural Granville County.

[5] The first NC 50 was an original state highway that ran from the South Carolina state line north through Rockingham, Aberdeen, Southern Pines, Sanford, Raleigh, Wake Forest, Henderson, Warrenton and finally Roanoke Rapids, ending at NC 4] (Weldon Road).

The highway then traveled north intersecting NC 91 and crossing the Neuse River before ending at US 15/NC 56 in Creedmoor.