Backroads of North Carolina: Your Guide to Great Day Trips & Weekend Getaways

by Kevin Adams

Overview

North Carolina is a traveler’s dream, from the Great Smoky Mountains to the Outer Banks’ historic lighthouses, wild  horses, and charming fishing villages; from battlegrounds of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars to the “heart of motorsports”; from rolling wine country and golf courses to stately plantations and rustic settlements.  Whether you travel North Carolina for its historic treasures or natural beauty, this handy guide will help you find the Old North State’s most spectacular sites and secret treasures.  The book charts weekend adventures and day trips along back roads and scenic routes, into the state’s many mist-shrouded mountains—the Black, the Blue Ridge, and the Great Smokies—and down to its ever-changing shores.  Sumptuously illustrated, with maps and all manner of interesting detail, Backroads of North Carolina is a page-by-page pleasure, as well as a passport to the more off-beat delights of the Tar Heel State.   

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780760325926
Publisher:	Harvard Common Press
Publication date:	04/04/2009
Series:	Backroads of ...
Edition description:	First
Pages:	160
Sales rank:	175,952
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

A naturalist, writer, teacher, and photographer, Kevin Adams is the author of the books North Carolina Waterfalls, Wildflowers of the Southern Appalachians, Waterfalls of Virginia and West Virginia, Hiking Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and North Carolina's Best Wildflower Hikes, The Mountains, and the photographer of Voyageur Press's Our North Carolina, as well as numerous magazine articles. His photographs appear in books, magazines, calendars, and advertisements across the country. Kevin lives in High Point, North Carolina, with his wife, Patricia.  www.kadamsphoto.com/

Table of Contents

Contents

Introduction

Part I                Bluffs and Valleys: The Northwest

1. A River Runs Through It: New River Country

2. A Rugged Mountain and Gentle Valley: Grandfather Mountain to Valle Crucis

3. A Fishing and Hiking Paradise: Up Wilson Creek and Down Johns River

4. River of Cliffs: A Loop around Linville Gorge

5. Through the Mining District: Little Switzerland to Roan Mountain

6. Valley Farms and River Towns: NC Highway 209 to Hot Springs and the French Broad River to Marshall

7. North on The Scenic: The Blue Ridge Parkway from Virginia to Asheville

Part II              Land of Waterfalls: The Southwest

8. South on The Scenic: The Blue Ridge Parkway from Asheville to the Smokies

9. Cradle of Forestry: A Loop around Pisgah National Forest

10. The Land of Waterfalls: U.S. Highway 64 from Rosman to Franklin

11. Escarpment Rivers: The Backdoor Route from Lake Toxaway to Highlands

12. Rafts and Rubies: Cowee Valley, Nantahala River, and Wayah Bald

13. History and Hiking in the Smokies: Cataloochee to Big Creek

14. Cherokee Country: Following Heintooga, Round Bottom, and Big Cove Roads into Cherokee

15. Old Trees and Grand Scenery: Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and Cherohala Skyway

Part III             History and Scenery in the Heartland: The Piedmont

16. Reds, Whites, and Blue Skies: Yadkin Valley Wine Country

17. The Mountains Away from the Mountains: Pilot Mountain and Hanging Rock

18. Mountains That Aren’t: The Uwharries

19. Native American Heritage: Morrow Mountain, Town Creek, and Ellerbe

Part IV             Deep History and Endless Water: The Northeast

20. Northern Route to Coast: Exploring History and Nature in the Northeast

21. Albemarle Tributaries: River Towns of the Cashie, Chowan, Roanoke, and Perquimans

22. History and Prehistory: Bath, Aurora, Oriental

23. For the Birds: A Drive through the Albemarle Peninsula

24. Mysteries and Maritime Heritage: A Tour of Roanoke Island

25. Ribbon of Sand: The Outer Banks from Nags Head to Ocracoke

Part V              Diverse Nature and Scenery: The Southeast

26. Down East: Beaufort to Cedar Island

27. Extraterrestrials and Flowing Tea: Carolina Bay Country and the Black River

28. Land of the Longleaf Pine: Through the Green Swamp

29. Battles, Boats, and Beaches: Circling the Cape Fear River

Further Reading

Index

About the Author/Photographer

Introduction

Introduction

Let me see if I have this right. I'm writing a book about North Carolina, highlighting thirty or so backroad routes that exemplify the state's storied history and scenic beauty-and I'm doing it all in 160 pages? Have I lost my mind?

Don't I know that North Carolina has the second-largest road system in the nation? And that most of these qualify as backroads? Or that the state's rich history extends all the way back to the colonial era, when North Carolina became the first state in the union to authorize its delegates to vote for independence from Britain? Or that North Carolina witnessed decisive battles during the Civil War and, later, man's first flight in a powered machine? Or that North Carolina's physical geography ranks it among the most biologically and aesthetically diverse places in America? Surely I remember that miles of pristine beaches and barrier islands line one end of the state, while rugged mountains tower on the other end?

I have lived in North Carolina for nearly half a century, during which time I have seen and experienced enough of my home state to fill a library of books. The idea of attempting to cull all of these attractions down to fit into a 160-page book was tough at first. But I finally decided to make this book a showcase for my beloved Tarheel State. Although I would have preferred to have had room for 1,000 pages and 750 photographs, I am confident that even the most seasoned North Carolina traveler will find something new and exciting in these pages.

I chose the routes based on scenic amenities, interesting history, general nature, and, admittedly, some of my quirks. I don'tlike heavily populated areas, but in some cases I felt it appropriate to include them, such as with Wilmington in Route 29. I refused to include the road from Cherokee to Clingmans Dome in the Smokies, even though it offers exceptional scenery; I've been caught in enough bumper-to-bumper traffic on this highway to skew my judgment forever. Yet I included the Blue Ridge Parkway, even though it receives the most visitors of any unit in the National Parks system. The parkway is not crowded during most of the year, and with some 250 miles of the roadway in North Carolina, you can find relative solitude somewhere at any given time, even during the height of tourist season. Besides, part of the appeal of the parkway is that it provides access to many other scenic areas, many of them little visited.

Each route includes driving directions and an overview of its highlights. The distances stated in the directions are rounded to the nearest mile. Because it is impossible to describe all of the excellent features of any one route, I try to provide descriptions that will entice you to seek out more information. Unexpected discoveries await you on every route. While therein lies part of the appeal of driving a backroad, there is some advantage in doing a little research ahead of time. At the very least, bring along a good road map. The maps and directions provided in this book are meant only as a general guide. I recommend DeLorme's North Carolina Atlas & Gazetteer as a primary road map.

The routes range in driving length from 15 to 180 miles, but mileage often does not indicate travel time. You can drive any route in the book in a half day or less, but why would you want to? The shortest route, on Roanoke Island, would take about thirty minutes if driven straight through, but it would take a long weekend if you experience all it has to offer. Most routes are best driven at certain times of the year, and some require you to visit at several different times to reap its benefits. For instance, wildflower season in the mountains runs from mid-March to October. You should take a road trip in April to see the spring ephemerals and another in midsummer to see the showy roadside species.

As if this isn't enough for you to digest before you hit the road, consider one more thing. On nearly every route, there are connecting side roads that offer sights every bit as good as the one you're traveling. This is especially true in the mountains, where practically every road is a "scenic byway." Don't be afraid to explore off the main route.

My lifetime of exploring North Carolina from the mountains to the sea has provided me so many sights, experiences, and memories that I will never be able to express them all. I am hopeful that in Backroads of North Carolina I have provided you with the spark you need to begin your own journey of exploration across the Tarheel State. I promise you that you will never become bored with North Carolina.

Time to hit the road.