8 Great Road Trips to Take in North Carolina
North Carolina has a little bit of everything. The state is split into three distinct regions: the mountains, the Piedmont, and the Coastal Plains. This regional variety makes North Carolina a great place for road trips. On the Western side of the state, you can cruise through the Blue Ridge Parkway and check out the highest mountain east of the Mississippi River. Out East awaits the Outer Banks, where you can drive with the windows down, the Atlantic Ocean on one side, and the Pamlico Sound on the other. Between the two are swamplands, fertile valleys, and beautiful communities with lively main streets and a significant place in U.S. History. From legendary mountaintop roads to alligator alleys and ferry routes, here are eight of the best road trips North Carolina has to offer.
Blue Ridge Parkway
You can’t talk about North Carolina road trips without mentioning the Blue Ridge Parkway, one of the State’s most famous attractions. In 2023, over 16 million people left the highway and headed onto the parkway to check out mountain laurel blooms, the autumn kaleidoscope of falling leaves, and the many pull-offs and hikes that lead you deeper into the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The entire parkway covers 469 miles of mountaintops from North Carolina into Virginia. The North Carolina parkway starts at the State Line at Milepost 217 and winds through 250 miles of ridgelines, viewpoints, frequent pulloffs, and 26 tunnels to end up near the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at Milepost 469. On a normal highway, 250 miles is an easy day’s work, but you should split this road trip into at least two days, stopping at a charming town like Blowing Rock to rest for a night in the middle of your drive.
Tail of the Dragon
There are winding mountain roads, and then there is the Tail of the Dragon, which is essentially one long curve after another for 11 hair-raising miles. If you want a bit of adrenaline on your next road trip, head to the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, where the Tail of the Dragon road twists and turns 318 times over the course of 11 miles, roughly 28 turns per mile.
Start the dragon's tail drive near the Cheoah Lake, home of the Cheoah Dam, where Harrison Ford's character jumped off in the movie The Fugitive. Continue on towards the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, checking out "the Tree of Shame," which Deal's Gap Resort calls "a makeshift shrine to those bitten by the dragon." And yes, there have been many nipped. So drive slow and enjoy the scenery as you wind through turns with names like Copperhead Corner, Gravity Cavity, and The Whip.
Outer Banks Scenic Byway
The Outer Banks Scenic Byway is an island-hopping route that takes you along the sometimes razor-thin strip of sand between the Pamlico Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. The byway begins at the intersection of NC-12 and US-64 at the Whalebone Junction. Turn right from the mainland, and you’ll head down through 138 miles of the shifting sands on the North Carolina Coast. The entire trip takes about 6.5 hours of driving time, not including two ferry crossings: one from Hatteras to Ocracoke and from Ocracoke to Cedar Island.
The great sights start early. Twenty minutes from the WhaleBone Junction, you’ll enter The Pea Island National Wildlife Refuge, where the world shifts from residential neighborhoods to open salt marshes and sand dunes. Continue south through Avon, and you’ll hit Canadian Hole - a beautiful bay that has inspired countless road trips all the way from Canada. Keep on driving until the pavement ends at the Hatteras ferry terminal, where a free 60-minute boat ride takes you to Ocracoke Island. Drive across Ocracoke to where, once again, the road ends, and another 2.25-hour toll ferry crosses the Pamlico Sound and connects you to Cedar Island and the final leg of the route along US-70.
North Carolina Waterfalls Byway
This 98-mile stretch of Highway 64 brings waterfall action as close as possible to your car windows. The road begins in Rosman, NC, and ends in Murphy, covering more than 200 waterfalls in a roughly 3-hour drive. The drive itself can be done relatively quickly, but you won’t want to rush this one: many waterfalls on the route have walking trails that will bring you up close and personal with falling water.
Some waterfalls will be a mile or two off the highway, and plenty more will be practically roadside. None comes closer than Bridal Veil Falls, which mists directly over the road. Dry Falls, just down the road, has a great pull-out area and bathroom facilities if you're feeling inspired by the waterfalls byway. The road eventually ends with one final cascade at Glen Falls before taking you into Murphy, a basecamp town for the Great Smoky Mountains.
Alligator River Route
If you’re heading to the Outer Banks, the Alligator River Route makes a great side quest by cutting a detour right through North Carolina’s swamp country. The route begins crossing Lake Mattamuskeet, the state’s largest natural lake. From there, it follows NC-94 North across the lake and through the flat farmlands of Fairfield towards Columbia, where it connects with US-64 and the road to the Outer Banks.
Fuel up and grab a snack in Columbia. After this small town, the river route heads into the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, where you might spot more alligators sunning themselves on the roadside canals than other people. Alligators aren’t the only predators you should keep your eyes out for around here. The wildlife refuge is also home to some of the highest concentrations of black bears anywhere in the Eastern United States.
Forest Heritage Scenic Byway
Dive deep into the history of the US Forestry Service while surrounded by mountain terrain in this road trip through the Pisgah National Forest. This road is home to the first forestry school in the entire country, now memorialized as the Cradle of Forestry in America. This drive makes it clear why forestry professionals were trained here first, bringing you to waterfalls, hiking trails, fly-fishing, campgrounds, picnic areas, and everything fun about being in the woods.
The road runs for 76 miles along NC-215 and US-276, also known as the Pisgah Highway. It’s almost a perfect loop. One end is slightly north of Brevard, and the other end drops you out 20 minutes down the road in Rosman. It all takes place in Transylvania County, known as the Land of Waterfalls. There are seven beautiful falls on this scenic byway, including the iconic Looking Glass Falls and Sliding Rock, an iconic local attraction where you can slide down a 60-foot stone into a natural pool. Save some time to get out of the car and stretch your legs at the John Rock Trail, which leaves right from the side of US-276 and brings you to sweeping views along a 5.7-mile hiking loop.
Yadkin Valley Scenic Byway
Come see the best of the fertile Yadkin Valley with this 76.5-mile looping byway, and make sure to invite along a designated driver. Yadkin Valley’s red clay soil and beautiful weather have proven a great place for growing grapes, and this scenic byway brings you to the fruits of their labor. The scenic byway connects you to the Swan Creek Wine Trail, a winery tour featuring five local wineries and cellars. Each winery has its own charm: stop at the women-owned Dobbins Creek Vineyard, try a fine estate French winery at Laurel Gray Vineyards, and enjoy the laid-back atmosphere at Shadow Springs Vineyard.
The drive begins at the intersection of NC-89 and Round Peak Church Road near I-77 and takes you along charming backroads into wine country. For parts of the route, you’ll be dwarfed by the looming Pilot Mountain as well. This scenic byway is also a great place to stock up on souvenirs. The road passes through an Amish community, home to the delicious Dutch kettle jams and jellies at the Shiloh General Store and handcrafted Amish furniture at Home Acres Fine Furniture.
Lafayette’s Tour
This road trip is one for the history buffs. In 1825, Marquis de Lafayette, a French Hero of the American Revolutionary War and close confidant of George Washington, toured through Carolina’s coastal plain and into the heart of the state. More than 200 years later, North Carolina officially commemorated his route with the Lafayette Trail, a road trip through central North Carolina that follows the Frenchman’s path.
The road trip follows Lafayette's actual travel path, connecting historic sites and important towns he visited on the way. Start out on Warrenton Rd in Henderson, NC, curving through the North Eastern Carolina landscape. The road leads you to Halifax, where you can see the Eagle Tavern banquet hall, which invited Lafayette in for a feast on his tour. From here, you’ll continue on through historical buildings and farm country towards the Parker’s Cable Ferry, one of North Carolina’s last two-car cable ferries. After 170 miles, the road ends in the Great Dismal Swamp, a National Wildlife Refuge that preserves over 100,000 acres of swampland.
North Carolina Has it All
As you can see, these road trips are all over the place in the best way. From the mountains to the piedmont, and out to the very edge of the coastal plains, North Carolina has road trips that bring a bit of adrenaline, wind along mountain tops, and drop you off at the sea. Gas up the car, hit the road, and make sure to allocate extra time to stop and smell the roses, or try some fine local wines, along the way.
