North Carolina road trips and scenic drives

10 back-roads routes touch North Carolina, with 106 curated stops along them and 10 ready-made itineraries crossing the state.

Open the interactive map →

Routes through North Carolina

Blue Ridge Parkway & the Smokies
America's longest slow road, southern half
Roanoke → Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs) · ~400 mi · 3–5 days · skips I-81 / I-40 / I-26
Outer Banks & the Sound Country
NC 12, two ferries and the Albemarle backwaters
Dismal Swamp → New Bern · ~300 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-95 (by 200 miles)
Kings Highway & the Lowcountry
US 17, the coast road since 1735
Wilmington → Savannah · ~290 mi · 3–4 days · skips I-95
US 301: The Ghost Road
the interstate that time forgot
Emporia → Santee · ~290 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-95 (that's the point)
Sherman's Carolinas Campaign
Columbia to the largest surrender
Columbia → Durham · ~280 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-95 / I-40
The Dragon & the Skyway
Newfound Gap, the Cherohala and US 129: a Smokies loop
Loop from Gatlinburg · ~280 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-40 (by 200 miles)
Gold, Clay & Longleaf
the Carolina Piedmont crescent
Raleigh → Columbia · ~250 mi · 2–3 days · skips I-85 / I-77
The Inner Banks
Blackbeard's sound country
Washington → Ocracoke (via Swan Quarter ferry) · ~120 mi · 1–2 days · skips US 64 bypass
US 64: The Waterfall Byway
Brevard to Murphy, falling water all the way
Brevard → Murphy · ~120 mi · 2 days · skips I-40 (by 50 miles)
Old Salem to Mayberry
Moravians, Pilot Mountain and Andy
Winston-Salem → Mount Airy · ~70 mi · 1 day · skips I-74

Scenic drives and parkways

2 of the North Carolina routes follow a named parkway, trace, trail or scenic byway.

Ready-made itineraries that cross North Carolina

Other states: Alabama · Arkansas · Florida · Georgia · Kentucky · Louisiana · Mississippi · South Carolina · Tennessee · Texas · Virginia · West Virginia.

Frequently asked questions

How many North Carolina road trips are there, and how long do they take?

10 routes cross North Carolina, from 1 day to 5 days each; driven back to back they add up to about 2,400 miles.

What is the longest drive in North Carolina?

Blue Ridge Parkway & the Smokies at about 400 miles (Roanoke → Cherokee (+ Smokies spurs)), a 3–5-day drive.

What is the best weekend drive in North Carolina?

Old Salem to Mayberry: about 70 miles, 1 day, Winston-Salem → Mount Airy.

Which neighboring states do North Carolina routes continue into?

These routes carry on into South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee and Georgia.