This Land, Your Land

Two stretches of highway in North Carolina’s Scenic Byways program have been named National Scenic Byways, joining 149 other routes throughout the country to receive this designation, the state Department of Transportation announced Friday. Only four state byways share the National Scenic Byway designation.

“This puts these byways in an elite category, on par with the Blue Ridge Parkway,” said North Carolina Department of Transportation Scenic Byways Coordinator Jeff Lackey.

The Forest Heritage Scenic Byway was nominated for the national designation by the U.S. Forest Service because of its proximity to the Cradle of Forestry, the birthplace of the organization. The route begins in Brevard near U.S. 276 and travels north through the Pisgah National Forest, passing the popular recreation spot of Sliding Rock Falls and the rural Haywood County community of Bethel, home to Cold Mountain. It ends at the intersection of N.C. 215 and U.S. 64 in Rosman.

The Outer Banks National Scenic Byway highlights the unique maritime culture shared by 21 coastal villages along the route. That culture is intimately linked to the byway’s natural world of barrier islands, capes and shallow sounds, as well as nationally significant historic places.

The northern end of the Outer Banks National Scenic Byway begins in Dare County at Whalebone Junction, the joining of U.S. 64/264, U.S. 158 and N.C. 12 in Nags Head. It runs south along the Atlantic Ocean through the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, traversing Bodie and Hatteras islands in Dare County, Ocracoke Island in Hyde County and Down East in Carteret County.

The state DOT has designated 54 routes as part of North Carolina’s Scenic Byways program to embody the diverse beauty and culture of the Tar Heel State and provide travelers with a safe and interesting alternate route.

The DOT also announced the receipt of more than $1.6 million in grants for improvements to the Waterfall Scenic Byway, named for the 200 waterfalls located along its 98-mile trek through Cherokee, Clay, Jackson, Macon and Transylvania counties, and the Nantahala Byway,a 43-mile route through Cherokee, Graham, Jackson and Swain counties.