The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the

North Carolina Department of Transportation The North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) is responsible for building, repairing, and operating highways, bridges, and other modes of transportation, including ferries in the U.S. state of North Carolina. History The North Carolina ...

(NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division.

State

U.S. Bicycle Route 1

The North Carolina portion of U.S. Bicycle Route 1 is known as the ''Carolina Connection'' and runs north-south through the central portion of the state, passing through

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

North Carolina Bicycle Route 2

North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 is known as ''The Mountains to the Sea''. Running 700 miles from

Murphy Murphy () ( ga, Ua Murchadha) is an Irish surname and the most common surname in the Republic of Ireland. Origins and variants The surname is a variant of two Irish surnames: "Ó Murchadha"/"Ó Murchadh" (descendant of "Murchadh"), and "Mac ...

in the western mountains to Manteo on the Atlantic coast, this route crosses most of the nine statewide signed and mapped bicycle routes that the North Carolina Department of Transportation has designated.

North Carolina Bicycle Route 3

North Carolina Bicycle Route 3, the ''Ports of Call Route'', is one of nine bicycle routes designated by the

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

Department of Transportation. It runs along North Carolina's coast for from South Carolina to Virginia near major ports of the US colonial era—

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

, Wilmington,

New Bern New Bern, formerly called Newbern, is a city in Craven County, North Carolina, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29,524, which had risen to an estimated 29,994 as of 2019. It is the county seat of Craven County and t ...

, Bath, and

Edenton Edenton is a town in, and the county seat of, Chowan County, North Carolina, United States, on Albemarle Sound. The population was 4,397 at the 2020 census. Edenton is located in North Carolina's Inner Banks region. In recent years Edenton has b ...

. Near Wilmington it connects with

North Carolina Bicycle Route 5 The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division. State U.S. Bicycle Route 1 The North Carolina po ...

. It crosses

North Carolina Bicycle Route 2 The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division. State U.S. Bicycle Route 1 The North Carolina por ...

near

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

and North Carolina Bike Route 4 near the Virginia border. Other points of interest along this route include

Fort Fisher Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River' ...

State Historic Site, Carolina Beach State Park, the

Croatan The Croatan were a small Native American ethnic group living in the coastal areas of what is now North Carolina. They might have been a branch of the larger Roanoke people or allied with them. The Croatan lived in current Dare County, an a ...

National Forest Recreation Areas,

Tryon Palace Tryon Palace, formerly called Governor's Palace, Newbern, was the official residence and administrative headquarters of the British governors of North Carolina from 1770 to 1775. Located in New Bern, North Carolina, the palace was often at the ...

Goose Creek State Park Goose Creek State Park is a North Carolina state park near Washington, Beaufort County, North Carolina in the United States. It covers just off of Pamlico Sound, in North Carolina's Coastal Plain. Goose Creek State Park is home to a wide varie ...

and

Merchants Millpond State Park Merchants Millpond State Park is a North Carolina state park in Gates County, North Carolina, in the United States. Located near Gatesville, in North Carolina's coastal plain, it covers around a 200-year-old, millpond and Lassiter Swamp. Can ...

North Carolina Bicycle Route 4

North Carolina Bicycle Route 4, known as the ''North Line Trace'', is a

bicycle path Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except wher ...

that runs from east to west across

just south of the state's border with

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. The route, which is nearly in length, reaches six state parks and several other recreation areas, including Stone Mountain State Park,

Pilot Mountain State Park Pilot Mountain State Park is a North Carolina state park in Surry and Yadkin Counties, North Carolina in the United States. Located near Pinnacle, North Carolina on highway US 52, it covers and includes the distinctive 2,241 foot (683&nb ...

Hanging Rock State Park Hanging Rock State Park is a North Carolina state park in Stokes County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is north of Winston-Salem and is located approximately from Danbury in Stokes County. History On April 20, 1936, the ''W ...

, and

; Hyco Reservoir,

Kerr Lake Kerr Lake /kɑr/ (officially John H. Kerr Reservoir, also known as Bugg's Island Lake) is a reservoir along the border of the U.S. states of North Carolina and Virginia. It is impounded by the John H. Kerr Dam, constructed between 1947 and 1952 t ...

and

Lake Gaston Lake Gaston is a hydroelectric reservoir in the eastern United States. Part of the lake is in the North Carolina counties of Halifax, Northampton, and Warren. The part extending into Virginia lies in Brunswick and Mecklenburg counties. Lake Gas ...

Recreation Areas; and the Dismal Swamp and

Currituck Sound Currituck Sound ()
, from the North Carolina Collection's website at the

areas. Campgrounds are located roughly every along the route.

North Carolina Bicycle Route 5

North Carolina Bicycle Route 5, the ''Cape Fear Run'', travels along the

Cape Fear River The Cape Fear River is a long blackwater river in east central North Carolina. It flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. The river is formed at the confluence of the Haw River and the Deep River (North Carol ...

from

Apex The apex is the highest point of something. The word may also refer to: Arts and media Fictional entities * Apex (comics), a teenaged super villainess in the Marvel Universe * Ape-X, a super-intelligent ape in the Squadron Supreme universe *Apex ...

through the southeast coastal plain to Wilmington at the sea. In Wilmington, it connects with

North Carolina Bicycle Route 3 The following is a List of bicycle routes in North Carolina. These routes are designated by the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT) Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation Division. State U.S. Bicycle Route 1 The North Carolina por ...

, the ''Ports of Call Route''. Rolling hills soon give way to flat land in the swamps and Carolina bays typical of this region of the state. Notable points of interest include

Jones Lake State Park Jones Lake State Park is a North Carolina state park in Bladen County, North Carolina in the United States near Elizabethtown. It covers , including the Carolina bay lakes of Jones Lake and Salters Lake. Jones Lake State Park is north of Eliz ...

, Moore's Creek National Military Park, the

USS North Carolina Battleship Memorial USS ''North Carolina'' (BB-55) is the lead ship of the of fast battleships, the first vessel of the type built for the United States Navy. Built under the Washington Naval Treaty, Washington Treaty system, ''North Carolina''s design was treat ...

Brunswick Town State Historic Site Brunswick Town was a prominent town in colonial North Carolina. It was the first successful European settlement in the Cape Fear region, a major British port in the 18th century, and home to two provincial governors. Brunswick Town lasted 5 ...

, Carolina Beach State Park, and

Fort Fisher State Historic Site Fort Fisher was a Confederate fort during the American Civil War. It protected the vital trading routes of the port at Wilmington, North Carolina, from 1861 until its capture by the Union in 1865. The fort was located on one of Cape Fear River' ...

North Carolina Bicycle Route 6

North Carolina Bicycle Route 6, the ''Piedmont Spur'', is a southern alternate route of the ''Mountain to the Sea'' through the North Carolina Piedmont. The route begins at the intersection of NC 181 (Beatrice Cobb Highway) and Brown Mountain Beach Road. The route goes south to Morganton and Lincolnton; then east to Boger City, Huntersville,

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

, and Albemarle. After entering Montgomery County, it goes northeast through the communities of

Ophir Ophir (; ) is a port or region mentioned in the Bible, famous for its wealth. King Solomon received a shipment from Ophir every three years (1 Kings 10:22) which consisted of gold, silver, sandalwood, pearls, ivory, apes, and peacocks. Biblica ...

, Seagrove, and Staley, before ending in

Snow Camp Snow Camp is an unincorporated community in southern Alamance County, North Carolina, United States, noted for its rich history and as the site of the Snow Camp Outdoor Theater. The community has a large Quaker population centered on the pre-revo ...

at the intersection of Pleasant Hill Church Road and Greensboro-Chapel Hill Road. The route is well marked with directions, also "Share the Road" signs are typical along portions of the North Carolina Highways that overlap with the bicycle route. A few locations along the route, specifically in Mecklenburg, Cabarrus, and Stanly counties, can be considered dangerous because of either construction or high traffic volumes along route.

North Carolina Bicycle Route 7

North Carolina Bicycle Route 7, the ''Ocracoke Option'', connects Bike Route 2 near

Wilson Wilson may refer to: People * Wilson (name) ** List of people with given name Wilson ** List of people with surname Wilson * Wilson (footballer, 1927–1998), Brazilian manager and defender * Wilson (footballer, born 1984), full name Wilson Ro ...

southeast to Ocracoke. The route passes through

and

Beaufort Beaufort may refer to: People and titles * Beaufort (surname) * House of Beaufort, English nobility * Duke of Beaufort (England), a title in the peerage of England * Duke of Beaufort (France), a title in the French nobility Places Polar regions ...

and utilizes the Cedar Island Ferry to Ocracoke.

North Carolina Bicycle Route 8

North Carolina Bicycle Route 8, the ''Southern Highlands'', runs through the

Blue Ridge Mountains The Blue Ridge Mountains are a physiographic province of the larger Appalachian Mountains range. The mountain range is located in the Eastern United States, and extends 550 miles southwest from southern Pennsylvania through Maryland, West Virgin ...

in southwestern North Carolina. The east end of the route is Bike Route 6 near Lincolnton.

North Carolina Bicycle Route 9

North Carolina Bicycle Route 9, the ''Sandhills Sector'', is a moderate difficulty route from NC Bicycle Route 6, east of Lake Tillery/

Pee Dee River The Pee Dee River, also known as the Great Pee Dee River, is a river in the Carolinas of the United States. It originates in the Appalachian Mountains in North Carolina, where its upper course, above the mouth of the Uwharrie River The Uwharri ...

, to NC Bicycle Route 5, in Gum Springs. The route travels through the

Uwharrie National Forest Uwharrie National Forest ( ) Talk Like A Tarheel
from the North Car ...

, Mount Gilead,

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

Raeford Raeford is a city in Hoke County, North Carolina, United States. Its population was 4,611 at the 2010 census, and in 2018, the estimated population was 4,962. It is the county seat of Hoke County. History John McRae and A.A. Williford operated ...

and Hope Mills.

Regional

Lake Norman Bicycle Route

The Lake Norman Bicycle Route connects five towns and cities in three counties that surround

Lake Norman Lake Norman is the largest man-made body of fresh water in North Carolina. It was created between 1959 and 1964 as part of the construction of the Cowans Ford Dam by Duke Energy. Geography Lake Norman is fed by the Catawba River, and drains i ...

, the largest inland body of water in the state. The overall route, using the "LN" signage, traverses between Huntersville and Sherrills Ford, with loops and spurs that also connect Cornelius,

Davidson Davidson may refer to: * Davidson (name) * Clan Davidson, a Highland Scottish clan * Davidson Media Group * Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA * Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA * ...

, Mooresville, Troutman, and

Lake Norman State Park Lake Norman State Park, formerly Duke Power State Park, is a North Carolina state park near Troutman, Iredell County, North Carolina in the United States. The park is on the northern shore of Lake Norman at the mouth of Hicks Creek. The park ...

. The route was established jointly between the Centralina Council of Governments and NCDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Division.

Pottery Loop

The Pottery Loop connects 13 small towns in four counties in central North Carolina. The route highlights potters, equestrian ranches, peach growing farms as well as several game lands and wildlife reserves. Signage along the route use the letters "PL," and overlaps in some sections with USBR 1, NCBR 6, and NCBR 9. The route was established as part of the Central Park Bicycle Plan, jointly between the Piedmont Triad Regional Council and NCDOT Bicycle and Pedestrian Division.

External links

North Carolina Bike Routes (NCDOT)

References

{{reflist Bike paths in North Carolina