North Carolina Highway 80 (NC 80) is a primary
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the U.S. state of
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 ...
. The highway connects the various mountain communities straddled along Buck Creek, South Toe River and North Toe River in
Western North Carolina
Western North Carolina (often abbreviated as WNC) is the region of North Carolina which includes the Appalachian Mountains; it is often known geographically as the state's Mountain Region. It contains the highest mountains in the Eastern United S ...
and serves as a direct route, via the
Blue Ridge Parkway
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenand ...
, to
Mount Mitchell State Park
Mount Mitchell State Park is a North Carolina state park in Yancey County, North Carolina in the United States. Established in 1915 by the state legislature, it became the first state park of North Carolina. By doing so, it also established the ...
.
Route description
![Buck Creek Gap-2014](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b7/Buck_Creek_Gap-2014.jpg)
NC 80 is a two-lane mountain highway between
US 70, in
Pleasant Gardens, and
NC 226A, near
Bakersville. The highway is popular with bike and motorcycle enthusiasts, because of its
hairpin turns
A hairpin turn (also hairpin bend or hairpin corner) is a bend in a road with a very acute inner angle, making it necessary for an oncoming vehicle to turn about 180° to continue on the road. It is named for its resemblance to a bent metal hai ...
and also makes up part of the Mount Mitchell Scenic Drive between the Blue Ridge Parkway and
Micaville.
Trucks
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo, carry specialized payloads, or perform other utilitarian work. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, but the vast majority feature body-on-frame construction ...
are not recommended to take NC 80, with multiple warning signs posted at each major intersection.
In
McDowell County, NC 80 begins in the Pleasant Gardens community, located west of
Marion Marion may refer to:
People
*Marion (given name)
*Marion (surname)
*Marion Silva Fernandes, Brazilian footballer known simply as "Marion"
*Marion (singer), Filipino singer-songwriter and pianist Marion Aunor (born 1992)
Places Antarctica
* Mario ...
. Going north, it soon arrives at
Lake Tahoma
Lake Tahoma is a private lake in the mountains of Western North Carolina, United States, in McDowell County. It is fed by the waters of Buck Creek, a tributary of the Catawba River.''Marion West, North Carolina,'' 7.5 Minute Topographic Quadrangle ...
, built in 1924, a private lake which has a notable stone building situated in it, connected by causeway. Soon after leaving the western shores of the lake, the highway hugs along Buck Creek to the
Sunnyvale
Sunnyvale () is a city located in the Santa Clara Valley in northwest Santa Clara County in the U.S. state of California.
Sunnyvale lies along the historic El Camino Real and Highway 101 and is bordered by portions of San Jose to the north ...
community, where it then begins its ascent up Singecat Ridge. The following has numerous 180-degree turns and is recommended to drive carefully along this section. At
Buck Creek Gap, NC 80 connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway, where travelers may continue on their way towards Mount Mitchell State Park; the location also features an overlook and is where both the
Eastern Continental Divide
The Eastern Continental Divide, Eastern Divide or Appalachian Divide is a hydrographic divide in eastern North America that separates the easterly Atlantic Seaboard watershed from the westerly Gulf of Mexico watershed. The divide nearly span ...
() and the
Yancey County
Yancey County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,470. Its county seat is Burnsville.
This land was inhabited by the Cherokee prior to European settlement, as was much of the S ...
line cross.
From Buck Creek Gap, NC 80 descends into the
Busick community and then along the South Toe River. Near
Hamrick is the Carolina Hemlocks Recreation Area, part of the
Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah National Forest is a National Forest in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina. It is administered by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. The Pisgah National Forest is complet ...
, where visitors can hike nearby trails and camp. further downstream is
Celo Community
Celo Community, Incorporated ( ) is a communal settlement in the Western mountains of North Carolina, United States, located in the South Toe River valley of Yancey County, between the unincorporated areas of Celo and Hamrick. It was founded in 1 ...
, located at the base of
Celo Knob. In Micaville, NC 80 connects with
US 19E, where travelers can continue on towards
Burnsville or
Spruce Pine. After a overlap with US 19E, NC 80 continues north into
Mitchell County.
After crossing the
North Toe River
The North Toe River is the River source, headwaters of the Nolichucky River and a tributary in the French Broad River Drainage basin, basin. From its source at Sugar Gap, between Bald Mountain and Sugar Mountain (North Carolina), Sugar Mountain, i ...
, NC 80 becomes windy as it hugs along Ellis, Gouge and Burnt Mountains. Both
Kona and
Lunday
Lewis Kenneth "Kayo" Lunday (August 13, 1912 – July 13, 2005) was an American football offensive lineman for the New York Giants of the National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football ...
are found along the banks of the North Toe River here; while
Bandana
A kerchief (from the Old French ''couvrechief'', "cover head"), also known as a bandana, bandanna, or "Wild Rag" (in cowboy culture), is a triangular or square piece of cloth tied around the head, face or neck for protective or decorative purpos ...
, known for its local pottery, is situated along Sink Hole Creek. At
NC 226A (Mine Creek Road), NC 80 ends; continuing north along NC 226A goes to Loafers Glory and NC 80's pre-1996 northern terminus. Both directions on NC 226A will take travelers on to
Bakersville.
History
The first NC 80 was established in 1921 and traveled from
South Carolina
)''Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
to
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 ...
, via
Wadesboro,
Albemarle,
Salisbury
Salisbury ( ) is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England with a population of 41,820, at the confluence of the rivers Avon, Nadder and Bourne. The city is approximately from Southampton and from Bath.
Salisbury is in the southeast of Wil ...
,
Mocksville and
Mount Airy. In 1926, NC 80 was duplex with
NC 20 in Wadesboro. By 1929, NC 80 was realigned to go through
Rockwell. In 1934, most of NC 80 was replaced by
US 52, from South Carolina to Salisbury, and
US 601, from Salisbury to Mount Airy; only the part northeast of Mount Airy to the Virginia state line remained. In 1940, the remaining section was renumbered as
NC 103.
The second and current NC 80 was established in 1940 as a renumbering of
NC 104, between
US 64/
US 70, in Pleasant Gardens, to
NC 26, in
Loafers Glory. In 1970, NC 80 was realigned onto improved roadway to US 19E, near Micaville; the old alignment along Stream Road (SR 1425) was consequently downgraded. In 1996, NC 80 was truncated at Mine Creek Road, near Bakersville, upon the establishment of NC 226A along it, which also replaced its former routing to Loafers Glory.
Major intersections
References
External links
* {{commons category-inline, North Carolina Highway 80
NCRoads.com: N.C. 80
080
Transportation in McDowell County, North Carolina
Transportation in Yancey County, North Carolina
Transportation in Mitchell County, North Carolina