North Carolina Highway 261 (NC 261) is a short state highway going from
Bakersville to the
Tennessee
Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...
state line where the road turns into
Tennessee State Route 143
State Route 143 (SR 143) is a 12.46 mile state highway that goes through the Cherokee National Forest and Roan Mountain State Park in northeastern Tennessee. The road is very curvy as it does go through a mountainous area. Its northern terminus i ...
(SR 143). The road is only long and is very curvy. The road is close to
Roan Mountain State Park
Roan Mountain State Park is a Tennessee state park in Carter County, in Northeast Tennessee. It is close to the Tennessee-North Carolina border and near the community of Roan Mountain, Tennessee. Situated in the Blue Ridge of the Appalachian ...
in Tennessee.
Route description
NC 261 begins in the town of Bakersville, the county seat of
Mitchell County, at a stop-controlled
T-intersection
A three-way junction (or three-way intersection) is a type of road intersection with three arms. A Y junction (or Y intersection) generally has three arms of equal size coming at an acute or obtuse angle to each other; while a T junction (or T ...
with
NC 226 (Crimson Laurel Way). It immediately climbs a short hill out of the town and into 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 ...
. As it starts to head in a northeastern general direction, NC 261 begins a winding course between the
Cub Creek and
Pumpkin Patch Mountain. After crossing Pumpkin Patch Gap (elevation approximately ), the road begins to follow the
Little Rock Creek and pass through the communities of
Cookstown
Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...
and
Glen Ayre. outside of Glen Ayre, after paralleling more streams, NC 261 starts a climb up to
Roan Mountain. Afters some
hairpin turn
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 ...
s, the road reaches Carvers Gap (elevation ) where the state line and
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail (also called the A.T.), is a hiking trail in the Eastern United States, extending almost between Springer Mountain in Georgia and Mount Katahdin in Maine, and passing through 14 states.Gailey, Chris (2006)"Appalachian Tr ...
crosses the road. Tennessee SR 143 continues ahead towards the community of
Roan Mountain.
History
What became NC 261 was an unnumbered gravel
Gravel is a loose aggregation of rock fragments. Gravel occurs naturally throughout the world as a result of sedimentary and erosive geologic processes; it is also produced in large quantities commercially as crushed stone.
Gravel is classifi ...
and dirt road
A dirt road or track is a type of unpaved road not paved with asphalt, concrete, brick, or stone; made from the native material of the land surface through which it passes, known to highway engineers as subgrade material. Dirt roads are suitable ...
between Bakersville and Carvers Gap. Between 1949 and 1953, the state took over the road and paved it with asphalt
Asphalt, also known as bitumen (, ), is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum. It may be found in natural deposits or may be a refined product, and is classed as a pitch. Before the 20th century, the term a ...
.
Junction list
References
External links
{{Attached KML
NCRoads.com: N.C. 261
261
Transportation in Mitchell County, North Carolina