Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 007 October 2011 | Page 18

Mount Mitchell Scenic Drive –
North Carolina’s Latest Scenic Byway
N

orth Carolina’s newest
Scenic Byway is a great
place for your next ride.
The byway – officially
designated the “Mount Mitchell
Scenic Drive” – begins at the
top of its namesake mountain
and meanders 52 miles of rural
countryside through Yancey and
Madison counties.
The starting point is special
because it is in the parking lot of
Mount Mitchell State Park, just
below the 6,684-foot summit of
the highest peak east of the Mississippi.
From there, strap on your helmets or tighten your seat belt as
N.C. 128 winds through the state
park and down to the Blue Ridge
Parkway.
Turn left on the Parkway (a.k.a.
America’s Favorite Drive), for
expanded views of the Black
Mountain range, to which Mount
Mitchell belongs. After 11 miles
on the Parkway, turn north onto
N.C. 80 for a curvy, 13-mile descent of 4,000 feet into the heart
of the Toe River Valley.

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Photo Jeff Lackey

It is along N.C. 80 where the
true spirit of the Mount Mitchell
Scenic Drive takes hold. There
are numerous craft and pottery studios, large wooden quilt
blocks mounted on barns, the
picturesque Mount Mitchell Golf
Resort, and even a rarity for the
North Carolina mountains – a
real live dude ranch called Clear
Creek Guest Ranch, which is
more than worthy of a night’s stay.
The N.C. 80 portion of the

Dashboards and Saddlebags The Destination Magazine