The High Country Back Roads loops we have suggested meander through Ashe and Watauga Counties, and are accessible via US-421 from the Winston-Salem area or US-321 from the Hickory area. Both of those highways also enter from the Bristol-Johnson City area of Tennessee, just to our West. The area is also along the Blue Ridge Parkway which runs 469 miles from Northern Virginia to Southwest North Carolina.

We have provided a brief mileage guide and narrative for both the Ashe County (northern) part of the route and the Boone/Watauga County (southern) loop, indicating major landmarks and turning points.

The southern loop, from Boone south through Banner Elk and Blowing Rock, is 50 miles long and takes about two hours to drive.

The northern loop, from West Jefferson through Warrensville, Lansing and Helton, is 34 miles and takes about 1 hour to drive. Both estimates are driving times, not including stops. The beautiful NC-194 “Scenic Byway” connecting the two loops is 26 miles long and passes historic Todd, NC, with its old-fashioned Todd General Store and the end-of-the-line for the old railroad.




Download Printable Route Guides (PDF Format):

Northern Loop Outline (2 Pages) | Northern Loop Full (18 pages)

Southern Loop Outline (3 Pages) | Southern Loop Full (5 pages)

Download Audio (MP3 Files) and burn them to a CD to play in your car stereo or download files and use them as a Podcast. Files are in individual tracks numbered to correspond with the numbers on the printable text route guides as well as the High Country Back Roads Maps.

Please note these are large files and are not advised for dial-up connections.

Northern Loop Audio - (49.7 MB Zip File)

Southern Loop Audio - (22.2 MB Zip File)


Special thanks to Steve Lewis for generously allowing us to share his music as background on the audio route guides. Visit SteveLewisBanjo.com for more on this champion banjo picker.


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