NCRoads.com: N.C. 181

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N.C. 181 40 miles

The Road:

Starts at N.C. 18/U.S. 64/U.S. 70 in the center of Morganton, Burke County.
Ends at N.C. 194 in Newland, Avery County.

Towns and Attractions:

Burke Co.: 181 runs over Green Street in Morganton. The road then stays in the foothills for a few miles before making a long, gradual ascent up the Blue Ridge toward the Grandfather Mountain area. The road runs between the Linville Gorge to the west, and the Wilson/Harper Creek areas to the east, and provides access to several recreational areas. Several hiking trails can be reached from 181; among them is one that leads to Upper Creek Falls (photo at right).

Oh, you want to know about the road. OK. Mile markers are posted on 181 where it ascends the Blue Ridge. Their existence is unusual in several ways, firstly because 181 is one of the very few surface roads in the state that has them. Also, no mile markers are posted near Morganton. The mile markers start a few miles north of town, and the first one is Mile 13 (increasing northbound). But at "Mile 13" it's much less than 13 miles to 181's southern terminus!

181 slices through the Pisgah National Forest as it ascends the Blue Ridge. The road's elevation ranges from 1200 feet in Morganton to almost 4000 feet just south of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The road runs right alongside the Parkway for the better part of a mile.

Near the interchange with the BRP, old signs (right) declare 181 the Beatrice Cobb Highway. The UNC School of Journalism's Web site writes about Cobb:

Beatrice Cobb, a native of Morganton, taught school in Hickory and her hometown before entering journalism. She was publisher of The Morganton News Herald from 1916 until her death in 1959. She was also secretary-treasurer of the N.C. Press Association for 37 years.
Her personal column, "Folks, Facts and Fancies," was widely quoted in the state press. Although she wrote a daily column, Cobb never learned how to use a typewriter and wrote all her copy by hand....
Because of her numerous journalistic and political interests, Cobb was often described as "the busiest woman in the state." Beatrice Cobb Highway

(I don't know what connection, if any, Cobb had to 181 in particular.)

Avery Co.: Meets U.S. 221; bypasses Linville to the west. Some maps make it look like 221 and 181 are co-signed all the way into the center of Linville, but this is not so (anymore). West of Linville, 181 crosses the ECD and ends in Newland.

Multilane Segments:

Intermittent hillclimb lanes up the Blue Ridge. In a few spots there's an extra downhill lane as well, giving 181 some four-lane stretches.

History:

N.C. 181 got its number by 1928, as a spur from N.C. 18. 181 doesn't show up on 1927 or earlier maps, but it seems a primitive toll road roughly followed 181's alignment up the Blue Ridge. (Another one for the Worthy Of More Research category.) For 1928 the state had 181 running from Morganton at least as far north as Pineola. It probably went all the way to Newland by then as well, but 1920s maps are vague regarding the 181/194/221 area. (So are most 1990s maps.) By 1930, 181 went all the way to Newland for sure. See Map #1.

Early in 1930, 181 was extended southwest of Morganton along today's U.S. 64 to Rutherfordton. A few years later, in 1933 or '34, 181 was extended even further southwest, along the old N.C. 19 through Mill Spring to Tryon. This was part of the great renumbering; N.C. 19 needed to be replaced due to U.S. 19. See Map #2.

In 1940 or (less likely) '41, 181 was cut back to its former and current terminus in Morganton. The 1930s 181 became N.C. 108 between Tryon and Rutherfordton, and U.S. 64A (now mainline 64) between Rutherfordton and Morganton.

181 has been realigned and straightened out in places in the intervening years. This is most empirically shown by the "Old N.C. 181" between 221 and 194. The bypass to the west of Linville was built in the mid-1990s. Before that, 181 (along with U.S. 221) used to head into the center of Linville.

1. 1930 official map

2. 1935 Gousha map

Comments:

From a hard-driving standpoint, 181 is an excellent hillclimb road. First, it's quite long. The ascent's about 15 miles, with a couple of brief descents thrown in before the road resumes its climb. The curves themselves range from sweeping to moderately tight, but there's nothing nasty and there are (or should be) no harsh surprises. Unless you've got a Testarossa or something you won't be straying too far from the speed limit, always a plus. While 181 is no BRP, the visibility and scenery on 181 are superb, with Grandfather Mountain always looming in the distance -- this isn't one of those secluded mountain roads with all switchbacks and little scenery. Best of all, the extra hillclimb (and hill-descent) lanes allow plenty of opportunities to politely blow by the slower folk. And once you get to the top, you have plenty more entertainment options: Linville Falls, The Parkway, Grandfather Mountain, Boone, Blowing Rock. Your call.

And if you want to take your time, 181's good for that, too. Fast people and slow people can co-exist here. Which only further demonstrates that 181 is my kinda road.

Last Update: 25 July 1999

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