•    Waterfall Byway – This route is aptly named for the 200 waterfalls located along its 98-mile trek through Cherokee, Clay, Jackson, Macon and Transylvania counties. It begins at the intersection of U.S. 64 and N.C. 215 near Rosman, and ends in Murphy at the intersection of U.S. 64 and U.S. 19/129. In addition to dramatic waterfalls and rushing rivers, motorists can also explore early western passages of the Appalachian Trail, Native American landmarks and the John C. Campbell Folk School. It takes 3.5 hours to drive the length of the byway.

•    Cherohala Skyway – This 20-mile route through rural Graham County is often compared to the Blue Ridge Parkway because of its scenic beauty and natural topography. The skyway was named for its function as a connector between the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina. It starts on N.C. 143 at Santeelah Gap and ends at Beech Gap at State Road 165 in Tennessee. During the 45-minute drive, motorists will see the towering tulip poplar trees of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and impressive views from atop the southern Appalachian Mountains.

For more information and detailed driving directions for these and other North Carolina scenic byways, visit http://www.ncdot.gov/~scenic to view the N.C. Scenic Byways book online. To order a hard copy, call NCDOT’s Customer Service office at 1-877-DOT-4-YOU (1-877-368-4968). The book is free; however, a $5 donation is requested to offset the costs of future publications and shipping. Copies of the book are also available at North Carolina welcome centers on interstates.