North Carolina Highway 126

NC 126
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	23 mi[1] (37 km)
Existed:	1940 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 70 in Nebo
East end:	NC 181 in Morganton
Location
Counties:	McDowell, Burke
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System ← NC 125 NC 127 →

North Carolina Highway 126 is a primary state highway in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It runs from US 70, in Nebo, to NC 181, in Morganton.

Route description

NC 126 has changed little since it was established in 1940, thus the entire route has lots of curves as it bends around Lake James. It serves primarily to connect the people that live on the north-side of Lake James to Marion and Morganton; secondary as a scenic route and access to Lake James State Park.

Scenic byways

Pisgah Loop Scenic Byway is a 47-mile (76 km) loop byway, not recommended for recreational vehicles and bus with four-wheel drive required for unpaved portions. NC 126 makes up the southern section of the byway (5 miles (8.0 km)), it is noted for being part of the Overmountain Victory Trail Commemorative Motor Route and nearby Lake James State Park. Other roads and highways that make-up the loop are: Fish Hatchery Road (S.R. 1254 & 1240), NC 181, NC 183, and Old NC Highway 105 (S.R. 1238, the entire road is unpaved).^[2]

Junction list

County	Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
McDowell	Nebo	0	US 70 – Marion, Morganton	NC 126 begins
Burke		7.5	Old NC Highway 105	Unpaved road, begin of Pisgah Loop Scenic Byway overlap
		12.5	Fish Hatchery Road	end of Pisgah Loop Scenic Byway overlap
	Morganton	23	NC 181 – Linville, Newland	NC 126 ends
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

History

In 1933, NC 126 was established between US 258/NC 12, near Snow Hill, to US 17/NC 30 Wilmar. It was quickly replaced by an extension of NC 102.^[3]

The current NC 126 was established in 1940 as a renumbering of NC 105 from the community of Longtown^[4] to the city of Morganton. In 1954, NC 126 was extended west, replacing NC 105 southern portion from Longtown to Nebo, while the northern section was decommissioned and exists today as unpaved road known as Old NC Highway 105.^[3][5]

See also

• Catawba River
• Lake James
• Lake James State Park
• Linville Gorge Wilderness
• Linville River
• Pisgah National Forest

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Google, Inc. Google Maps – NC 126 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=US-70+E&daddr=35.7915891,-81.8932235+to:State+Hwy+126&hl=en&geocode=FcrmIAIdstod-w%3BFeUiIgIdmWge-ylDQTx5sLdQiDEV_n5aQJ1Eug%3BFdCKIQIdGiUh-w&mra=dpe&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=12&via=1&sll=35.771586,-81.814842&sspn=0.208081,0.445976&ie=UTF8&ll=35.768801,-81.834068&spn=0.208088,0.445976&z=12. Retrieved 2011-02-01. 
2. ^ "NCDOT: Scenic Byways". http://www.ncdot.org/travel/scenic/. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "NCRoads.com: N.C. 126". http://members.cox.net/ncroads/nc126.html. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
4. ^ "Longtown". Geographic Names Information System, U.S. Geological Survey. http://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/f?p=gnispq:3:::NO::P3_FID:1006285. Retrieved 2011-01-06. 
5. ^ "NC State Hwy 126 Ends". http://www.state-ends.com/ncends/state/126.html. Retrieved 2011-01-06.