North Carolina Highway 209

NC 209
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	36.6 mi[1] (58.9 km)
Existed:	1921 – present
Major junctions
South end:	US 19 / US 23 / US 74 / US 23 Bus. in Lake Junaluska
	I-40 near Lake Junaluska
North end:	US 25 / US 70 in Hot Springs
Location
Counties:	Haywood, Madison
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System ← NC 208 NC 210 →

North Carolina Highway 209 is a primary state highway in the state of North Carolina. The highway runs north–south from Lake Junaluska to Hot Springs.

Route description

NC 209 is a 36.6-mile (58.9 km) two-lane mountain highway that begins at a busy intersection with US 19/US 23/US 74/US 23 Bus in Lake Junaluska. Going north, it crosses over I-40 and through some valley farmlands. The road bends east at Max Patch Road and begins some curvy climbing on and around Hebo Mountain, entering Madison County at Betsy Gap (3,895 ft (1,187 m), highest point on route). Entering the Spring Creek Valley, it passes through the communities of Luck and Trust, before reaching Spring Creek; from there the remaining 10 miles (16 km) becomes an aggressively winding road, and is not recommended for commercial trucks. Once past all the twist and turns, travelers arrive in Hot Springs, where the highway ends at US 25/US 70.

Scenic byway

Appalachian Medley is an 45-mile (72 km) byway from near Lake Junaluska to Walnut; it is known for several recreational areas, the Appalachian Trail, and its scenic mountain drive. NC 209 forms the main part of the scenic byway, connecting with US 25/US 70, in Hot Springs, where it continues the rest of the route.^[2]

History

Established in 1921 as an original state route, it went from NC 10, in Lake Junaluska to NC 20, in Hot Springs. In 1954, NC 209 was extended a .5-mile (0.80 km) south to its current southern terminus.^[3]

Junction list

County	Location	Mile[1]	Destinations	Notes
Haywood	Lake Junaluska	0	US 19 / US 23 / US 74 / US 23 Bus. south – Waynesville, Cherokee, Asheville	NC 209 begins
		3.7	I-40 – Asheville, Knoxville
		12	To I-40 (Max Patch Road)
Madison	Trust	22	NC 63 east – Asheville
	Hot Springs	36.6	US 25 / US 70 – Marshall, Asheville, Newport	NC 209 ends
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/Former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

See also

• Appalachian Trail
• French Broad River
• Pigeon River
• Pisgah National Forest

References

1. ^ ^{a b} Google, Inc. Google Maps – NC 209 (Map). Cartography by Google, Inc. http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=US-23+BUS+N%2FAsheville+Rd&daddr=Lance+Ave&hl=en&ll=35.733694,-82.8479&spn=0.464293,0.891953&sll=35.521866,-82.957721&sspn=0.003659,0.006968&geocode=FWMFHgIduysO-w%3BFbyqIwIdDCAQ-w&mra=me&mrsp=0,1&sz=18&z=11. Retrieved 2011-07-04. 
2. ^ "NCDOT: Scenic Byways". http://www.ncdot.org/travel/scenic/. Retrieved 2011-07-04. 
3. ^ "NCRoads.com: N.C. 209". http://www.members.cox.net/ncroads/nc209.html. Retrieved 2011-07-04.