Newland NC to Damascus VA – 149 miles

Beyond Newland, more twisty dirt roads meander through Pisgah National Forest and pass by Betsey’s Ole Country Store, an historic food and camping spot in the forest. Pretty waterfalls dot the route as you approach Grandfather Mountain State Park at 5,946 feet high. Travel through the ski resort town of Banner Elk, NC before winding along spectacular narrow mountain roads leading to a steeper alternate harder option named White Oak Road. Scenic Dennis Cove Road drops down to the larger town of Elizabethton with numerous gas, food and lodging opportunities. The last part of the route follows mostly dirt roads before reaching Backbone Rock, dubbed “the world’s shortest tunnel”. The section ends just across the state border in Damascus, VA known as “Trail Town USA” and the connection of the SEBDR and MABDR.