The best motorcycle roads in North Carolina
The twistiest paved roads in North Carolina, from Revere Road in Madison County on down. Distances, how twisty each one is and how to string them into a ride.
Looking for the corners in North Carolina? We measured 133 named paved roads and picked the five that never stop bending.
The headliners
Revere Road
In Madison County. 6.6 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Pinnacle Mountain Road
In Henderson County. 9.7 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Hickory Nut Gap Road
In Avery County. 7.4 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
Beech Mountain Road
In Avery County. 7.9 miles, about 15 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
NC 226A Alternate
In McDowell County. 10 miles, about 20 minutes at a relaxed pace.
Twistiness: ●●●●● Hairpin heaven
When you want to settle in
Not every ride is about hairpins. These are longer paved roads that keep twisting the whole way, good for a long cruise where you can find a rhythm.
- Rosman Highway, in Transylvania County: 18 miles
- Banner Elk Highway, in Watauga County: 18 miles
- Highlands Road, in Macon County: 18 miles
How we picked them
We looked at the shape of every named paved road in North Carolina and measured how much each one bends along its length. Then we ranked them by bends per distance, so a short hairpin road and a long mountain highway are compared fairly. Gravel, tracks, residential streets and anything under about 6 miles are left out.
What this does not tell you: how nice the scenery is, how good the surface is, how busy the road gets, or whether it is closed for snow. Check before you go, especially in the mountains and in winter. Then ride it and see for yourself.
Turn it into a ride
Open the MotoRidez planner and link a few of these into a loop, or hit Surprise Me and let it pick a twisty route from wherever you are. Every ride you record is remembered, so next time it can send you down roads you have not tried yet.
Questions riders ask
What is the twistiest motorcycle road in North Carolina?
Revere Road in Madison County. It is 6.6 miles long and bends more for its length than any other named paved road of that size in North Carolina.
How do you work out which North Carolina roads are twisty?
We measure how much each road bends along its length from its shape on the map, then rank roads by bends per distance. Gravel, tracks and residential streets are left out.
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