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SCENIC BYWAY

Pigeon River Scenic Highway

27.2 miles: 0 hours, 28 minutes

Pigeon River Scenic Highway twists through Pisgah National Forest from the Tennessee/North Carolina border to the city of Clyde. Like a backdrop, the Smoky Mountains loom in the distance as the Pigeon River gives chase beside the highway. The rest areas along controlled-access I-40 allow for a closer look at the surrounding hardwood forest, which is especially scenic in the fall.

flickr/John W. Iwanski

Clyde is the starting point for this drive through North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, in an area just east of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Winding I-40 cuts through mountain passes and even tunnels under a few mountains as it follows the curving path of the Pigeon River, a popular destination for white-water rafters and kayakers.

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