U.S. 221 travels one mile south from the Ashe County line to junction U.S. 421 at Deep Gap. U.S. 421 represents a four-lane corridor running west ten miles to Boone and east 20 miles to Wilkesboro. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Deep Gap represents a community and geographic feature north of the Blue Ridge Mountains along Gap Creek. U.S. 421 exits its overlap with U.S. 221 through Deep Gap, meeting the Blue Ridge Parkway at the mountain cut. The highway otherwise provides a high speed corridor east to Yadkinville and Winston-Salem from Boone and the Appalachian Mountains. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 south & 421 north follow a four-lane bypass of old U.S. 221 & 421 and rural communities along that route into Boone. Once in the home of Appalachian State University, U.S. 221 leaves U.S. 421 for an overlap with U.S. 321 south. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 & 321 South
Entering the folded-cloverleaf interchange with Blue Ridge Parkway on U.S. 221 & 321 south near Blowing Rock. Photo taken 06/17/05.
A National Park Service maintained road, the Blue Ridge Parkway travels 469 miles between the Cherokee, North Carolina and Waynesville, Virginia areas. The scenic highway is a controlled access facility only open to passenger vehicles and motorcycles. Interchanges or grade separated intersections generally join the route with intersecting roads. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 & 321 south enter the town of Blowing Rock after the Blue Ridge Parkway junction. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Possum Hollow Road ties into U.S. 221 & 321 opposite the Shoppes on the Parkway center on the north side of Blowing Rock. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 parts ways with U.S. 321 for downtown Blowing Rock along U.S. 321 Business (Main Street). U.S. 321 Bypass stays east of the town center along Valley Boulevard, a commercialized route south to the county line. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Southbound Valley Boulevard at the partition of U.S. 321 Business & 221 south from U.S. 321 Bypass. U.S. 321 Business & 221 follow Main Street to Chetola Lake on their 0.75-mile shared alignment. U.S. 321 Bypass travels 1.3 miles south to Main Street's end on the drive to Lenoir and Hickory. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 & 321 Business South
U.S. 321 Business southbound shield posted after U.S. 221 leaves U.S. 321 Bypass (Valley Drive). Photo taken 06/17/05.
Main Street snakes its way west to Yonahlossee Road, the split of U.S. 221 south from U.S. 321 Business south. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 bends northwest toward Moses Cone and Sandy Flat Gap while U.S. 321 Business continues south along Main Street to Laurel Park. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 South
U.S. 221 and the adjacent Blue Ridge Parkway parallel one another on the south side of Grandfather Mountain to a split at Beacon Heights. U.S. 221 continues from there west into Linville, meeting North Carolina 105 and Linville Road. Photo taken 06/17/05.
North Carolina 105 begins in Linville and heads north 19 miles back to Boone. Connections with North Carolina 184 north lead drivers to Banner Elk and the Sugar and Beech Mountain ski resorts. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Linville Road represents the original routing of U.S. 221 & North Carolina 181 south through Linville east of Pixie Mountain. U.S. 221 now follows Newland Highway (old North Carolina 181 west of North Carolina 105) to the Linville Bypass. Linville Bypass allows North Carolina 181 to completely circumvent the town west of Pixie Mountain. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Southbound reassurance marker posted along Newland Highway after the end of North Carolina 105. Photo taken 06/17/05.
0.6 miles west of Linville Road and N.C. 105, U.S. 221 (Newland Highway) reaches North Carolina 181 (Linville Bypass). North Carolina 181 & U.S. 221 travel the bypass south to Pineola. Photo taken 06/17/05.
North Carolina 181 links Linville and U.S. 221 with Newland (junction North Carolina 194) 3.4 miles to the west. U.S. 221 continues south from town to Crossnore and Marion (junction U.S. 70). Photo taken 06/17/05.
Merging with North Carolina 181 south on U.S. 221 (Newland Highway) at Linville Bypass. The two share 2.9 miles of roadway. Photo taken 06/17/05.
U.S. 221 and North Carolina 181 split at Pineola within the shadow of Anthony Mountain. North Carolina 181 ventures southward to Jones Ridge and Morganton to complete its 40-mile journey. First photo taken 06/17/05. Second photo taken 06/17/05.
Pineola lies south of a sprawling golf course community west of U.S. 221 & North Carolina 181 and north of U.S. 221 beyond the split. North Carolina 181 (Jonas Ridge Highway) meets the Blue Ridge Parkway and North Carolina 183 over the next 3.4 miles. Photo taken 06/17/05.
West of Pineola, U.S. 221 meets North Carolina 194 for a second overlap at Snakeden Mountain. Photo taken 06/17/05.
North Carolina 194 enters U.S. 221 south by way of Newland and U.S. 19W near Elk Park. Photo taken 06/17/05.
Heading south toward Crossnore on the 4.9-mile overlap between U.S. 221 & North Carolina 194. The two highways leave one another at Three Knobs south of Altamont. North Carolina 194 connects U.S. 221 with U.S. 19W at Ingalls; U.S. 221 meanwhile continues to Linville Falls. First photo taken 06/17/05. Second photo taken 06/17/05.
