Cherohala Skyway · NC side

The North Carolina half of the Cherohala Skyway, out and back: from Robbinsville the route follows NC-143 past Lake Santeetlah, climbs the Skyway past Hooper Bald, Huckleberry Knob and the Santeetlah Overlook, and turns around just before Beech Gap, where Tennessee begins. It's 49 miles round trip, over 5,000 feet at the top. There's no gas, food or cell signal on the Skyway, so fill up in Robbinsville, and expect fog, wind and cold up high.

The Cherohala Skyway takes its name from the two national forests it crosses, the Cherokee and the Nantahala. Planning began in 1958 and the road was finished in October 1996, at a cost of about 100 million dollars. Its North Carolina half is NC-143: from Robbinsville the route follows the shore of Lake Santeetlah to Santeetlah Gap, where the Skyway begins, and climbs along the ridges past Hooper Bald and Huckleberry Knob, both reached by short trails from the road.

Near the top, the Santeetlah Overlook looks back over the Santeetlah Creek watershed, and the road reaches its highest point, just over 5,400 feet, on the slopes of Haw Knob by the state line. The route turns around just before Beech Gap, where the road becomes Tennessee's TN-165, and comes back the same way. There's no gas, food or cell signal on the Skyway, so fill up in Robbinsville. Fog, wind and cold are common up high even in summer, and ice can close the road in winter.