Wilmington, River Road & Fort Fisher

Wilmington to the mouth of the Cape Fear, one way: the route follows River Road along the river, crosses Snow's Cut into Carolina Beach, rides through Kure Beach past the pier and ends at the Fort Fisher ferry ramp, by the fort. It's 25 miles. The ferry to Southport isn't part of the route: it takes about 35 minutes and NCDOT lists $3 per motorcycle, and you can come back through Southport on NC-133. It stands in for the Outer Banks, because NC-12 has been closed past Pea Island since October 19, 2026.

From Wilmington the route follows River Road south along the Cape Fear River, then joins US-421 to cross Snow's Cut, the channel dug between 1929 and 1931 that links the Cape Fear with the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway. To head south after River Road, the route makes the U-turn at the US-421 intersection, because there's no direct left turn. It then runs down Lake Park Boulevard through Carolina Beach and into Kure Beach, where L. C. Kure built a pier in 1923, often called the oldest fishing pier on the Atlantic coast.

At the south end is Fort Fisher, which fell on January 15, 1865 after combined land and sea attacks; its new visitor center opened in October 2024. The route ends at the ramp of the Fort Fisher to Southport ferry. The ferry isn't part of the route: the crossing takes about 35 minutes, NCDOT lists $3 one way per motorcycle, departures change by season, and a large pack may not fit on one boat. Across the river you can return to Wilmington through Southport and NC-133. This route replaces the Outer Banks for now: NC-12 has been closed between the Marc Basnight Bridge and Rodanthe since October 19, 2026, and on October 22 NCDOT had no reopening date. Expect beach traffic in summer.