Diamondback (NC-226A)

North Carolina Highway 226A, universally known to riders as the Diamondback, is an 11-mile alternate highway dropping from Little Switzerland at 3,475 feet to US-221 near Marion at 1,390 feet, packing more than 190 steep, climbing curves into a short run through the Pisgah National Forest. The first five miles are the tightest — no guardrails, rocky outcroppings, and sheer drop-offs set the tone before the road opens into switchbacks and S-curves leading down to the valley floor. Part of a 38-mile fan-favorite loop that incorporates NC-226, US-221, and a stretch of the Blue Ridge Parkway, the 226A section is the one riders plan the whole trip around. Pavement is smooth and well-marked, and the road is closed to commercial trucks, keeping traffic clean and rider-focused.