Basics
- Length:
- 39 miles (62 km)
- Time:
- 45 minutes
Description
Thousands of years ago, a meteor shower pocked the surface of what is now eastern North Carolina. The result is a series of lakes that are popular recreation sites today. Most of these lakes are located in the Bladen Lakes State Forest and surrounded by areas of swamp, forest, and peat beds. Stories from the colonial days of North Carolina scatter the byway just as the meteor lakes it is named for. Many of the byway communities like Elizabethtown and Roseboro are named after dignitaries of the past.
Explore this North Carolina wetland and the recreational opportunities it has to offer. All the Meteor Lakes are located in Bladen Lakes State Forest with the exception of Lake Waccamaw, located on the Green Swamp Byway. State Parks allow camping and exploring in the area. Drive through fields and pocosins throughout the entire byway. A "pocosin" is a swamp that is located in an elevated area. Usually swamps are found in the lowlands, so a swamp on a hill is known as a pocosin. Learn more about the natural features of eastern North Carolina on the Meteor Lakes Scenic Byway.
Points of Interest
Points of Interest Along The Way
Bentonville Battleground (NC)
Site of one of the last great Civil War battles.
Directions
PO Box 27, Newton Grove, North Carolina
Elizabethtown (NC)
Elizabethtown was settled in 1773. It may have been named for Queen Elizabeth I or perhaps just a local young woman that lived there. Whatever the case, the little town has been a site of conflict before, but maintains a peaceful nature now.
In 1781, the Revolutionary War Battle of Elizabethtown resulted in a usurpation of Tory power and the rise of the Whigs. The Whigs drove the English devotees into a deep ravine on the banks of the Cape Fear River. The ravine is known now as the Tory Hole.
Directions
Off of US Highway 701
Jones Lake State Park (NC)
This North Carolina State park is named for one of the meteor lakes.
Directions
Off of NC 242.
Meteor Lakes (NC)
These lakes were formed by ancient meteor shower.
Directions
Bladen State Forest in southeastern North Carolina.
Roseboro (NC)
This community was named for George Rose, the Chief Counsel for the Cape Fear & Yadkin Valley Railroad.
Directions
On NC 242
Singletary Lake State Park (NC)
This State Park is part of North Carolina's Bladen State Forest.
Directions
Located off NC 53 and the Cape Fear River.
Spivey's Corner (NC)
This rural community is home to the annual Hollerin' Contest.
Directions
Off of US 421.
