Three Highways, Three Weekends, Three Essential Snacks

The key to a good boiled peanut is ample soaking. You boil the peanuts once, soak them overnight, then boil them again in the morning. Ideally, it’s a 36-hour process, but a lot of people get anxious after the first boil and dig right in-a fool-hardy mistake.

These are the things you learn if you take a road trip in the South. Step off the major interstates and onto the winding backroads through the Southern Appalachians, take the time to ask the right people the right questions, and you’ll learn all about the ins and outs of boiling peanuts. The boiled peanut is a Southern delicacy, as important to a successful road trip as a bag of pork rinds or an ample supply of beef jerky-the Holy Trinity of road food.

The South is prime road trip territory. Say what you will about our overdeveloped highway system in the Eastern U.S., these roads go places-wonderful places like Seneca Rocks, the Chattooga River, Fort Mountain, and Smoke Hole Canyon. These roads make adventure possible. And in the South, adventure is far more accessible than anywhere else in this country. We don’t have as much space between things in the South. We don’t have hours and hours of open road. Drive 50 miles in the South and you can cross through three different states, pass seven Wilderness areas and five class IV rivers. Southern road trips are compact. They’re efficient. And they’re perfect for the two-day weekend trip. Drive two days out West, and you may not have even reached your first destination yet.

In honor of the forgotten Southern highway and the delectable boiled peanut, BRO has selected three classic two-day road trips, short on miles but long on adventure. You don’t have to travel far to step into a new world. You just have to hit the road.

HIGHWAY 411

Distance: Maryville, Tenn. to Chatsworth, Ga. 120 miles

Closest city: Knoxville

Drive it straight through and it wouldn’t take you more than a couple of hours. Take your time, and you’ll get some of the best hiking, biking, and rafting in the South. The road parallels interstate 75, while skirting the edge of the Cherokee and Chattahoochee National Forests.

Gear You’ll Need: Tent, mountain bike, hiking shoes, swimsuit

SATURDAY

Head south of Maryville on 411 and to the Hiwassee Scenic River Park to hike a piece of the John Muir Trail (the other John Muir Trail) which follows the Hiwassee for 18 miles, retracing the route the Sierra Club founder took on his way to Florida. Several miles of the trail follow the ridge of the Hiwassee River Gorge, offering excellent views of the river below. After the hike, head to the Thunder Rock campground along the Ocoee and set up camp before hooking up with the Ocoee Whitewater Center to raft the middle Ocoee, which has guaranteed Saturday releases throughout the summer. You’ll bomb through five miles of constant class III-IV water, some of the best rafting you can get in the region.

SUNDAY

Leave the campground and head farther south on 411 to Fort Mountain State Park in Georgia. The park has 30 miles of the toughest mountain biking in the state. If you’re up for the ultimate challenge, try the brutal East/West Loop, 14 miles of old mining roads with an average 12 percent grade. The powerline descent is steep enough for even the most brave downhill pros. If you’re not up for hair-biking, try the seven-mile Cool Springs Loop, a shorter, more tame version of East/West that starts off with a great downhill that drops 800 feet in a mile. After the ride, head north on 411 for a swim in Lake Conasauga, a pristine (and cold) 19-acre lake inside the Chattahoochee National Forest with views of the surrounding mountains.

HIGHWAY 321

Distance: Boone, N.C. to Elizabethton, Tenn., 54 miles

Closest Cities: Johnson City and Asheville. At 54 miles, this could be the shortest road trip in history, but this stretch of 321 provides so much adventure you could honestly spend a week hopping along this road and never get bored.

Gear You’ll Need: Kayak, road bike, hiking shoes, swimsuit

SATURDAY

Kick your trip off by climbing Beech Mountain like Lance Armstrong. Take the Beech Mountain Parkway from the base of the mountain to the summit for the same 3.5-mile punish-fest that Lance wrote so fondly about in his autobiography. You’ll climb 1,400 feet in those few short miles and finish in the heart of town. If you still have the legs, Beech has 50 more miles of scenic bike routes along the mountain to choose from. After the ride, cool off by paddling the Watauga River, a Southern classic. If you’re just earning your water-wings, stick to Section III, a fun filled class II stretch with plenty of waves and ledges during its four mile length. Or, if you’ve got the skills, head straight for the Watauga Gorge and its five miles of gnarly and scenic class IV-V water. After you’ve dried out, head across the border to Carden’s Bluff Campground, one of the most pristine campgrounds in the Cherokee National Forest. If you’re lucky, you’ll get a site on the peninsula jutting out into Watauga Lake.

SUNDAY

Sunday is all about exploring the Pond Mountain Wilderness, an often overlooked 7,000-acre Wilderness in northeastern Tennessee. The Pond contains primo dayhiking through some of the rockiest gorges in the Volunteer State. Start off by hiking the Pond Mountain Trail, which climbs 4.5 steep and rocky miles up the face of 4,329-foot Pond Mountain. From the top, you’ll be able to see far into North Carolina. After you summit the Pond, head to the Laurel Fork Gorge, also within the Wilderness, for a short hike through the rocky gorge along the A.T. and a blue-blazed approach trail. The 1.3 mile hike parallels the Laurel Fork River and ends at Laurel Falls, a 40-footer with a cold swimming hole at its base.

HIGHWAY 220

Distance: Covington Va., to Petersburg, W.Va. 105 miles

Closest Cities: Roanoke, Charlottesville. Highway 220 is like a greatest hits album, hitting some of the hottest outdoor locals in the Virginias in just over 100 miles.

Gear You’ll Need: Mountain bike, bathing suit, climbing ropes and harness

SATURDAY

Knocking out a buffet of singletrack is definitely the way to kick a road trip off. Douthat State Park is rapidly becoming the “go-to” destination for mountain bikers in Southwest Virginia. You won’t be able to tackle all 40 miles of singletrack in a day, but you could try. Be sure to hit the downhills on Blue Suck Falls Trail and Brushy Hollow Trail. After the ride, you’ll need some relaxation. Head north on 220 to The Homestead for a soak in their warm, medicinal springs ($15). Then pass out at Blowing Springs Campground just off 39.

SUNDAY

Wake up with a cold dip in the Back Creek, which runs along the length of the campsite and has a number of perfect swimming holes. Once you’re up, head north across the border and into the Monongahela National Forest. Take a sidetrip on route 33 to Seneca Rocks, to try your hand at one of the 300-foot multi-pitch routes up the imposing rock face. There are 375 mapped routes to choose from, mostly multi-pitch, so pace yourself. Give the 5.7 Solar a try for an introduction to Seneca. If you’ve got anything left, get back to 220 and head to the Smoke Hole Canyon for solid class III whitewater along the South Branch of the Potomac. The run is set inside a half-mile deep gorge with vertical stone walls. Park and play, or paddle til sunset. Then head home. You’ve got work in the morning. •