Backroads Driving Adventures On the Carolina Coastal Highways
- Apr 17
- 4 min read
I graduated from UNCW, the University of North Carolina, Wilmington in 2002. I drove back and forth from Denver, North Carolina and Wilmington dozens of times in the 4 years I attended, and I averaged about 4 hrs. 15 min. one way. Before the internet gave everything away at the turn of the century, I had to rely on the old tried and true land navigation using a map and a landmark to find your way. Anytime the family had to travel back then, we all sat down for a huge summit meeting on how to find your way to where we were going, make your way around once there, and of course find your way back home. We grew up in this area knowing about backroads driving adventures on the Carolina coastal highways with our parents. Things were different back then. We had to pay attention to our surroundings. The radio was the only distraction. Our only worry was how far is it to the next gas station.
During childhood, we had been traveling to the beach for years, but I had never been to a riverfront, international shipping hub / coastal town ever. The Battleship on the riverfront and the intercostal waterway were amazing. Carolina Beach was the next beach south. The drive between seemed so mysterious and wide open, much like the state roads of the time. Wide open farm land with nothing but a country stand or store in between the sleepy towns. There were plenty of opportunities for off roading if you were up for a road trip adventure. I was shocked at how flat everything was. I grew up in Lincoln County, North Carolina and we’ve got great views everywhere you go. Being in the foothills is quite a change when you come down to the flat marshlands of the Carolina coast.
Case in point. One weekend at school, we planned a trip to head out to Emerald Isle to stay at a friend’s family’s place. Needless to say, we ended up lost more than once. The roads back then were dark, and many times not marked. Country road turns into state road and the interstate runs out and becomes something else. It was a nightmare. When it got dark it was even worse. We had very little sense of direction. What do you expect form a bunch of 20 year old college students?! That was the first time, but not the last I headed out on an adventure and had no idea what to expect. My first hurricane evacuation adventure happened 2 months into my freshmen year at UNCW. I had to leave most of my poor possessions in the dorm room. I had to hitch a ride with someone all the way to Charlotte and still an hour from home, no stops, no outdoor adventure gear, no hiking t-shirt, nothing.
Adventure wasn’t done with me. The second happened the following year (1999) and I had my car this time. This is where I really learned a valuable lesson in land navigation and traveling across the state on backroads. 20 miles outside the city, traffic came to a standstill on Highway 74 in the pouring rain. Interstate 40 is another hour on top of my regular 4 hours. That’s if I knew where I was going. 30 minutes go by and my 4 cylinder starts to overheat. I turned on the heat to cool the engine, and I decided that I was going to take the next turn off and go where the road takes me. I made it home in just under 6 hours with 1 gas up in between.
In the last 20 years the interstate and highway system has introduced hundreds of rest areas, visitors centers and waypoints along the journey to account for variables that arise during inclement weather. The desolate stretch of Highway 74 eastbound outside of Marshvillle is now a glorious 4 lane stretch of road all the way to Wilmington. Crossing Interstate 95 and approaching the coastal highway is easier to navigate now outside the main city. You can also travel eastbound through North Carolina on Interstate 40 all the way to the coast as well. You can travel north on Highway 17 to Topsail Island and the Outer Banks or head into South Carolina for Myrtle Beach and Charleston. Emerald Isle and the Outer Banks destinations will add some hours on to your trip. The ferry schedule, the changing tide waters and local weather conditions all play a huge factor in navigating to all of these regions in North and South Carolina.
My wife is an excellent planner, and that includes checking future forecasts for potential trouble spots. We often travel with kids, teenagers, and even grandparents (sometimes all at once). Its helpful to have that chat with everyone about, “What time are you traveling, which way are you taking, and when will you get there?” The closer you get to the coastline, the more likely it is for pop up thunderstorms year round. Having family travel in foul weather is never fun and is often dangerous. A few items in a road bag, an umbrella, and a good poncho can be a lifesaver when mother nature catches you off guard. Aside from our usual beach apparel, we often travel with a few often overlooked items that make the trip safer and more enjoyable. Portable chargers with the properly sized cords are a must on our adventures. Keeping online maps, music and the kids devices charged all at once is challenging at times, especially on those 4+ hours long road trips with a loaded car.
Pleaser take note during the summer and fall seasons when making plans to travel to the coast. There was a family trip we took one year to Emerald Isle in the early 2000s. We went in the first week of June. It rained for 5 days with an average high temperature of 67. That one was memorable. I have driven to and from many family vacations when the weather was absolutely relentless. Torrential rain, flash flooding, and road closures are all too common in the Carolina’s coastal regions. Inclement weather can turn a perfectly planned trip into a full on survival type situation.
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