Dashboards and Saddlebags the Destination Magazine™ Issue 003 June 2011 | Page 18

I Didn’t Know Burke County
Had So Much To Offer

N

orth Carolina’s western piedmont offers excellent topography for driving and riding. It is
a region where flat lands rise to
foothills, with those foothills eventually giving way to the Blue Ridge
Mountains.
A prime spot to experience the
western piedmont’s inviting terrain
is Burke County. Situated about 75
miles west/northwest of Charlotte,
Burke County is home to Lake
James, two state parks, winding
country roads and a portion of the
Blue Ridge Parkway.
The pleasant mid-sized city of Morganton is the county seat. Morganton
provides the perfect base camp for
exploring this bucolic county of 515
square miles where elevations range
from 900 to 4,350 feet.
Burke County makes a nice weekend getaway from Charlotte, and a
visit will probably leave many MotoTourists scratching their heads and
saying, “Wow, I didn’t know Burke
County had so much to offer.”

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A good way to access the county is
to head westward out of the Queen
City on Interstate 85 south to Gastonia. From there, take U.S. 321
North to Lincolnton and exit onto
N.C. 27 West.
Follow N.C. 27 for 17 miles to the
intersection of N.C. 18. Make a right
onto N.C. 18 and you’re just south
of Burke County.
Highway 18 is a great country
byway. The speed limit