NC 268 is a predominantly rural highway that traverse along or near the
Yadkin River and its tributaries, between
U.S. Route 321 (US 321) and
US 601, and through the
Sauratown Mountains in its eastern section. Its most traversed section is between
Wilkesboro and
Elkin. NC 268
overlaps with one state scenic byway: the
Upper Yadkin Way, between US 321 and
W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir. NC 268 begins in the west at an intersection with US 321 about north of downtown
Lenoir,
Caldwell County. From its western terminus, the route heads on a curvy northeasterly path roughly following the Yadkin River. Entering
Wilkes County, it follows the southern shoreline of the W. Kerr Scott Dam and Reservoir towards the county seat of Wilkesboro. Before entering downtown Wilkesboro, the route has an interchange with
US 421/
NC 16 and meets
NC 18. Now in concurrency with NC 18, NC 268 crosses the Yadkin River and enters
North Wilkesboro. In the downtown area, NC 268, along with NC 18, makes a circle via CBD Loop, Sixth Street and D Street; it connects with
US 421 Business (US 421 Bus.) at the intersection of Sixth and Main Streets. West of the downtown area, US 421 Business splits and continues southwest along
NC 115. About later, NC 18 splits and continues north towards
Sparta. NC 268 continues independently east roughly paralleling the Yadkin River through the town of
Ronda on its way to the
Surry County line. Just shy of the Wilkes-Surry county line near
Pleasant Hill, NC 268 splits onto a business route and a
bypass route. NC 268 Bypass is an
expressway that passes through northern Elkin while NC 268 Bus. goes through downtown/southern Elkin. The bypass route meets
US 21 Bus. (North Bridge Street) and has an interchange with
US 21 Bypass before meeting
Interstate 77 (I-77) at its exit 85 in northeast Elkin. NC 268 Bypass passes through the I-77 interchange, continuing east along C.C. Camp Road to rejoin its business route just west of the junction of the
Mitchell River and the Yadkin River in the community of
Burch. The mainline NC 268 highway then ventures northeast from this point through the community of
Little Richmond to meet
US 601 at
Fairview Crossroads, just south of
Dobson. Passing through the crossroads, the route returns to an easterly path and crosses the
Fisher River before passing through the communities of
Level Cross and
Pine Hill. NC 268 then crosses the
Ararat River and passes to the north of
Pilot Mountain to meet
US 52 (Future
I-74) in the town of
Pilot Mountain. NC 268 passes through the town and crosses the county line into
Stokes County. The final eastern segment of NC 268 is a curvy one through the
Sauratown Mountains, crossing
NC 66 to end at
NC 89 north of
Moores Springs and northwest of
Danbury.
Dedicated and memorial names NC 268 features several dedicated bridges and stretches of highway throughout its route. • Charles A. Suddreth – Official North Carolina name of NC 268 between US 321 and Buffalo Cove Road (SR 1504). • John W. Brown Highway – Official North Carolina name of NC 268 around Ronda. • Theodore Roosevelt Van Eaton Memorial Bridge – Official North Carolina name of bridge over US 21 in Elkin (approved: September 11, 2003). ==History==