Grayson County SR 16 begins at the
North Carolina state line near the community of
Grassy Creek, where
North Carolina Highway 16 ends. (Mayberry Road/State Route 856, the old alignment of SR 16, crosses a bit to the east, and quickly joins SR 16.) SR 16 heads in a general east-northeasterly direction alongside minor creeks until it reaches
Wilson Creek. It crosses that creek and heads east (downstream) alongside it to the junction with
U.S. Route 58 at
Mouth of Wilson. SR 16 and US 58
overlap northwest from Mouth of Wilson next to a minor creek and then next to Wilson Creek, this time heading upstream. At
Volney, US 58 turns west, along with Wilson Creek, and SR 16 continues uphill, northward and northwestward past
Grant and
Troutdale, to its crossing of the
Tennessee Valley Divide at
Dickey Gap between
Hurricane Mountain and
Straight Mountain in the
Iron Mountains.
Smyth County Soon after crossing the divide,
State Route 650, once the alignment of
U.S. Route 58, splits off to the west, while SR 16 heads northeast and downhill to
Sugar Grove. After a flat area near Sugar Grove, SR 16 again heads uphill, north and northwest across
Brushy Mountain and the
Appalachian Trail. It then runs northwest, following
Staley Creek downhill past
Attoway and
Furnace Hill and through several gaps into
Marion. Between
Sugar Grove and
Trout Dale(Grayson County) SR 16 share a routing concurrency with
US Bicycle Route 76. SR 16 enters the town of Marion on Commerce Street, meeting
Interstate 81 and then
State Route 217 (the
Southwestern Virginia Mental Health Institute driveways). At Main Street (
U.S. Route 11), SR 16 turns northeast,
overlapping US 11 out of downtown to Park Boulevard. There it turns northwest to the city limits. The road again heads uphill, passing the west shore of
Hungry Mother Lake and the entrance to
Hungry Mother State Park (
State Route 348). SR 16 crosses
Walker Mountain in a curving route, coming down into the
Rich Valley and crossing the
North Fork Holston River at
Chatham Hill and
State Route 42 soon after at
Black Hill. Again SR 16 heads uphill, climbing
Brushy Mountain to the county line.
Tazewell County Another twisty descent takes SR 16 down Brushy Mountain into the
Freestone Valley, but almost immediately it must rise again to cross
Clinch Mountain. This time, a single
hairpin turn takes it into the wide
Thompson Valley, where it passes the community of
Thompson Valley. A gap between
Knob Mountain and
Rich Mountain leads to
U.S. Route 19/460 Business at
Frog Level, just east of the north end of
State Route 91. SR 16 turns northeast along US 19/460 Business into
Tazewell, meeting the
State Route 16 Alternate (Fairground Road) shortcut along the way. The
overlapped routes pass through downtown Tazewell on Main Street and
Fincastle Turnpike; SR 16 then splits to the northwest on Tazewell Avenue. It crosses the
U.S. Route 19/
U.S. Route 460 bypass of Tazewell on its way to the west end of
State Route 61 at
North Tazewell, still inside the town of Tazewell. SR 16 turns west where it meets SR 61, paralleling the
Clinch River to the north end of SR 16 Alternate at
River Jack. There it turns north and leaves Tazewell. SR 16 begins to rise again, passing
Adria on its way to the community of
Stony Ridge, then crossing the
Tennessee Valley Divide again there. The road then descends the ridge to the northwest, crossing into
West Virginia and becoming
West Virginia Route 16 near the community of
Bishop.
Back of the Dragon The section of SR 16 that passes between
Marion and
Tazewell is called the
Back of the Dragon. It is a noted route of that has several hundred sharp turns, scenic overlooks and is a favorite of bicycle, motorcycle and sports car enthusiasts from several countries. The Back of the Dragon crosses Big Walker, Brushy and
Clinch Mountains along its route that runs from
Hungry Mother State Park north of Marion for to Tazewell. Larry Brent Davidson spearheaded the naming of this section of the road because the route reminded him of the humps on the back of a
dragon. The turn count varies considerably with estimates of between 260 and 438 turns. The
speed limit is generally with many turns marked at . Loose gravel, fallen rocks, agricultural trucks and vehicles suddenly coming out on the road, has led to 12 crashes, 13 injuries and no fatalities between 2013 and 2018, according to the
Virginia Department of Motor Vehicles. ==History==