Back
The Rattler: Highway 209, Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina
Photo: Warren LeMay from Covington, KY, United States

Drives North Carolina The Smokies

The Rattler: Highway 209

NC 209, Crabtree Road, Betsy's Gap Road · Lake Junaluska → Hot Springs

Twisty36 mi1 hr 5 min3,000 ft climbHigh point ≈ 3,900 ftOne way
Scan to drive it in CarvePoint a phone's camera here. It opens ready to drive.
Drive it in Carve, free

Opens this route in the app, or where to get it.

Drive this road
in the appOpen

The drive

NC 209, known as the Rattler, is a 36.6-mile two-lane mountain highway from Lake Junaluska to Hot Springs. It starts at a busy junction with US 19, 23 and 74, crosses I-40 early on and climbs over Hebo Mountain to Betsy's Gap, its highest point at 3,895 feet, where it enters Madison County.

It passes through Luck, Trust and Spring Creek. The road forms the eastern edge of Pisgah National Forest for part of its length. The last stretch, about 10 miles, is very winding, and the road ends in Hot Springs. The drive is 36.1 miles and takes about 1 hr 5 min. NC 209 is the main part of the Appalachian Medley scenic byway.

Along the way

  1. Lake Junaluska (US-19)
  2. Trust (NC-63)
  3. Hot Springs (US-25/70)
Elevation
3,000 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 3,900 ft
Lake JunaluskaHot Springs
Curves
Mostly moderate, with two twisty stretches
Lake JunaluskaHot Springs
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • NC 209 is not recommended for commercial trucks.
  • Hot Springs, at the end of the drive, was hit hard by Helene and has reopened to visitors.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check NCDOT DriveNC: traffic and road conditions.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Rattler, NC 209, take?

NC 209 from Lake Junaluska to Hot Springs is 36.1 miles and takes about 1 hr 5 min.

How long is the Rattler loop?

Visit Haywood lists the Rattler as about 36 miles one way to Hot Springs, and the full loop as about 98 miles.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
Preview it in 3DFly the whole drive over satellite and terrain before you go.
Drive it with no signalAPEXDownload the map and every turn before you go.
Live Group TrackingAPEXEveryone on the route, on the map, by name.
Road conditionsAPEXWet or dry, ice, fog and wind along the road before you go.
Record your drivesAPEXRecord a drive and turn it into a route to drive again or share.

Free on iPhone and Android. CarPlay and Android Auto come with Apex.

Download on theApp StoreEarly access onGoogle Play

More drives near here

All 36 drives in North Carolina ›

Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

+ Plan a new route
Map of The Rattler: Highway 209, from Lake Junaluska to Hot Springs