Watauga Co.: Runs along the Watauga River, then the Laurel Fork and finally, Hodges Creek.

Old N.C. 105 along the crest of Linville Mountain is unpaved, a fact sometimes belied by several decades' worth of maps. It has several names: County Line Road (the mountain crest marks the McDowell/Burke line), the Kisler Memorial Highway and SR 1238. But many simply call it Old 105. Kistler was a Morganton resident who served on the N.C. State Highway Commission for a short time around 1930. What specific connection he had to this road is not known. A small monument near the Linville Falls parking area honors Kistler (photo at right; the tablet reads "Kistler Memorial Highway/In Memory of Andrew Milton Kistler/Morganton N.C.").  

The old road generally parallels U.S. 221, except that 221 stays far below it in the valley. The southernmost few miles of this road, in the Lake James area, are now part of western N.C. 126. 

Part of the Kistler Memorial Highway has apparently been neglected for many years. Writes James Kilbourne: 
 

Along this road are some of the most beautiful views in Western North Carolina (Linville Falls, Wiseman's View looking across Linville Gorge, wonderous views of Table Rock, Shortoff and Hawksbill).  However, despite its potential tourist draw and its inclusion on many maps (including my 1993 Goshua) -- which I must assume is an oversight of history -- I seriously doubt if any two-wheel drive vehicle has traversed the entire road in 10 years. I myself did about $1000 worth of damage to my Subaru trying to reach a campsite along 105.  I had been warned this was not a road for the faint-hearted or for those without a Jeep; Old NC 105 was worse than my worst nightmare of a road. On this dirt road, there are rocks and stones rising 2 feet above the roadbed and potholes at least 18 inches deep. It is well-maintained from Linville to Wiseman's View, but beyond it is truly a jeep trail and nothing more. I am not sure whether the maintenance responsibility for this road lies with the state or with the forest service; and I am not sure if the state or the forest service knows either. Old NC 105 was an ambitious piece of engineering, but it is not much of a road. Old NC 105 is proof that there is a hell and that roads can die and descend to the underworld.

 

Although Old 105 would make for a handsome scenic drive were it paved and modernized, it's more likely to continue succumbing to the forces of nature. That's because the road runs along the western border of the Federally-protected Linville Gorge Wilderness. While the road isn't within the Wilderness itself, all man-made fixtures are forbidden in Wilderness areas, and a paved road would inevitably compromise the Wilderness experience. Given this, the lack of maintenance on Old 105 is probably intentional.