Devil's Stompin' Ground Road
Devil's Stompin' Ground Road is a State Scenic Byway in North Carolina. Within North Carolina it covers roughly 35 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Devil's Stompin' Ground Road with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Devil's Stompin' Ground Road is a North Carolina scenic byway through the lower Piedmont, named for a legendary barren circle in the woods near the community of Bear Creek. The route runs from the courthouse in Pittsboro through farmland and forest, passing Round Top Mountain and crossing the Rocky River before reaching the area known as the Devil's Tramping Ground. Local legend holds that a perfectly bare, circular patch of ground here stays clear because the devil paces it nightly, plotting mischief; longstanding stories describe objects left overnight vanishing, dogs refusing to approach the clearing, and unsettling experiences reported by anyone who tries to camp within its bounds. The legend has enough staying power that Travel + Leisure once included the site on a list of the world's most haunted forests. The actual clearing sits on private property just off the byway rather than directly alongside it, so most travelers experience the drive as a quiet rural route through Piedmont farm country, with the roadside historical markers doing the storytelling.
- Pittsboro courthouse start
- Round Top Mountain
- Rocky River crossing
- Devil's Tramping Ground legend
- Bear Creek community
- featured in Travel + Leisure's haunted forests list
Plan a drive on Devil's Stompin' Ground Road →
What is a State Scenic Byway?
State Scenic Byways are roads a state has formally recognized for their scenic, natural, historic or cultural value — each state's own curated collection of drives worth taking slowly.
Where to Stay along Devil's Stompin' Ground Road
No campgrounds are listed close to Devil's Stompin' Ground Road yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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