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GREENSBORO — Interstates are great for getting around pronto, but there’s also a time for the less traveled path with great scenery, scads of history and a few more turns than you’re likely to find on any expressway.

That’s the thinking behind the North Carolina Scenic Byways’ growing network of leisurely back roads. And this year, the region around Greensboro scored a scenic coup, accounting for eight of 10 routes the N.C. Department of Transportation recently added to the 2,000-mile system.

“What we look for is the roads less traveled,” said Jeff Lackey, DOT’s coordinator of scenic byways in Raleigh. “These are the roads that run through the heart and soul of North Carolina.”

The Triad’s regional champ is Rockingham County with three of the new routes. They include the Revolutionary High Rock Road that begins in Guilford County as an extension of the already existing Colonial Heritage Byway, part of which also tracks General Nathanael Greene’s escape route from the Battle of Guilford Courthouse in 1781.

“This is just another opportunity to share the great natural beauty that we have in our county,” said Robin Yount, vice president of Rockingham County’s partnership for economic and tourism development. “We’re close to the metropolitan area, yet we can enjoy all of this scenic natural beauty.”

The county’s other two new byways are General Greene’s Retreat that begins at U.S. 158 and Meadow Branch Road, and Race to the Dan that partially follows the route of what was a colonial-era wagon trail.

North Carolina’s byways program began in the early 1990s and now includes 53 routes stretching from the Outer Banks through the mountains.

Byways have to meet high standards because they showcase the Tar Heel State to vacationers from other states and countries, Lackey said.

“These people come with the impression that these roads follow a unique, scenic route,” Lackey said.

Other roads in or near the Triad that DOT added last month to the scenic list include:

--  A 12-mile extension of the existing Birkhead Wilderness Byway in Randolph County along Pisgah Covered Bridge and High Pine Church roads.

-- An extension of the Uwharrie Scenic Byway that adds 15 miles to the existing route through Davidson County.

-- The 21-mile Leasburg Loop in Caswell County, another addition to the Colonial Heritage Byway.

-- A new segment of the Hanging Rock Byway in Stokes County, a 12-mile spur that starts near the popular state park of the same name.

-- A large expansion of the Mill Bridge Byway in Rowan County, which travels through 38 miles of farmland west of Salisbury.

Roads are added to the network based on applications from local governments and other groups, review by Lackey’s staff and approval from the state Board of Transportation.

The Piedmont Council of Governments spearheaded the application process for its member counties that still have significant amounts of rural terrain.

“We put quite a bit of work into this and so did our volunteers all across the region,” said Hanna Cockburn, the council’s planning manager.

The DOT eventually will put up roadside signs along the new byways to help motorists stay on course. But it can take up to a year after approval until that work is completed, Lackey said.

Contact Taft Wireback at 373-7100 or taft.wireback@news-record.com