NC 561

North Carolina Highway 561
Route of NC 561 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by NCDOT
Length:	99.5 mi (160.1 km)
Existed:	1925 – present
Major junctions
West end:	US 401 / NC 39 in Louisburg
	I‑95 near Beaverdam US 301 / NC 125 / NC 903 in Pender US 258 / NC 305 in Rich Square US 13 / NC 42 in Ahoskie
East end:	NC 45 near Harrellsville
Location
Counties:	Franklin, Nash, Halifax, Northampton, Hertford
Highway system
North Carolina Highway System Interstate U.S. State Scenic ← NC 540 NC 581 →

North Carolina Highway 561 (NC 561) is a 100-mile-long (160 km) North Carolina state highway and a rural traffic artery connecting Louisburg and Ahoskie with many small-to-medium-sized towns in the Down East and Coastal Plain regions within minutes from the Virginia state line. NC 561 is a spur of NC 56, although the two highways never actually intersect.

The eastern terminus of NC 561 is at NC 45 in Harrellsville and proceeds west to Ahoskie where it meets with U.S. Route 13 (US 13) and NC 42 just outside town. All three are concurrent along Memorial Drive upon entering Ahoskie until reaching Academy Street. From there, NC 42 turns left and the other two highways turn right bypassing downtown Ahoskie to the west. NC 561 turns left onto West 1st Street, continuing westward towards Rich Square. There are two junctions along the way (NC 11 and NC 461) before merging with NC 305 near the Hertford/Northampton county line. The two highways run concurrent into Rich Square, passing NC 35 to junction with US 258. As NC 305 continues straight towards Jackson, NC 561 turns left and joins US 258 at it passes through Rich Square heading south towards Scotland Neck.