This past Friday a route through Pisgah National Forest in Transylvania and Haywood counties in western North Carolina received
federal designation as a national scenic byway.
The route was already designated as the
Forest Heritage Scenic Byway by the NC State Department of Transportation. The new designation by the Federal Highway Administration is likely to bring increased recognition and traffic to the byway.
The 65-mile byway begins at the N.C. 280/U.S. 64/U.S. 276 intersection in Pisgah Forest, just northeast of Brevard. It runs north on U.S. 276 to cross underneath the Blue Ridge Parkway, where it enters Haywood County, then reaches the rural community of Bethel.
There it turns south on N.C. 215, climbs south back to the parkway then descends along the North Fork of the French Broad River to end at U.S. 64 outside Rosman.
There are 149 federally recognized scenic byways in the country, including four in North Carolina.
Jeff
HikingintheSmokys.com----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Need a cabin during your next visit to the Smokies? Check out the
cabin and chalet listings on HikingintheSmokys.com. The number of listings on our site continues to grow. You can find overnight lodging in Townsend, Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, as well as on the North Carolina side of the Smokies.
I missed this yesterday when reporting that the Forest Heritage Scenic Byway in NC received a new designation, but Highway 25-E in Tennessee was also named a National Scenic Byway on Friday as well.
Hiking Tours