Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway

State: South Carolina
National Forest: Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest, Nantahala National Forest, Sumter National Forest
Length: 112.0 mi / 180.2 km
Time to Allow: 3 hours to drive the byway.

Looming majestically beyond the low Piedmont hills, the Blue Ridge escarpment thrills the mountain lover's soul. The Cherokees called these heights the "Great Blue Hills of God." Following an ancient Cherokee path, this beautiful two-lane road arcs through peach orchards and villages, past Cowpens National Battlefield and over Lake Keowee.

Stories

• History on the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway
  

  From sparkling, clear lakes and streams to rolling green hills covered in lush vegetation, the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway offers a breathtaking sense of the South’s natural beauty. Known by the Cherokee as the “Great Blue Hills of God,” it’s not hard to see why these are the hills that the ancient tribe chose as their home.

• Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway Overview
  

  Once known as "Keowee Path" or "Cherokee Path," this 130-mile road was used by the Cherokees and the English and French fur traders. Looming majestically beyond the low, soft hills of the Piedmont, the Blue Ridge escarpment thrills the soul of the mountain lover. The Cherokees called these heights "the Great Blue Hills of God" and the stream-laced foothills and rugged mountains of the Blue Ridge run throughout the area.

Road Trips

• 1-Day Trip: Cherokee Foothills Tour
  (South Carolina)

  This tour will take you the length of the byway, and a little more, exposing you to the rich cultural heritage of South Carolina, allowing you to...