Pacolet River Byway
Pacolet River Byway is a State Scenic Byway in North Carolina. Within North Carolina it covers roughly 10 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Pacolet River Byway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Pacolet River Byway follows US 176 for 10 miles between Tryon and Saluda in the North Carolina foothills, crossing the Pacolet River repeatedly. The route runs from the South Carolina line into Polk County's mountain towns, passing a 90-foot waterfall along Colt Creek near the river, reachable by a short hike, along with old railroad depots and log cabins scattered through the hills. The route climbs the Saluda Grade, the steepest mainline railroad grade in the United States, a stretch so steep that runaway-train wrecks were once common enough to leave their mark on local memory. Tryon, founded in 1885, and Saluda, founded in 1881 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1996, anchor either end of the byway with historic downtowns of a few hundred to under two thousand residents each. The corridor sits within the Tryon 'Thermal Belt,' a local microclimate where the mountainside traps warm air and keeps frost rarer than in the surrounding valleys, letting orchards and vineyards thrive along the drive.
- Tryon to Saluda on US 176
- 10 miles
- Pacolet River crossings
- Saluda Grade (steepest US mainline railroad grade)
- 90-ft Colt Creek waterfall
- Tryon 'Thermal Belt'
Plan a drive on Pacolet River Byway →
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 Pacolet River Byway
1 campground or RV park sits within about 5 miles of Pacolet River Byway.
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