South Mountain Scenery
South Mountain Scenery is a State Scenic Byway in North Carolina. Within North Carolina it covers roughly 35 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along South Mountain Scenery with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
South Mountain Scenery follows NC 226 for 33 miles through the North Carolina foothills, from Marion to Polkville along the low, ancient South Mountains. Cherokee residents once called these mountains the Oakanoahs, and the byway's central stretch runs through Rutherford County's 'Golden Valley,' passing orchards and rich farmland before climbing into the southern end of the range. Near Polkville, in Cleveland County, the road passes Cherry Mountain, named for the cherry bounce liquor distilled in the area after the Civil War. A side trip to South Mountain State Park and the adjoining South Mountain Wildlife Management Area adds hiking trails and mountain air without the altitude, hairpin curves, or crowds of the higher Blue Ridge byways further north. That relative gentleness is part of the appeal: rolling foothill scenery, working farms, and small-town foothill culture, reachable without the technical driving that some of North Carolina's more famous mountain roads demand.
- Marion to Polkville
- 33 miles on NC 226
- South Mountains ('Oakanoahs')
- Rutherford County's Golden Valley
- South Mountain State Park
- Cherry Mountain
Plan a drive on South Mountain Scenery →
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 South Mountain Scenery
2 campgrounds and RV parks sit within about 5 miles of South Mountain Scenery.
Campsite and lodging links are affiliate links — booking through them may earn Road Sorties a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Recreation.gov links are not affiliate links.