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.

Federal Highway Administration, America’s Byways
Length
112 mi / 180.2 km
Time to allow
3 hours to drive the byway.
Fees
None

Who looks after this road

  • Discover Upcountry Carolina Association, Inc. · 864-233-2690, 800-849-4766

We publish 5 places that sit on this road, listed in the order you meet them. This is not a route and not a drive time — it is the names, so you can put them into whatever navigation you already use.

Of those, 1 is a roadside oddity — the sort of thing you would drive past without knowing it was there.

“Off” is a straight line from the place to the road, rounded. It is not a driving distance, and the road itself is a simplified centre line, so treat a mile or two as noise.

  1. The PeachoidSCon the roadRoadside oddity

    135-foot water tower painted as a giant peach

  2. DuPont State Recreational ForestNC9 miles off

    No guide of our own yet — the name is here so you can find it.

  3. Lake JocasseeSC5 miles offLake

    reservoir (1973)

    Swimming
    clear water popular for swimming & scuba; no beach named
    Boating
    Devils Fork SP: 3 public ramps
    Fishing
    yes; trout fishery (brown, rainbow), redeye, smallmouth & spotted bass
    Camping
    Devils Fork SP: 59 RV/tent, 25 tent, boat-in camp; 20 villas; reserve.southcarolinaparks.com/devils-fork
    Season
    7 a.m.–9 p.m. (late spring–mid fall); 7–6 otherwise
    Cost
    $8 adult, $5 SC senior, $4 child 6–15; free Tuesdays

  4. Lake KeoweeSC6 miles offLake

    reservoir

    Swimming
    swimming daylight only (Wikipedia)
    Boating
    Keowee-Toxaway SP: canoe/kayak access only
    Fishing
    yes; largemouth, smallmouth & spotted bass, crappie, bluegill, yellow perch, catfish, brown & rainbow trout
    Camping
    Keowee-Toxaway SP: 10 standard + 10 tent sites, 1 cabin; no overnight camping on islands
    Cost
    Keowee-Toxaway SP: free admission

  5. Lake HartwellGA4 miles offLake

    reservoir

    Swimming
    considered suitable for swimming (no beach list in sources)
    Boating
    many public ramps; wakeboarding & water skiing permitted
    Fishing
    yes; striped bass (most popular), hybrid, largemouth, spotted & smallmouth bass, crappie, bluegill, catfish, walleye
    Camping
    USACE: 9 campgrounds/524 sites (Wikipedia); Lake Hartwell State Park (SC): 109 RV/tent, 13 walk-in tent, 8 camper cabins
    Cost
    SC state park: $3 adult, $1 child 6–15, under 6 free