Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway (HWY 11)

The Cherokee Foothills Highway (SC 11) traverses Greenville, Pickens, and Oconee Counties beneath the majestic Blue Ridge escarpment. Once a major thoroughfare for Cherokee and Keowee Indians, the nationally designated scenic highway now carves through small towns, pristine lakes, and wilderness areas across the Upstate. It has been featured in publications all over the country for the natural beauty that surrounds this quaint two lane highway. 

Although designated a Scenic Highway by the Federal Highway Administration, official protections along the highway are essentially non-existent. Naturaland Trust has been working tirelessly to sustain the scenic quality of the Cherokee Foothills Highway through land acquisition and partnerships with local, state, and federal organizations. Through the years, we have helped protect the Jocassee Gorges Wilderness Area, Keowee-Toxaway Park, Caesar's Head State Park, and the Mountain Bridge Wilderness.

Since 2012 Naturaland Trust has competed nationally to receive funding from Scenic Byways Program to permanently protect many key tracts and vistas, anchoring the highway's distinct features. Throughout the Program’s operation, Naturaland Trust was awarded $3,000,000 that went directly to acquisition costs of properties along Scenic Highway 11. With these funds, Naturaland Trust was able to purchase and protect over 800 acres to keep the scenic qualities of the highway intact, forever.