5,335 ft (1,626 m) and highest point), the scenic byway enters Haywood County and connects with the Blue Ridge Parkway.

2,910 ft (890 m)); where originally existed a logging town known as Sunburst, until a devastating wildfire in 1925 closed the mill and then it was submerged by the lake in 1933.

[9] The scenic byway, now following the East Fork Pigeon River, slowly ascends between Cold Mountain and Mount Pisgah.

[12] Nearby is Looking Glass Falls, named by the mountain its on, the water appears like a mirror gleaming off its granite face.

Visitors may also see a pair of stone pillars, which were built to honor Transylvania County residents who served in World War I and also mark the border of the Pisgah National Forest.

A majority of the scenic byway was built along former railroad tracks that were used for logging operations in the area in the late 19th and early 20th century.

The highways, both NC 215 and US 276, have 9% grades and curves that may require some drivers and most truckers to slow as much as 15 miles per hour (24 km/h); thus the scenic byway is not recommended for recreational vehicles or buses.