North Carolina Highway 215
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North Carolina Highway 215 is a highway in western North Carolina that runs from the community of Woodrow in rural Haywood County to the town of Rosman in Transylvania County. The portion from Canton to Rosman is a part of the National Forest Service's Forest Heritage Scenic Byway. It travels high into the mountains along a scenic stretch of the upper West Fork of the Pigeon River, and intersects the Blue Ridge Parkway at Beech Gap at an elevation of approximately 5300'.
The highway defines the boundaries of the Shining Rock and Middle Prong wildernesses: Shining Rock lying to the East, and Middle Prong to the West. The right-of-way for the highway is all that separates the two for several miles, and several hiking trails start along parking areas on this road or on spur roads connecting to it. Several waterfalls along the West Fork or its tributaries can be seen from the road itself, especially during the winter after rainfall. Some can be accessed by hiking trails, but others are very remote making hiking to them difficult even though they can clearly be seen from the highway. This section of road is popular with tourists and with motorcyclists due to its curvy nature.
North Carolina Highway 215 was built on the right of way of two logging railroads.