Two Highway 11 Properties Protected

Conservation groups Upstate Forever and Naturaland Trust partner to protect key tracts along scenic highway

UPSTATE, SC – In partnership with Naturaland Trust, Upstate Forever has permanently protected two properties totaling 60 acres along the Cherokee Foothills National Scenic Byway (SC Highway 11) in Pickens and Greenville Counties.

The Keowee Toxaway tract comprises 33 acres in the Sunset community in western Pickens County, adjacent to Keowee-Toxaway State Park and several other protected areas. The property is primarily forested, providing significant habitat for wildlife, and include 0.65 miles of Highway 11 frontage.

Located at the juncture near the Greenville-Pickens County border where Highway 276 splits off from Highway 11 toward Caesar’s Head, the Jones Tree Farm tract is a narrow 27-acre parcel sandwiched between Highway 11 and the South Saluda River, with approximately ¾ mile of frontage along each. It sits adjacent to and just upstream of the site where Upstate Forever and partner groups restored a 3,000-foot section of the river for trout habitat in 2011. In close proximity are the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, Chandler Heritage Preserve, Wildcat Wayside Falls, and numerous properties protected through partnerships between Upstate Forever and Naturaland Trust.

Both properties are owned and maintained by Naturaland Trust, which entered into conservation agreements with Upstate Forever to help maintain the scenic character of Highway 11 through the Upstate’s mountains and enable public use and enjoyment. Upstate Forever now permanently protects a total of 18,316 acres on 95 properties across the Upstate through conservation agreements.

Upstate Forever is a nonprofit, membership-based organization promoting sensible growth and the protection of special places in the Upstate region of South Carolina. Our three program areas are Land Trust, Sustainable Communities, and Clean Air and Water. Founded in 1998, Upstate Forevernow has nearly 2,000 members, two offices, and a staff of 18. For more information, see www.upstateforever.org. 

Naturaland Trust protects South Carolina’s Blue Ridge Mountains and special places in the Piedmont.  For 41 years, this non-profit conservation organization has worked to save the Blue Ridge escarpment of South Carolina – the magnificent ‘Blue Wall’ – a land of waterfalls, mountain forests, wildlife, and rare plant species. These open and wild spaces of the Upstate are now easily accessible to the public.