Highlands Scenic Tour is 50 miles northwest of Roanoke in central Virginia. It forms a loop drive beginning and ending in Longdale Furnace. The 20-mile route follows VA 770, VA 850, and FSR 447. Virginia Highway 770 is a narrow road with steep, hairpin turns; vehicles pulling trailers should not attempt this portion. The other roads are a combination of paved and gravel roads suitable for all vehicles. Virginia Highway 770 and FSR 447 are not maintained during winter and are usually impassable December to March. Virginia Highway 850 is generally open year-round.
Highlands Scenic Tour travels through the hardwood forests of George Washington National Forest, rides the crest of North Mountain on FSR 447, and travels alongside Rich Hole Wilderness on VA 850. In spring, flowering trees provide beautiful colors of red and pink set against the green leaves of forested hillsides. The trees are given their chance to show off their colors when autumn arrives. If you can look beyond the colorful display, chances are pretty good that you may see white-tailed deer. Perhaps unnoticed by the deer are the numerous songbirds serenading the mountains in thanksgiving for the beautiful habitat. Other wildlife living peacefully among others are black bears, wild turkeys, ruffed grouse, and squirrels. Red-tailed hawks can also be seen soaring overhead.
To the west of the byway is 6,450-acre Rich Hole Wilderness. Visitors may want to take some time to walk the six-mile, moderately strenuous trail running through the wilderness area. The trail takes you along the North Fork of the Simpson Creek through stands of poplar, oak, and hickory. If interested, you can spend some time trying to pull brook and rainbow trout from the creek.
Large RVs and vehicles pulling trailers will want to plan their trip so they travel south on FSR 447. There is a large turnaround point at Top Drive Overlook so these vehicles can avoid the steep switchbacks of VA 770. This portion of the byway provides beautiful views of the Allegheny Highlands in the southwest and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the east.