The Interstate and the U.S. Highway split in Warfordsburg at Exit 168, a diamond interchange where I-70 curves northwest toward Breezewood while US 522 heads north on Great Cove Road. Great Cove Road continues a short distance west of the interchange to PA 484 (Buck Valley Road). US 522 crosses Little Tonoloway Creek at Great Cove and passes through a gap in Tonoloway Ridge on its way to a junction with PA 643 (Flickersville Road) in the hamlet of Dott. The U.S. highway continues northeast around the northern edge of Tonoloway Ridge at the Belfast Township village of Needmore, where the highway has a brief concurrency with PA 655, which heads south as Thompson Road and north as Pleasant Valley Road. US 522 curves to the east, crosses Tonoloway Creek, ascends Timber Ridge, and descends the ridge to cross Licking Creek at Gem. The U.S. highway climbs over Scrub Ridge and curves to the northeast at the village of Big Cove Tannery in Ayr Township, where the highway intersects PA 928 (Big Cove Tannery Road) and crosses Big Cove Creek. US 522 passes around the northern end of Dickeys Mountain and enters the broad valley of Big Cove Creek between Meadow Grounds Mountain to the west and Tuscarora Mountain to the east. Near the northern end of the valley, the highway passes through the borough of McConnellsburg. US 522 follows Second Street through the county seat, which passes by the Fulton House and through the McConnellsburg Historic District. In the center of the borough, the U.S. Highway intersects Lincoln Way, which heads east as PA 16; Lincoln Way was part of the original Lincoln Highway. US 522 heads north out of the borough into Todd Township, once again named Great Cove Road, and meets US 30 (Lincoln Highway) at a diamond interchange. The highway heads by the headwaters of Cove Creek and through the narrow valley between Little Scrub Ridge to the west and Cove Mountain to the east. At Knobsville, the U.S. Highway follows Licking Creek through a gap in the former mountain into Dublin Township, where the highway intersects PA 475 (Waterfall Road) and meets I-76 (Pennsylvania Turnpike) at Exit 180, the Fort Littleton interchange. US 522 parallels the turnpike through the valley of Little Aughwick Creek northeast through Fort Littleton to the village of Burnt Cabins, Pennsylvania just north of Sidneys Knob. Here the U.S. Highway turns