continues along a curvaceous path through the Blue Ridge Mountains, crossing the Green River. The road crosses the Henderson–Polk county line into the city of Saluda. US 176 and the railroad separate temporarily east of Saluda as they descend through the narrow valley of the North Pacolet River, with the railroad descending the inactive Saluda Grade, once the steepest standard gauge Class I railroad grade in the country. At the opening of the North Pacolet River valley, US 176 follows Trade Street through the town of Tryon, where the highway meets the western end of NC 108 (Lynn Road). Southeast of Tryon, the U.S. Highway enters South Carolina, where it clips the northeastern corner of Greenville County. US 176 continues into Spartanburg County as Asheville Highway. In the town of Landrum, US 176 follows Howard Avenue and intersects SC 14 (Rutherford Street). The highway continues southeast across the South Pacolet River and through Campobello, the site of the highway's junctions with SC 11 (Pine Street) and SC 357 (Holly Springs Road). US 176 passes through the hamlet of Gramling before passing through the town of Inman, where the highway expands to four lanes with intermittent center turn lane and intersects SC 292, which heads north as Main Street and south as Lyman Road. US 176 expands to a four-lane divided highway just west of its partial cloverleaf interchange with I-26. On the northern edge of the unincorporated community of Southern Shops, the highway has a partial directional interchange with SC 56, which continues straight as Asheville Highway into Spartanburg while US 176 follows Pine Street. There is no access from northbound SC 56 to eastbound US 176. Just east of the SC 56 interchange, US 176 has a diamond interchange with I-85. At Upper Valley Falls Road, the U.S. Highway becomes a freeway between Southern Shops to the south and Valley Falls to the north. US 176 has a diamond interchange with Valley Falls Road and a partial cloverleaf interchange with East Campus Boulevard; both roads provide access to the University of South Carolina Upstate. Just east of East Campus Boulevard is US 176's partial cloverleaf interchange with I-85 Business; there is no access to East Campus Boulevard from the ramp from southbound I-85 Business to westbound US 176. US 176 continues east concurrent with I-585, with two-way frontage roads on both sides of the freeway. Just east of I-85