From the wye at the junction with the line to Salisbury at Biltmore (MP 0.0), where there is a depot on the south side, the local speed limit is 20 mph, Yard Limits end and the line is single track, ABS, TO, with overall speed limit 50 mph for freight trains, heads southeast, with speed limit on curves 25 mph from MP 0.0 to MP 3.2, turning south-southwest, past MP 3.2 to MP 6.1, where the speed limit on curves is 35 mph, the 2,232 ft. siding at Buena Vista (MP 4.0), where it turns curvily south, Busbee, Skyland, where a line heads west to the Skyland Power Plant, MP 6.1 to MP 9.0, where the speed limit on curves is 40 mph, the spur at Arden (MP 8.8), MP 9.0 to MP 11.5, where the speed limit on curves is 35 mph, a detector at MP 9.1, a turn south-southwest, Fletcher, MP 11.5 to MP 16.9, where the speed limit on curves is 40 mph, and Brickton, where it turns curvily just east of due south.
There is a 5,292 ft. siding at Naples (MP 14.2), where there is a spur, Mountain Home, Hillgirt, MP 16.9 to MP 21.9, where the speed limit on curves is 35 mph, Smyth, the yard at Hendersonville (MP 19.7), and its junction (MP 20.0), where the branch to Pisgah Forest heads away west, a detector at MP 20.9, Highland Lake, MP 21.9 to MP 22.0, where the speed limit on curves is 30 mph, MP 22.0 to MP 24.8, where the speed limit on curves is 35 mph, the spur at Flat Rock (MP 23.7), a turn to the south, MP 24.8 to MP 25.2, where the speed limit on curves is 30 mph, Zirconia, MP 25.2 to MP 25.3, where the speed limit on curves is 25 mph, MP 25.3 to MP 28.7, where the speed limit on curves is 20 mph as the line turns west-southwest, makes a counter-clockwise horseshoe to the east, a clockwise horseshoe southwest, past Green River, where Remote Control begins, and a counter-clockwise horseshoe to just north of due east, along the north shore of Lake Summit, and MP 28.7 to MP 32.0, where the speed limit on curves is 25 mph.
The line bridges over part of Lake Summit to MP 29.2, bridges over SR 176 at MP 29.4 and turns south and then just north of due east again at Sawmill Curve (MP 29.6), passing a grade crossing with Country Road and a detector at MP 29.9, the west switch of the 7,696 ft. Saluda Siding at MP 30.5, a grade crossing at Pace's Crossing (MP 30.9), the crossover from the siding to the main, a grade crossing at Moody's Crossing (MP 31.3), a double-ended spur on the south side, the grade crossing at Main Street, the east end of the double-ended spur at MP 31.9, the Saluda depot on the north side of the line, another crossover from the siding to the main, the SR 176 overbridge, MP 32.0 to MP 32.3, where the speed limit on curves is 15 mph, and the crest of the grade at Saluda (MP 32.3), where there is a spur and the speed limit drops to 8 mph for eastbound trains (15 mph for light engines or caboose hops) and 20 mph for westbound trains, a grade crossing at Greenville Road, and a turn just west of due south.
The line now descends the famous Saluda grade, a straight (with only a couple of bends, but not loops) descent of the same Blue Ridge elevation difference as is found on the respective "Loops" on the Asheville-Salisbury line and on the Clinchfield. The grade on Saluda reaches 4.8% in places, and there are runaway tracks and a timed descent to control them (less than an established time between instrumented locations causes the switch to the runaway track to remain open; longer than the established time permits the switch to open for travel on the main track).
The Saluda siding ends at MP 32.6, and the line drops on a ledge on the west side of a valley, with Pearson's Falls Road (SR 1102) at the bottom of the valley of Joels Creek, east of the line, past MP 33.2, where Safety Track No. 1 (removed 1995) continues straight ahead (with a 10% upgrade for 1,080 ft.) and the line turns south-southeast into the North Pacolet River valley, bridging over the road, turning northeast between the banks of Sand Cut (MP 33.6, where the grade is 4.8%), and then turning east at MP 34.0, past the timing zone (MP 34.4 to MP 34.55), bridging over Pearson's Falls Road again between MP 34.7 and MP 35.0, where the speed limit on curves is 15 mph and full line speed resumes otherwise, to Safety Track No. 2 (MP 35.0), diverging east-southeast (with a 10% upgrade for 1,580 ft.) as the line turns east-northeast, past MP 35.0 to MP 40.1, where the speed limit on curves is 20 mph, the 3,417 ft. siding at Melrose (MP 35.3), where there is a spur and Remote Control ends, and curves southeast in Slaughter Pen Cut (MP 36.2) before turning curvily east again.
The line continues past a curve to just west of due south, back to just north of due east, and then to southeast from MP 40.1 to MP 41.0, where the speed limit on curves is 30 mph, passing Tryon (MP 41.0), where the depot is on the south side of the line, MP 41.0 to MP 43.1, where the speed limit on curves is 35 mph, crossing from North Carolina into South Carolina, past MP 43.1 to MP 62.4, where the speed limit on curves is 40 mph, Landrum, Bennetts, a detector at MP 46.0, the 8,745 ft. siding at Campobello (MP 47.5), and Gramlin, a turn east-southeast and then curvily southeast, past a detector at MP 56.5, the 5,647 ft. siding at Inman (MP 56.9), where the depot is on the northeast side of the line, and Campton, east past Sigsbee (MP 62.0), where Yard Limits begin, and southeast past MP 62.4 to MP 65.7, where the speed limit on curves is 25 mph, Hayne Junction (MP 64.7), where the speed limit is 40-35, the line from Saluda trails into the Southern Main Line at the north end of Hayne Yard, and after passing the south end of Hayne Yard, the line turns just north of due east, with speed limit 35 mph, above the CSX tunnel (where the south end of the Clinchfield passes underneath, with connecting spurs on the east side of the tunnel and station), to the passenger station at Spartanburg (MP 65.7), where full line speeds prevail.