N.C. 106 stays above 3400 feet for its entire length. Much of it straddles the Eastern Contintal Divide, a la Peachtree Street in midtown Atlanta. From 106, a dirt road just south of Highlands leads to a hiking trail for Glen Falls (photo above).

In the 1920s, 106 ran from Cashiers north to Sylva along what eventually became N.C. 107. Like all original 10x routes, it was a spur from the original N.C. 10 (which U.S. 19 followed through Sylva). The 1933 General Drafting map at right shows this alignment. No road existed south of Cashiers until 1934, when 106 was finished all the way into South Carolina.  

106 received its current routing in 1939 or 1940, at the same time the original 106 was renumbered as an extension of N.C. 107. The road itself (down to Dillard) shows up on much older maps, though.

Georgia 246, 106's southward continuation, actually has a hairpin turn that enters North Carolina. The road is maintained by Georgia, however, and there's no conspicuous mention of the state line. The state line signs and change of pavement come east of the hairpin, once you've entered N.C. for good. Georgia 246 contains a hillclimb lane, and offers more sweeping scenery and better hard-driving opportunities than does 106. The hillclimb lane ends at the easternmost Georgia/N.C. crossing.