US Route 221 enters McCormick County from Georgia from the top of the J. Strom Thurmond Dam at the southeastern edge of Lake Strom Thurmond. The first site in the state is the Thurmond Lake Overlook. Almost instantly curves to the north but then to the east before seeming to terminate at South Carolina State Highway 28 in Clarks Hill, South Carolina, but in reality turns left and joins the road in a concurrency. US 221/SC 28 runs north and northwesterly often being flanked by a railroad line along the east side as it passes through Modoc where it encounters the Hamilton Branch State Park and Recreation Area, and later Parksville which contains the Parksville State Recreation Area. The road widens to four lanes as it enters Plum Branch and after a road to the Plum Branch Yacht Club, has a blinker light intersection with the western terminus of South Carolina Highway 283 and a local road named Collier Street. Shifting a bit further away from the coast it eventually enters the town of McCormick. From McCormick, it leaves SC 28, and briefly joins a concurrency with U.S. Route 378 until that route breaks away at East Gold Street. From there it continues northeasterly into the woods. After crossing the McCormick-Greenwood County Line, US 221 joins a concurrency with South Carolina Highway 10 south of Bradley. Along the way, US 221/SC 10 runs along the south side of the same railroad line it flanked the west side of since the SC 28 concurrency. After the intersection with Callison Road, and later two other local streets, SC 10 branches off to the northwest towards Verdery, and US 221 leaves the Sumter National Forest. Twelve miles later, it runs into the city of Greenwood. Along the way it is joined by another concurrency with U.S. Routes 25/178, and runs south and east along the edge of the city, then turns east onto South Carolina Highway 72. From Greenwood, U.S. Route 221 continues northeasterly to the city of Coronaca and after crossing a bridge over the Saluda River the concurrency with SC 72 comes to an end. From there US 221 turns north and runs through Waterloo. U.S. Truck Route 221 bypasses the city of Laurens on the east side. After the truck route ends, it continues northeast and then northwest before the interchange with Interstate 385 in rural Laurens County. Returning more toward the northeast, it reaches Enoree and curves to the northwest until reaching Woodruff and curves back to the east-northeast proceeding to intersect Interstate 26 in rural Spartanburg County. Almost immediately after I-26, U.S. Route 221 turns north and continues through the center of the city of Spartanburg serving as the terminus of Interstate 585 before intersecting Interstate 85 just north of the city. Shortly after I-85 it crosses a bridge over the Pacolet River. It continues to the city of Chesnee before exiting the state in a rural area of Cherokee County. The southern terminus of US 221 Alt. intersects the main route in the city of Chesnee and exits the state a few miles to the east of the main route.
History
Established in 1932, US 221 was connected from North Carolina, from north of Cowpens National Battlefield to Greenwood, connecting the cities of Spartanburg, Woodruff, Laurens, and Waterloo. In 1941, US 221 replaced South Carolina Highway 110, going due north from Chesnee to the North Carolina state line; its former route became US 221 Alternate. In 1954, US 221 was extended south to Bradley and McCormick, then south over the Clarks Hill Dam into Georgia; this replaced part of SC 10 and part of SC 670. Between 1962 and 1964, US 221 bypassed Roebuck. Between 1968 and 1970, US 221 was rerouted onto the Greenwood Bypass and its current routing south of US 25/US 178, replacing the remaining part of SC 670. The old route through Greenwood became SC 72 Business and an extension of SC 10.
Junction list
Special routes
There is one truck route and one alternate route in South Carolina.
