State Route No. 56, also known as the Staunton and Parkersburg Pike

State Route No. 56, also known as the Staunton and Parkersburg Pike, enters Pocahontas County from Staunton, Virginia, by way of Monterey, 2.5 miles east of Top of Allegheny. It then descends this slope to Bartow on the East Fork of Greenbrier River, thence following the north side of this stream to Durbin, here crossing the West Fork of Greenbrier River and ascending Back Allegheny Mountain by the best possible grade and leaving Pocahontas and entering Randolph on the saddle between Back Allegheny and Shavers Mountains

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. The narrow gravel back road sections within Pocahontas County are from the Top of Allegheny to Bartow (Camp Allegheny Backway), a short section over Cheat Mountain, and from the Greenbrier River at Durbin to the Randolph County line

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State Route No. 56, also known as the Staunton and Parkersburg Pike, is a state highway in the U.S. state of Virginia. The state highway runs 60.87 miles (97.96 km) from U.S. Route 11 (US 11) at Steeles Tavern east to US 60 near Buckingham. SR 56 is the main east–west highway of Nelson County. The state highway connects the county seat of Lovingston with Buckingham to the east and the Blue Ridge Mountains and the Shenandoah Valley to the west.

The Staunton and Parkersburg Pike was originally constructed in the early 1800s as a private toll road. The road was named for the two cities it connected, Staunton and Parkersburg, West Virginia. The toll road was eventually purchased by the state of Virginia and became a state highway in 1923.

SR 56 is a two-lane highway for most of its length. The highway is mostly rural, but it does pass through the town of Lovingston. SR 56 is a popular route for scenic driving and for access to the Blue Ridge Mountains.