Foothills Parkway Loop

⇐ BACK Foothills Parkway/Smoky Mountain Loop The new “missing link” 16 mile section of the Foothills Parkway is now open. This slightly changes our Smoky Mountain Loop Map, but it is for the good. From Little River Road (TN 73) take Wear Gap Road north…



The Road to Nowhere ~ Bryson City

The creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park in the 1920s and 1930s resulted in many homesteaders being evicted from their lands. The construction of Fontana Dam (1942-44) created Fontana Lake which flooded the existing roadway NC288 and many…



Smoky Mountain Loop

⇐ BACK 141 Miles/5 Hours Travel Time Beginning at the US 129/NC 28 intersection in North Carolina where the large metal dragon guards the highway, take US 129 north. The Tail of the Dragon begins in .7 miles at the North Carolina/Tennessee State Line.…



Cades Cove Parsons Branch

Cades Cove Loop is closed to motor vehicles on Wednesday and Saturday mornings until 10:00 a.m. from early May until late September each year to allow bicyclists and pedestrians to enjoy the cove. Otherwise the road is open daily from sunrise until sun…



Cherokee Heintooga Loop

Cherokee – Heintooga One-Way Loop, October 30, 2007 It was October 30, the last day of the year that this one-way gravel road loop through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park would be open. Nancy and I had wanted to try it for years but just hadn’t…