Smoky Mountains recently?

[mamamary]

Hi. We had a trip to the Smoky Mountains planned last year when the hurricane hit. We are planning a short trip there once again in early fall. I’m seeing conflicting info about driving thru from NC to TN. We are staying in the NC side but thought that if it was doable we’d take a quick trip to the other side.

Anyone been recently? Thx

 

[fla4fun]

Hi. We had a trip to the Smoky Mountains planned last year when the hurricane hit. We are planning a short trip there once again in early fall. I’m seeing conflicting info about driving thru from NC to TN. We are staying in the NC side but thought that if it was doable we’d take a quick trip to the other side.

Anyone been recently? Thx

You should take a look at DriveNC.gov for road closures and alternate routes. Tennessee has a similar website smartway.tn.gov to show current closures. I found these, and similar websites, invaluable when evacuating for Milton last fall.

https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic?fea...,weather&position=35.81049252,-83.22308508,10

https://drivenc.gov/

If you can give us a little more info about what area you are staying in and what area in TN you want to visit, we can provide better information for you. I often visit Maggie Valley, NC, and have driven I-40 to Tennessee as well as cutting through the national park on Hwy 441. 441 takes longer under normal conditions, but is a very scenic route and drops you directly into Gatlinburg, where you can go on to Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.

 

[mamamary]

You should take a look at DriveNC.gov for road closures and alternate routes. Tennessee has a similar website smartway.tn.gov to show current closures. I found these, and similar websites, invaluable when evacuating for Milton last fall.

https://smartway.tn.gov/traffic?fea...,weather&position=35.81049252,-83.22308508,10

https://drivenc.gov/

If you can give us a little more info about what area you are staying in and what area in TN you want to visit, we can provide better information for you. I often visit Maggie Valley, NC, and have driven I-40 to Tennessee as well as cutting through the national park on Hwy 441. 441 takes longer under normal conditions, but is a very scenic route and drops you directly into Gatlinburg, where you can go on to Pigeon Forge and Sevierville.

Thx so much. We will be coming from Green-Spart airport and likely staying in Dillsboro for one or two nights. Other than driving into the park we didn’t get any further with our plans. We’re basically looking to sightsee as opposed to long hikes. My husband mentioned driving thru to Tn on the other side. I just wasn’t sure if the roads are all open. On the way back to the airport we were going to stop at the Biltmore and spend one night at a hotel there. We’re just looking to do a short trip.

 

[fla4fun]

Thx so much. We will be coming from Green-Spart airport and likely staying in Dillsboro for one or two nights. Other than driving into the park we didn’t get any further with our plans. We’re basically looking to sightsee as opposed to long hikes. My husband mentioned driving thru to Tn on the other side. I just wasn’t sure if the roads are all open. On the way back to the airport we were going to stop at the Biltmore and spend one night at a hotel there. We’re just looking to do a short trip.

From Dillsboro, you would definitely want to take 441 through the park. I would probably take 74 north and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway near Balsam. Take the parkway to 441 where you will be right by the entrance to the park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is very scenic in that area as well. There are a lot of areas to pull off the road and enjoy the view.

 

[mamamary]

From Dillsboro, you would definitely want to take 441 through the park. I would probably take 74 north and pick up the Blue Ridge Parkway near Balsam. Take the parkway to 441 where you will be right by the entrance to the park. The Blue Ridge Parkway is very scenic in that area as well. There are a lot of areas to pull off the road and enjoy the view.

View attachment 981713

Thank you so much. Do you think it is too much to drive through the park and back in one day? We are trying to decide if we need to add on another day to our trip before we purchase our airfare.

 

[fla4fun]

Thank you so much. Do you think it is too much to drive through the park and back in one day? We are trying to decide if we need to add on another day to our trip before we purchase our airfare.

If I-40 has fully reopened by your trip, it’s easy to make a loop going through the park and back across on the interstate. We did it in one day, but we only went as far as Pigeon Forge. If you want to spend time at any of the attractions in Tennessee, it might be a good idea to spend a night there. I-40 will take you right into Asheville, so if you do the Tennessee part right before the Asheville part, you won’t be driving out of your way or retracing your steps.

The big question mark is what kind of hurricane season we will have this year. If we were to get another Helene, all bets would be off as far as which roads are open. I hope it all works out and you have a great trip. It’s a beautiful part of the country and well suited for touring by car.

 

[mamamary]

If I-40 has fully reopened by your trip, it’s easy to make a loop going through the park and back across on the interstate. We did it in one day, but we only went as far as Pigeon Forge. If you want to spend time at any of the attractions in Tennessee, it might be a good idea to spend a night there. I-40 will take you right into Asheville, so if you do the Tennessee part right before the Asheville part, you won’t be driving out of your way or retracing your steps.

The big question mark is what kind of hurricane season we will have this year. If we were to get another Helene, all bets would be off as far as which roads are open. I hope it all works out and you have a great trip. It’s a beautiful part of the country and well suited for touring by car.

Thx for all your help