EASTERN TENNESSEE • TOURING THE FOOTHILLS OF THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS

The foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains lie between the flatlands of the Tennessee River and Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Tennessee.  Portions of the foothills are located in Blount, Sevier and Cocke counties and contain the tourist centers of Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge; home to Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum, Hollywood Star Cars Museum, The Ober Gatlinburg Aerial Tramway, Dollywood, The Titanic Museum, The Space Needle and literally hundreds and hundreds of other smaller arcades, shops and attractions.  For a family vacation destination it rivals the likes of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Orlando, Florida; with the inflated prices and abominable traffic congestion one associates with such hubs.

Personally I prefer not to wander into such overcrowded areas and tour with a “roads less traveled” approach.  On my first visit to the foothills, some 10 years ago, I arrived in the area via Interstate 81 and rode right into the heart of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  That’s a mistake I’ll never made again.  At one point during that ordeal I remember it taking almost 45 minutes to cover a three mile stretch of the main thoroughfare.

Just outside of this tourist Mecca, however, lie some of this country’s most wonderful byways.  Fantastic roads to traverse.  Breathtaking scenery to behold.  Wonderful accommodations and extraordinary dining opportunities.  It is for these reasons that I have visited the region three times over the last decade.  I’d like to share some of the gems I’ve discovered in hopes that your travel experiences here might be enriched.

The Foothills Parkway is a national parkway which runs through the foothills of The Great Smoky Mountains in eastern Tennessee alongside the boundary of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  It is the oldest unfinished highway project in the state of Tennessee.  Funding for the thoroughfare was approved by congress in 1944 and, as of 2018, just a little over half of it had been completed.  What an amazing road this is.  It is a wonderful thoroughfare for motorcyclists and four-wheeled travelers alike.

Riding the length of The Foothills Parkway will treat you to spectacular vistas of The Great Smoky Mountains, while enjoying near-perfect pavement conditions and just the right balance of twisties, sweepers and straightaways to qualify as one of the best motorcycling roads anywhere.  There are no services on this road so you’ll need to get off at any one of the few exits if you require food or gas; but there are a multitude of scenic overlooks for you to stop at to enjoy the views.  I’ve stopped at all of them more than once.

For the aficionado of the fine cup of coffee (I’m one of those people) stop in Townsend, Tennessee at The Artistic Bean, 8027 E. Lamar Alexander Parkway in Townsend.  They roast their own beans in small batches and grind it fresh to brew your cup of liquid inspiration.  The Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center is practically next door so you can stop in there for some fascinating local history exhibits.

In the Townsend area you’ll find numerous, narrow unpaved roads (paths?) that lead off into Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  I ventured into one of these with my low slung sport touring bike; not the smartest move I’ve ever made, but it didn’t turn out badly for me.  Any good ADV bike will have a field day on these backroads and I encourage you to explore them.  The one I took ran alongside a beautiful little stream and I stopped often to take pictures in this wilderness area.  Cars are allowed on these paths, I suppose, so be careful.  I didn’t encounter any, but there are a few spots along these unimproved paths where a small area has been cleared…apparently to facilitate cars turning around.

Just west of Townsend pick up Little River Gorge Road for one of the most thrilling rides of your life.  Not only is the road technically challenging, for even the most experienced rider; but it comes with the added “hazard” of offering stunning, but distracting, scenery as you motor along the edge of Little River Gorge.

Little River Gorge Road will take you into Gatlinburg “the back way” without having to deal with the unbearable traffic congestion.  You’ll enter the outskirts of town near Delauder’s BBQ…some of the finest BBQ anywhere in the country.  Denny and his crew have the trophies to prove it, and a local following that keeps the place hopping five days a week.  They are closed to the public on Monday and Tuesday but can still be found on site smoking the absolutely delicious, mouth-watering BBQ that they are famous for.  Don’t expect to find this place easily.  It is tucked away in a remote location that you’re liable to miss if you’re not actively looking for it.  I drove right past it even with the GPS telling me I had arrived.  I had traveled 50 miles out of my way to sample Delauders BBQ at the urging of a friend who professes to know the best BBQ joints in the country.  I was overwhelmed; and I’m not even the biggest fan of BBQ.  I’ve tried a few BBQ places since my Delauders experience and nothing has even come close.  

When in the area I stay at Luxbury Inn and Suites, 805 Foothills Mall Drive, Maryville, TN.  Maryville is a fairly large city of more than 30,000 people, home to a large college campus, a hospital, shopping malls, big box stores and every chain restaurant known to mankind.  If you need any supplies you’ll find them here.  The inn is located just 12 miles from the northeast entrance to The Foothills Parkway, and once you’re five minutes away from the motel the traffic clears out completely.  The motel suites are nicely appointed, very reasonably priced and there is a laundry on the premises for guests.  It shares its parking lot with two major fast food outlets if you don’t want to ride out for dinner after a long day in the saddle.

Leaving the motel in the darkest hours before dawn on my last visit to the area, I headed out to The Foothills Parkway and found my way up to one of the numerous scenic overlooks to witness the beautiful sight of the sun rising over The Great Smoky Mountains to the east.  After taking in this spectacular show by Mother Nature I headed south on The Foothills Parkway.  The road’s southern terminus is located at US 129, just west of where the infamous “Tail of the Dragon” begins.  That legendary road boasts 318 turns, decreasing radius curves and switchbacks over an 11 mile stretch and will be the subject of an entire post of its own on this site.

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