Smoky Mountain Auto Driving Tours
Though much of the half-million-square-acre park is still wilderness with natural features such as hiking trails, mountain vistas, waterfalls, and nature trails, the Park contains roads (both improved and unimproved) that showcase the natural beauty. Try one or more of the following auto tours to get a good feel for what wonderful things the Great Smokies National Park has to offer. The links will take you to a detailed description of the tour, including maps, directions, mileage and approximate time required to comfortably complete the tour. Enjoy!
• Cades Cove Loop Road
• Cosby - Big Creek-Cataloochee Tour
• Greenbrier Road Tour
• Lakeview Drive
• Little River Road Tour
• Newfound Gap-Clingman's Dome Tour
• Parson Branch Road
• Rich Mountain Road
• Roaring Fork Motor Tour
• Blue Ridge Parkway Auto Tour
Cades Cove Loop Road - The most visited part of the Park--and for good reason
Cosby-Big Creek-Cataloochee Tour - This 11-mile
tour passes historic schools, homes, and churches on the North
Carolina-side of the Park.
Greenbrier Road Tour - This route follows the
Little Pigeon River to Trillium Gap and road leads to the trailhead
to Ramsay Cascades, arguably the best waterfall in the Park.
Lakeview Drive - This six-mile drive is also known
as "the Road to Nowhere" and affords great views of Fontana
Lake.
Little River Road Tour - Originally an old railroad
roadbed in Little River Gorge, this 18-mile route runs from the
Sugarlands Visitor Center to the entrance of the Cades Cove Loop
Road.
Newfound Gap - Clingman's Dome Tour -Newfound
Gap Road, which is the only road to completely traverse the Park,
courses the 32 miles between Cherokee NC and Gatlinburg TN.
Parson Branch Road -This 8-mile gravel road leads
from the Cades Cove Loop Road to US 129 toward the North Carolina
side of the Park and Calderwood Dam.
Rich Mountain Road -This 7-mile, one-way route
runs north from Cades Cove to the Park boundary at Rich Mountain
Gap and on down the mountain to Townsend TN.
Roaring Fork Motor Tour -A five-mile one-way tour
near Gatlinburg that is referred to as a "motorized nature
trail".
Blue Ridge Parkway Auto Tour -This route follows
the Appalachian Mountain chain from Shenendoah National Park to
the Great Smokies National Park—a distance of 469 miles.

















