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Driving tour from Gatlinburg to Cherokee via Newfound Gap, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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You begin your drive from Gatlinburg and go less than a mile on Highway 441 south to the Sugarlands Visitor Center. The visitor center has displays of the natural history of the park, you can get an idea of what to expect on the drive, pick up reading material to accompany your trip; and ask the Park rangers for current information.
From the Sugarlands Visitor Center you will turn left briefly before making a right turn onto Newfound Gap Road. The road takes its name from a discovery in the 1850s that Indian Gap, once believed to be the lowest point through the mountains, actually was not the lowest point--hence the name Newfound Gap. The road runs parallel to the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River. Its cool, crystal-clear water is inviting and cooling at the many pullouts accessible from Newfound Gap Road.
At approximately the 1 and 2 mile points from Gatlinburg, you begin to see small signs indicating "quiet walkways". These walkways offer wonderful opportunities to view the woodlands without the large crowds on the major trails. In the Sugarland Valley, walking down these quiet paths you become surrounded by sugar maples (the reason for the name "Sugarlands"). Early settlers used this tree for sugar and syrup.
As you continue along Newfound Gap Road, a little over two miles you will come upon the Campbell Overlook, which offers one of the best vistas in the park. Mt. LeConte rises to 6,593 feet in front of you--the third largest peak in the Smokies. The overlook is named for Carlos Campbell, who wrote Birth of A National Park (available at the Sugarlands Visitor Center). Campbell was a devoted outdoorsman and was a devout supporter for the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Shortly beyond the Campbell Overlook, you will approach one of the more interesting quiet walkways. As you walk the path, look closely and you can still see the remnants of old farmsteads--parts of fireplaces and foundations. You can still see the old road which led to White Oak Flats--what is now known as Gatlinburg.
As you continue along US 441, you approach the Chimney Tops at the 4.5 mile mark. Here you will find the Chimney Tops picnic area, which has restrooms and numerous picnic tables. The picnic area is home to one of the few remaining stands of mature Cove hardwoods in the U.S. White settlers
named the Chimney Tops after the stone chimneys on their simple cabins.
At about the 7-mile point you will see the transition from northern hardwood and cove hardwood trees. Also at this point you will come upon two tunnels. They exhibit the beautiful stone work found throughout the Park--work that was accomplished in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation
Corps, or CCC, established by President Franklin D.Roosevelt. The second tunnel, a switchback referred to as "the loop", curves around and back over itself. This feature was added to alleviate the extreme slope of the
mountain--it was not part of the original road through the Park, which had to be upgraded to Park Service standards.
Also in this area you will find a parking area and the trailhead for the Chimney Tops two-mile hike. It's a very challenging hike, but rewards the hardy hiker with magnificent views of Sugarlands to the northwest; Mt.
Leconte to the northeast; and Mt. Mingus to the southeast.
You will have have several opportunities for pullouts to view the very cool and appealing Little Pigeon River in the next few miles. You are now in northern hardwood forest land, and here you'll find ample opportunity to view the purple-flowered Catawba rhododendron in June and the Rosebay
rhododendron in bloom in July.
Around the 9-mile point you will find the Alum Cave Bluffs parking area and trailhead. The hike is challenging! You climb 2.3 miles to the cave bluff and then continue another 2.7 miles on to LeConte Lodge (reservations required). The Appalachian Trail lies not far beyond the lodge.
At approximately the 13-mile point you find the Morton Overlook. From here you can look back and see the Little Pigeon River and Newfound Gap Road area you just left. To your left is Sugarland Mountain, Mount Mingus, and the Chimney Tops.
Three-quarters of a mile beyond the Morton Overlook you come to Newfound Gap which is figuratively and literally, the center of the park.. You are at 5,048 feet and can enjoy views to both the Tennessee and North Carolina sides of the ridge. The Appalachian Trail so crosses here, you can hike a short distance of it here before returning to your vehicle. Restroom facilities are also here.
The Rockefeller Memorial is also at Newfound Gap. It memorializes the support and $5 million donated by the Rockefeller family to help establish the Park, which was dedicated here by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1940.
Clingmans Dome is the highest elevation in the Smokies. The road to the dome runs seven miles to the west off of US 441(closed in winter). The view from the parking area alone is worth the drive! The observation platform is reached by walking a steep ½ mile walk from the parking lot. On a clear day you can see seven states!
After you leave Clingmans Dome and continue down Newfound Gap Road toward Cherokee, you will travel approximately one-half mile to the Oconoluftee Valley Overlook, affording you spectacular views of the Oconoluftee River Valley. As you look to where the valley falls away, you can see where you will follow the road downward to Cherokee, North Carolina.
Continuing on, you will approach several quiet walkways and overlooks in the next two miles. Webb Overlook was named for Senator Charles Webb of North Carolina, another staunch supporter of the Park's establishment.
At the 18.5 mile point is one of the most interesting walkways--certainly in North Carolina. Shortly after entering the walkway, the trail splits. The left fork parallels the Oconoluftee River, and the right fork follows the path of the old Newfound Gap Road. Some of the crumbling pavement can still be seen in places. The new Newfound Gap Road was built to Park Service standards in 1964.
Six miles further down Newfound Gap Road ( 24.5 miles into your drive from Gatlinburg) you will come to the Collins Creek Picnic Area. Restrooms, BBQ grills and a covered pavillion are available here.
Mingus Mill is the last point of interest before reaching the Oconoluftee Visitor center. The mill is one of two water power mills still in operation in the park. From mid-April through October, a miller still grinds corn and wheat to make caornmeal and flour.
The next, and final, stop on Newfound Gap Road in the Park is the Oconoluftee Visitor Center. Next to the visitor center is the Mountain Farm Museum, which is comprised of pioneer buildings representing a mid-19th-century farm. You will see a house, barn, corncrib, molasses mill, and blacksmith shop.
Beyond the museum is the southern entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park--and beyond it the Cherokee Indian Reservation. This is the only Indian reservation in the mid-Atlantic region of the US. Saunooke Village is located at the first light in Cherokee, you will find restaraunts, shops, and Indian goods there. Harrah's Casino is also located in Cherokee, just remember that gambling is a tax on people that are bad with math!
When you leave the casino you can go back the way you came, or go east on Highway 19 for about nine miles and make a left onto the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is the southern terminus of the parkway, it will take you up to 5200 feet, past several awesome overlooks. A good side trip is to take the Balsam Mountain Road for 1.4 miles to the "Mile High Overlook" then return to the parkway. The Big Witch Overlook and Thomas Divide Overlook have picnic tables (no restrooms). The traffic on this part of the parkway is always light, and the overlooks are normally empty, a refreshing change.
You will descend into the valley and return to US 441 just south of the Oconoluftee Visitor Center. Turn right for your return trip, if your timing is right you can catch a truly awesome sunset at Newfound Gap before your return to Gatlinburg.
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