Trail #3:
The Waynesville/Cherokee Trail
  

Trail Highlights:  Mountain streams, river-cut canyon thru the Great Smoky Mountains, quaint mountain resort towns, Cherokee Indian Reservation. A final ride over the high range of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a grand finale for this scenic and entertaining trail.

Start the Waynesville/Cherokee Trail at traffic light #10 in Gatlinburg taking Hwy. 441 North nine-tenths of a mile to traffic light #3.
At the light, veer off to the right onto Hwys. 321 North/73 (also called the East Parkway in Gatlinburg). From traffic light #3 take 321 North out of town thru Pittman Center and  past the Greenbriar Entrance to the national park at 6.2 miles out. From the Greenbriar Entrance, ride on 11.8 miles to where 321 comes to a “T” intersection. Turn left at the intersection and ride 1.8 miles to the entrance to the Foothills Parkway.
Turn Right onto the Foothills Pkwy. and take it 5.9 miles to the entrance ramp to Interstate 40 East (toward Asheville). About half way up the parkway, riders get spectacular views of Cosby Cove and Mt. Cammerer from right-hand-side overlooks.  On the way down to the Interstate there are overlooks facing the South side of English Mountain with Newport, TN off in the distance.
From the Parkway, take I-40 East 3.5 miles to Exit 447, and Hartford, TN. This exit offers numerous white water rafting outfitters along with the last opportunity for fuel and food before making the 20-plus mile run up the ruggedly beautiful Pigeon River Gorge out of East Tennessee and into North Carolina.
From the 447 Exit riders take Interstate 40 E. 31.4 miles to exit 27, (Hwys.- 74/19/23), also known as the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway.  Stay alert throughout this run. This is one of the most treacherous stretches of Interstate in the Eastern US, with numerous curves, tunnels, and rapidly changing weather conditions. Although the challenge is high, this is also one of the most interesting stretches of road in the region. Just watch out for the Freightliners and four-wheelers. There is a welcome center at between the 10 and 11 mile markers as riders enter North Carolina.
After exiting I-40 onto the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway ride 2.6 miles to the 102 Exit, which is the Hwy. 23 South-Business route. The ramp off the expressway circles around to the right and becomes Hwy.23. About 2 miles down 23 riders come to a roundabout. Following the signs thru the roundabout stay on 23-S. About eight tenths of a mile past the roundabout stay on 23 as it veers off to the left toward downtown Waynesville.
Riders may want to take time out to visit downtown Waynesville. It’s a quaint mountain town with numerous restaurants, boutiques, beds and breakfasts and festive retail.
To exit downtown Waynesville, continue on 23 S some 5.8 miles out of town and turn right onto Hyatt Creek Rd., just past a WalMart Supercenter.  Take this connector about two tenths of a mile over to the roundabout entrance back onto the GSM Expressway.  Follow the signs for 23 S/74 W to Sylva.
It’s 13 miles down the expressway to the 85 Exit. Take Exit 85 then ride 1.5 miles into Sylva.
Once in Sylva, the road comes to a “T” intersection at a traffic light with the Jackson Paper Plant to the right. Turn right at the light staying on 23 S-Business.
Following 23 eight tenths of a mile past the back entrances of a row of vintage, brick, buildings make a left turn at the end of the row, then another left in front of the Jackson County Courthouse. This puts riders on West Main Street and in front of the row of vintage, brick, downtown buildings. Take West Main back down to where it intersects 23, about 4 blocks then turn left back onto 23 S.  Ride back past the backs of the buildings, this time staying on 23 about a mile into Dillsboro. Riders may want to take time out to visit downtown Sylva and Dillsboro. Both are, (like Waynesville), quaint mountain towns with restaurants, boutiques, beds and breakfasts and festive retail. There might even be a sports bar or two around for biker type people.
It’s about a half mile thru the town of Dillsboro before 23 comes to a stop at Hwy. 441 North.
Leaving Dillsboro, turn right onto Hwys. 441/23 North and ride 1 mile back up to the GSM Expressway.  Get back on the expressway following the signs to Hwy. 74 West and 441 North toward Cherokee.
Take the expressway 7 miles to Exit 74 following Hwy. 441 N.
From the exit, riders proceed 3.5 miles to the traffic light and turn right following 441 N Business.  Staying on 441 Business, ride a half a mile to the traffic light in front of the entrance to Harrah’s Hotel & Casino.
If not in the mood for the one-armed bandits and Poker machines in the casino, turn left, staying on 441 for 1 mile thru downtown Cherokee. Continue to follow 441 N by turning right at the traffic light and continue on 2 miles to the entrance into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
Seven-tenths-of-a-mile inside the park, riders find the origin of the south end of the Blue Ridge Parkway on their right. This is the trail over to Maggie Valley, NC (see Blue Ridge Parkway/Maggie Valley Trail). (Note – the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed during the winter months).
About a half mile past the Blue Ridge Parkway entrance, also on the right, is the Oconaluftee Visitors Center and Mountain Farm Museum, a collection of historic log buildings gathered from throughout the Smoky Mountains.
From the visitor center and museum, riders continue up (and we mean this literally) 441 N, past Collins Creek and on some 16 miles to the North Carolina/Tennessee border at the high ridge pass at Newfound Gap (elevation 5,048 ft.). Newfound Gap is the primary crossroads at the top of the national park. The Appalachian Trail passes thru the parking lot at the gap and the road to Clingman’s Dome, at 6,643 ft. the highest point in the park and in Tennessee, is just a few hundred feet before the gap parking lot. (Note – the road to Clingman’s Dome is also closed during the winter months).
Cross the state line at the gap into Tennessee and follow Hwy 441 down the mountain.  About 13.4 miles from Newfound Gap riders pass the Sugarlands Visitor Center and park headquarters. From the visitors center follow the signs 1.6 miles back into Gatlinburg. The first traffic light riders come to is traffic light #10 in front of Smoky’s Pub & Grub. Come on in and celebrate the end of another great trail ride!