The final section of the Foothills Parkway will open at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which straddles the border between North Carolina and Tennessee. This is great news for its ten million annual visitors, who will able to experience the entire 16-mile roadway for the first time since construction began in 1966.
The final section of the Foothills Parkway will open at Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Image: NPS
Park officials plan to open the long-awaited section of the Foothills Parkway between Walland and Wears Valley on Saturday 10 November. It includes a 1.65-mile section known as the ‘Missing Link’ which is now connected by a series of nine bridges. The park made Lonely Planet’s best value destinations in our Best In Travel 2019 list and is free to enter. This means that exploring the atmospheric remains of Cades Cove or accessing the view from Clingmans Dome, the highest peak with an observation tower on top, won’t cost you anything more than getting there.
The sprawling landscape encompasses lush forests and an abundance of wildflowers that bloom year-round. It also offers some of the best hiking east of the Mississippi. The park has recovered from the 2016 wildfires and access to the iconic Chimney Tops Trail is almost fully restored, so this is a great time to enjoy a wallet-friendly national park adventure. “We are grateful to the visionaries in the 1930s who conceived the idea of a parkway and to the countless people who have tirelessly worked since then to complete this spectacular section,” said Superintendent Cassius Cash. “We can’t wait for people to experience the unparalleled views offered along this new Smokies destination.”
The final stretch of Foothills Parkway is to open at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Image: rickberk/Getty Images
The Foothills Parkway now consists of two finished sections at either end of the 72-mile corridor. The western section extends 33 continuous miles from Chilhowee to Wears Valley, offering a new recreational experience for motorists and cyclists. The eastern section, completed in 1968, extends six miles from Cosby to Interstate 40 and presents breathtaking views of Mt. Cammerer.
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