Exploring the Road to Nowhere

If you are in the Bryson City area, the Road to Nowhere is a perfect place to visit this spooky season. Located just outside of Bryson City the Road to Nowhere is an easy 15 minute scenic drive into the mountains.

The History

 The Road to Nowhere was intended to be built to replace the old Highway 288, which was used by families who live in the area until the 1930-40’s. With the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the Fontana Dam the residents had to leave their homes and the highway flooded and remains underwater to this day. The Road to Nowhere would allow former residents to be able to visit cemeteries and ancestral locations. Unfortunately, during construction of the road, Anakeesta rock containing sulfuric acid was exposed and raised concerns for the surrounding environment. If construction continued the sulfuric acid trickle down into surrounding streams and lakes threatening flora and fauna. Work on the road was stopped indefinitely, but what was built still remains. 

Location

The historical site can be found on Lakeview Drive northwest of Bryson City. The site that attracts most visitors is the quarter mile long tunnel that goes through the mountain. This is where the road stops. There is a small parking lot at the end of the road just before the tunnel. The road itself is blocked before the tunnel so cars cannot drive into it and out the other side into the woods. Park in the parking lot and continue walking down the road to get to the tunnel.

The Tunnel

After a very short walk the tunnel will appear. The walls are decorated with graffiti and the other end of the tunnel did not appear far, but was actually quite the walk. Jensen had a lot of fun running and yelling through the dark ibis. I was a little spooked because it was getting dark out. Dave had a lot of fun trying to scare me. Once on the other side there are a variety of hiking trails and a nearby backcountry campground. We walked through the woods looking for a close sunset spot, but did not find one. We recommend stopping at one of the pull outs on the road and taking pictures there. What we did find was a plethora of different types of mushrooms including these cool looking Mario mushrooms! It was crazy seeing them out in nature. One other activity to try out is trekking up the side of the tunnel and checking out the views from the top. We did not do this since we had two small children, but definitely recommend it for others.