About the Lakeview Drive Auto Tour
This 6 drive is also known as “The Road to Nowhere.” This Smoky Mountain driving tour gives you amazing views of Fontana Lake. When the Fontana Dam was created, in the 1940s, the roads in the area flooded. The solution was to build this new road to follow the shore of Fontana Lake.
The road is completely paved and starts right outside Bryson City, North Carolina. And, hence the name, the road ends in the middle of nowhere at a tunnel. It truly just ends. Why? Because the park could not finishing the road due to environmental studies stating that the park would be impacted by the road construction. So, today, the road still remains unfinished, but you’re able to drive along it without a problem.
Directions to The Road to Nowhere Auto Tour
To get there, travel south on Newfound Gap Road into Cherokee NC. In Cherokee, turn right on US 19 and drive 10 miles to Bryson City. At the old Swain County Courthouse, turn right onto Everett Street and cross the Tuckaseegee River. Follow Everett Street through town (it changes to Lakeview Drive) and continue to the park boundary. Continue 5 miles into the park. Lakeview Drive ends at the mouth of a tunnel.