Turn off the TV and put aside your phone for this scenic drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina. This six miles of pleasure takes you on a winding mountain highway into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park ending at the mouth of a tunnel. It is technically called Lakeview Drive, but the locals know it as “The Road to Nowhere — A Broken Promise.” Full of panoramic views it provides an overlook of the shimmering Fontana Lake surrounded by majestic mountain peaks. This is a scenic drive you won’t forget. Come on — this Great Smoky Mountains scenic drive awaits!

This map shows Lakeview Drive highlighted in red and split into two sections.
Mr. Matté (if there is an issue with this image, contact me using this image's Commons talk page or my English Wikipedia talk page; I'll know about it a lot faster), CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons
Lakeview Drive West is a .7-mile drive and Lakeview Drive East, located near Bryson City, is a 5.8-mile drive from Fontana Road (NC State Route 1364) to a parking area located near the road tunnel.
Take Bryson City Exit 67 off of U.S. 74, go down the hill, and make a right at the first light. Make a left at the second light and straight through the third. Go over the railroad tracks and straight up the hill to Swain County High School.
Lori T/ Tripadvisor
About a mile or two past the school the sign "Road to Nowhere" is on your left. Right after you will enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Road to Nowhere ends with a tunnel but the road does not continue beyond that. There are lots of stories behind the Road to Nowhere Tunnel so make sure you check those out too.
Get ready for the curves, because this scenic drive is full of them. Then again most roads in the Great Smoky Mountains are filled with curves, there are even a couple of sections that take you in a complete 360 degrees on the New Found Gap Road, but not on Lakeview Drive.
LuLa/ Tripadvisor

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It winds along Mine Mountain and Buzzardroost Mountain then crosses over Noland Creek.
Chuck Evans/ AllTrails
If the Noland Creek looks appealing to you then you can take the trail for a difficult but rewarding hike.
Don't be in a hurry to appreciate the lush scenery along the way. This route abounds in beauty all year long but the fall really shines. The colors in the trees and the crunchy leaves that sputter and float to the ground make it feel enchanting.
TN Traveler/ Tripadvisor
And when you come to the Fontana Lake overlook, be sure to view the mountains from all ends as just a few feet the other way makes the biggest difference.
Chuck R/ Tripadvisor
The road ends at a parking area where you walk a short distance to the tunnel. Bring a flashlight if you go through.
Smoky Dan/ Flickr
The tunnel is a blast to explore but there are hiking trails that take you beyond the tunnel even further into the mountains. If you get the AllTrails app you can easily see all of the different trails that split off from this point like the Goldmine Loop.

Have you packed your picnic lunch for this scenic drive through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park North Carolina? let us know what your favorite Great Smoky Mountains scenic drive is your favorite in the comments below. It is important to note that Lakeview Drive was dubbed The Road To Nowhere because the road was never completed, reportedly keeping residents who gave up their land for the Fontana Dam project from accessing their ancestral gravesites. Find out more about Lakeview Drive on the National Park Service website. Also, check out this video of the tunnel and the history behind this place in this Friday’s Forever video:

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Scenic Drives In North Carolina

Chris Dodge | August 23, 2023

What are the best scenic drives in North Carolina?

The obvious answer to what is the best scenic drive in North Carolina is clearly the Blue Ridge Parkway, but here are a couple of other amazing scenic drives:

 

See these roads and more on our list of the top 11 scenic drives in North Carolina or check out our list of 10 beautiful byways!

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Lakeview Drive, Lakeview Dr, Bryson City, NC 28713, USA