Most people don’t know the history of the abandoned tunnel in North Carolina found along a popular trail in the Tar Heel State. Or that it took millions and millions of dollars to create the hauntingly beautiful tunnel in North Carolina on what’s called “The Road To Nowhere” in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The result, today, is a striking tunnel in the middle of forest land – an abandoned vehicular tunnel that was never actually used.

But that tunnel DOES see a lot of pedestrian use as an equally bizarre and wonderful trailside attraction just outside of Bryson City.
Christine Hoekzema/Google
A short summary of how the tunnel came to sit here abandoned and decaying in the wilderness goes like this:
In the 1940s, when Fontana Dam was constructed and filled with water, it flooded a local North Carolina road and caused scads of residents around the lake to abandon their homes for higher ground.
Mary Anne Baker/Google
As a result of the road flooding, there were certain agreements made and one of them was to construct a NEW road, Lakeview Drive, which was to be 6.5 miles long.
Construction began on both ends of the road with the intention to build inward until the two ends met. But there was a problem.
Wikimedia/Washuotaku

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Shortly after the completion of the massive tunnel that would serve to eventually connect the two ends of the road as they met, it was determined that the ground and the rock in the area weren't stable enough for a highway.
Samuel Grindstaff/Google
By the 1970s litigation ensued, as residents and municipalities struggled to get the road built... but to no avail.
In the end, the National Park Service ended up paying a sizeable amount of money to the injured parties and the tunnel... was left to decay.
John_Brueske / iStock / Getty Images Plus Collection via Getty Images
Those traveling up the short segment of Lakeview Drive from the Bryson City side of the unfinished road can park at the end of the road and walk only about a quarter mile to reach the tunnel.
Tina Coburn/Google
It's also been incorporated into several trails that pass through the area including the scenic 32-mile Lakeshore via Fontana Dam Trail.
Andrew Wang/Google

Have you ever visited this abandoned tunnel in North Carolina? Did you even know it was here before now? Sound off in the comments! For even more abandoned places in NC check out these 13 photos of abandoned mansions in North Carolina.

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More to Explore

Even more abandoned places in North Carolina

Chris Muras | January 08, 2023

What are some creepy places in NC?

North Carolina has a lot of history. And with the passing of time comes abandoned buildings, cemeteries, entire towns, and other creepy places that might just be haunted. If you love scouring the state for those dark mysterious locations you'll love this list of creepy places in NC:

Davis Hospital, Statesville, NC
Devil’s Tramping Ground, Chatham County, NC
Oakwood Cemetery, Raleigh, NC
Lake Lure Inn, Lake Lure, NC
Chicken Alley, Asheville, NC
Cowee Tunnel, Cowee Tunnel Rd, NC
Stroud House, Wake Forest, NC
Whalehead Club, Corolla, NC

What are the most haunted places in North Carolina?

Whether or not you believe some souls linger on this earth until they resolve whatever issues have kept them here, there are definitely some hauntings going on in parts of North Carolina. We have a few places in NC that will send chills down your spine on a dark moonless night. Here is a list of some of the most haunted places in North Carolina:

  • The Demon Dog: Valle Crucis, NC
  • Battleship North Carolina: Wilmington, NC
  • Paint Rock: Hot Springs, NC
  • The Duke Mansion: Charlotte, NC
  • The Biltmore Estate: Asheville, NC
  • Teach’s Hole: Ocracoke Island, NC

 

What story does each of these creepy places have to tell? Will you dare take a journey to North Carolina to find out? Plan a haunted road trip to some of the spooky destinations below:

  • Great Dismal Swamp, NC/Virginia Border
  • Cry Baby Lane, Raleigh, NC
  • Devil's Tramping Ground, Bear Creek, NC
  • Gravity Hill, Richfield Rd, NC
  • Payne Road, Edwards Rd, NC
  • Brown Mountain, Brown Mountain Beach Rd, NC
  • Grove Park Inn, Asheville, NC

 

Grab your road map to these haunted places in NC, then pack the car with your ghost-hunting gear and hit the road for some fun, spooky adventures.

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Lakeview Drive East, Lakeview Dr E, North Carolina 28713, USA