I am a frequent traveler to various areas in the Smoky Mountains National Park and the surrounding areas, but there are few places that capture my interest with awe inspiring views such as the Foothills Parkway. The completed portion between Walland and Fontana Dam has some of the most spectacular views in the area. The popular ride features most of your time spent following the top of a ridge where you can overlook one side and view the lower laying areas such as Maryville where you can see well into Kentucky. There are several pull-offs on the road capturing a totally different view from the other side - one of unspoiled wilderness and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
When I learned the new section of the Foothills Parkway was going to be open for visitors to travel over the weekend, I thought it would be a great opportunity to go out and get some fresh air and take in the scenery - especially with the fall leaves changing color. We had decided to head up to the Parkway on Sunday after church to get a preview of the views from the new section and take some photos. When we arrived, the traffic was not as bad as we had anticipated and we stopped by the Park Ranger to get a brochure. It read:
"The staff at Great Smoky Mountains National Park and volunteers from Experience Your Smokies - Blount County are pleased to offer you the opportunity to travel this scenic roadway in the autumn when fall leaf color is at its best. This 9.5-mile partially completed section is part of a 72-mile Foothills Parkway right-of-way which parallels the northern boundary of the national park. This route has spectacular views along the way that can be seen from several vantage points. We ask that if you stop, you do so only at the well defined pullouts. Near the road's end, you will be turned around to continue the drive back. At this point you will not be allowed to stop or park in order to keep traffic moving. We offered this drive last spring for the first time in 10 years and it was so popular that over 8,000 people came over a two-day period. We expect even more people this fall so we are not allowing visitors to get out of their cars at the route's end because parking is so limited that gridlock would be unavoidable.
Completion Plans for the "Missing Link"
Through the support of Senator Lamar Alexander and Representative John Duncan, $17.7 million was appropriated under the SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Equrty Act: A Legacy of Users) for the "Missing Link", a 1.5-mile long uncompleted section of the Parkway right of way. After Congressional reductions , a total of $15.2 million was left available. With this funding, the National Park Service and Federal Highway Administration awarded a contract in September 2008 to a Kentucky contractor to construct 1,200 feet of new roadway extending westward from the end of the partly-finished Parkway at U.S. 321 in Wears Valley. This work is scheduled to take 8 months. The Park plans to utilize another portion of the $15.2 million to award a contract in the fall of 2009 to build another 1,800 feet of Parkway extending east from this Walland segment. Full completion of the "Missing Link" is expected to cost an estimated $138 million (including the funding now available) and Park officials are hopeful that the "Missing Link" will be completed by the National Park Service's Centennial in 2016.
Completing the Remainder of the Foothills Parkway
A map on the reverse shows the entire 72-miles of the Parkway from I-40 in Cocke County to Chilhowee Lake in Blount County. Of that 72-mile distance, two segments at the ends, totaling 22.5 miIes, are completed and open to traffic. The top priority of the NPS is finishing the "Missing Link" so that another 16.1 miles can be opened from Walland to Wear Valley. Once that is complete, 33 miles will remain to be constructed. Environmental planning has been partially completed on portions of that route, but no construction has taken place."
The views from the new section are certainly beautiful, but in my opinion are not quite as spectacular as the section completed between Walland and Fontana Dam. The trip along the new section was comprised of about six pull-offs, each having a substantial view and different vantage point from the next. The first stop had a view of the Little River as it meandered along in the valley between the mountains.
Along our trip, at the very last pulloff, Brooke and I ran into one of her relatives who were enjoying a picnic taking in the views. We had no clue they were headed out there, so it was funny running into them. We saw them from behind and kind of quietly said to each other "that looks like Randy". Well, sure enough, Randy must have overheard us because he turned around and saw us! We chatted with them for a while and headed on to the end of the Parkway where they made us turn around and head back the same direction we came. Click the link below for a photo gallery of the trip to the new section of the Foothills Parkway!
Foothills Parkway Opening of new section from Walland to Carr's Creek Area
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