Getting Around The Smokies
Published June 11th, 2006 in Smoky Mountains, TravelA few days ago, I wrote about some of the alternate routes that are available to get to the Smokies. Many people, once they get there, find themselves stuck in traffic on the parkway in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge, or somewhere in between. Once you become familiar with some of the backroads of the area, your trip will be much more relaxing knowing that you won’t be sitting in traffic for hours.
The more obvious shortcut is the Gatlinburg By-Pass. If you are coming from Pigeon Forge or Sevierville, this is a no-brainer if you want to get to the park without getting stuck in the ‘Burg. It is also a pretty good choice if you are staying near that end of Gatlinburg.
If you are shopping in Pigeon Forge near the Tanger Outlets or Belz, Teaster Lane is your new best friend. You can take it all the way to near Dollywood for a quick bypass of the traffic on the parkway.
If you are in Gatlinburg, try using River Road instead of the Parkway. You can also take Airport to Cherokee Orchard Road, then take the Baskins Creek Bypass near Johnson’s Inn for a quick route to 321.
If you are out near Greenbriar/Pittman and want to get over to Pigeon Forge, take Buckhorn Road near Battle’s to Upper Creek Road. This will bring you into Pigeon Forge near the entrance to Dollywood, where you can then connect to Teaster Lane for a quick route to the outlet malls.
So those are a few of the shortcuts I have used to get around the often congested roads of the towns around the Smoky Mountains. If you have any other tips, leave them in the comments.