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Foothills Parkway, Great Smoky Mountains, Tennessee
Photo: Brian Stansberry · CC BY 3.0 · cropped

Drives Tennessee The Smokies

Foothills Parkway

Foothills Parkway · Wears Valley → Chilhowee Lake

Twisty31 mi50 min5,200 ft climbHigh point ≈ 2,600 ftOne way
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The drive

The Foothills Parkway runs along the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This drive goes west from Wears Valley at US 321 to Chilhowee Lake at US 129, 31.3 miles in all, passing Walland and Look Rock.

Congress authorized the parkway in 1944 as a scenic route for viewing the Smokies. The stretch between Walland and Wears Valley includes the 1.65-mile "missing link", built on a series of bridges and opened in 2018. The older section from Chilhowee to Walland has been open since 1968. The route is Twisty, with three tight stretches and about 5,200 feet of climb.

Along the way

  1. Wears Valley (US 321)
  2. Walland
  3. Look Rock
  4. Chilhowee Lake (US 129)
Elevation
5,200 ft of climbing · high point ≈ 2,600 ft
Wears ValleyChilhowee Lake
Curves
Mostly moderate, with three twisty stretches
Wears ValleyChilhowee Lake
GentleHairpins

Good to know

  • Check the park's closures page for Foothills Parkway road closures before you go.
  • The park lists Foothills Parkway East and West on the Tennessee side, with the Sugarlands Visitor Center between them.

Open all year, weather permitting. Roads close for snow, fire, storms and repairs: before you set off, check Great Smoky Mountains National Park: closures.

Questions about this drive

How long does the Foothills Parkway take to drive?

The Foothills Parkway from Wears Valley to Chilhowee Lake is 31.3 miles and takes about 50 minutes.

What is the Foothills Parkway missing link?

It is a 1.65-mile section of the parkway between Walland and Wears Valley, built on bridges and opened in 2018.

What you get in the app

Turn by turn, on this roadSpoken directions along the exact route. Carve never reroutes you onto a faster one.
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More drives near here

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Distance, time, elevation, curves and intensity are from Carve's route. Checked 2026-10-28.

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Map of Foothills Parkway, from Wears Valley to Chilhowee Lake