dakota
2004-05-03 21:08:50 UTC
Hello all,
I'm planning a family (me + wife + toddler) vacation to the Smokies
area. I'm very familiar with the GSMNP as I've been there many many
times for hiking, but this time around I need to plan a roadtrip for
the family. We'll be based out of Gatlinburg.
Can anyone recommend a good scenic roadtrip? I'm considering taking
I-40 around to the Blue Ridge Parkway, then follow the Parkway SW to
Newfound Gap Road and go up through the Smokies and back to Gburg. Is
this a good scenic route?
Allow me to elaborate a little on what I'm looking for. I've been on
the Parkway before, and yes it is very scenic... but the problem is,
the surrounding mountains don't look as "big" as they could, simply
because when seen from up high (like on the Parkway), you're pretty
much at eye-level with them. I'd rather see some mountain scenery
from down in the valleys, so I can look *up* at the mountains. Can
anyone offer any suggestions along these lines?
I'll settle for anything from a 4-lane interstate highway to a
meandering state route, as long as it's reasonably paved and has some
open views of mountains *above* the road. If I remember, I-40 does
this either in eastern TN or western NC but I can't remember for sure.
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance!
I'm planning a family (me + wife + toddler) vacation to the Smokies
area. I'm very familiar with the GSMNP as I've been there many many
times for hiking, but this time around I need to plan a roadtrip for
the family. We'll be based out of Gatlinburg.
Can anyone recommend a good scenic roadtrip? I'm considering taking
I-40 around to the Blue Ridge Parkway, then follow the Parkway SW to
Newfound Gap Road and go up through the Smokies and back to Gburg. Is
this a good scenic route?
Allow me to elaborate a little on what I'm looking for. I've been on
the Parkway before, and yes it is very scenic... but the problem is,
the surrounding mountains don't look as "big" as they could, simply
because when seen from up high (like on the Parkway), you're pretty
much at eye-level with them. I'd rather see some mountain scenery
from down in the valleys, so I can look *up* at the mountains. Can
anyone offer any suggestions along these lines?
I'll settle for anything from a 4-lane interstate highway to a
meandering state route, as long as it's reasonably paved and has some
open views of mountains *above* the road. If I remember, I-40 does
this either in eastern TN or western NC but I can't remember for sure.
Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance!