Highlander's Library of Scenic Road Trips on-line...

Untold Riches

Roadways thru the Highlands, like a great key that unlocked the mysteries and wonders of a fantastic treasure, so rich in fable and resource, so vast in its expanse, that for centuries it denied all but modest extractions from the mighty grip of its impenetrable stronghold. Held within its firm grasp it bore upon its mountainous shoulders and concealed within the depths of its valleys and gorges an incomprehensible beauty, locked away like a time capsule awaiting the arrival of a new age.  An age when exploration and discovery would usher in scientific and engineering achievements, a time when leisure travel to exotic location would open gateways into the natural wonders of nature’s very own creation...continue scenic drives in the mountains...

 

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Cherohala Skyway

From heights nearing 6,000-feet, are views of the rugged rolling mountaintops of the Unaka Mountains with the Great Smoky Mountains to the northeast and the Tennessee River Valley to the west. What you will find along the route are lots of great mountain overlooks, camping areas and numerous hiking trails leading off from the scenic byway.  The mountain and valley views along the 36-mile stretch are spectacular.....More on the Cherohala Skyway...

 

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Unaka - Unicoi Mountains Scenic Byway

Some of the largest mountain wilderness lands in the nation lie on the fringes of the eastern Tennessee Valley’s mountain region and along the western boundary of North Carolina’s mountain country. This wilderness of over 1,154,000 acres has been divided into three separate mountain ranges.  The Upper Unaka Mountains, the Lower Unaka Mountains and bridging the two of them together in the middle is the Great Smoky Mountains...More on the Unicoi Mountains Scenic Byway...

 

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The Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches 469 miles from the southern end of the Shenandoah National Park in Virginia to the Qualla Boundary of the Cherokee People on the southern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains Park in North Carolina. The majority of the Blue Ridge Parkway travels across the spine of mountain ridges...More on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Pisgah National Forest...

 

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The Blue Ridge Parkway in the Fall

As with the Hierarchy of Nobility, the crest of the ridge tops along the Blue Ridge Parkway are among the first to receive the colors on their regal crowns in the high country of the Blue Ridge Smoky Mountains.  Studded with jewels of crimson reds, deep purples, flaming oranges and golden yellows, they grace the skyline as the first signs of autumn swiftly descend their royal robes along the slopes of the majestic mountain ranges...Scenic Drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the Fall...

 

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Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee to Asheville North Carolina

The highest point along the Parkway lies just above the southern end of the Haywood County, you can not only drive this extraordinary scenic drive you can also stop and hike the high country to take in unusual sites and natural wonders true to the great Blue Ridge and Smoky Mountains Province...Scenic Drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee to Asheville North Carolina...

 

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Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway

Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway definitely lives up to its namesake. The 79-mile loop tour will take you deep into the heart of the Pisgah National Forest with mountain peaks reaching more that 6,000 feet above sea level. Beginning in Waynesville take US 276 to the town of Woodrow, it’s the next town east of Waynesville. At the intersection of US 276 and State 215, head south on State 215...Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway...

 

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Union County Scenic Driving Tour

Union County Scenic Driving Tour, takes you on US 19/129 and GA 180.  Driving tours are probably the most popular way to see and experience the beauty and wonders of these ancient Blue Ridge Mountains. Union County not only has natural beauty it also has some of the finest highways and road systems the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer...Union County Scenic Driving Tour...

 

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Haywood County Scenic Drive

Haywood County Scenic Drive covers both the section of the Blue Ridge Parkway that goes through Haywood County and Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway from Haywood County. The Forest Heritage National Scenic Byway is a 79-mile loop tour will take you deep into the heart of the Pisgah National Forest with mountain peaks reaching more that 6,000 feet above sea level...Haywood County Scenic Drive...

 

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Scenic Drives in Rutherford County North Carolina

Rutherford County in Western North Carolina has 3 popular driving tours, Cherry Bounce Trail, Drovers Road By-Way, and South Mountains Scenery By-Way that offer opportunities to discover the beauty of its mountains, foothills, lake, farmlands and river country, each sharing their own unique topography, communities and history...Scenic Drives in Rutherford County North Carolina...

 

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Aye'll take the Highroads

Aye'll Take the Highroads a ribbon of asphalt, gently gliding across valleys and over mountain gaps, while occasionally following along the shore of a beautiful lake. We will cross the Appalachian Trail twice, zig-zag over the Eastern Continental Divide, do switch backs up and down mountain slopes, hug the curves of a high mountain gorge and ride the banks of a whitewater river rushing down a steep mountain gorge, all in one trip...Take a ride on the Southern Highroad's Trail...

 

 

 

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Foothills Parkway Scenic Drive

If you can’t get enough the Great Smoky Mountain’s scenic drives or you just want to view them from another perspective at a much lower altitude, then your going to love the Foothills Parkway. The views from these lower mountain ridges are spectacular. The Foothills Parkway takes visitors above the treetops and foothills from the valley below, offering incredible mountain vistas across the entire face of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park...Foothills Parkway Scenic Drive...

 

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North Carolina's Cherohala Skyway

North Carolina's Cherohala Skyway transverses the entire width of the Lower Unaka Mountains; also known as the Unicoi Mountains.  The Lower Unaka Mountains are more than half the have the size of the Smoky Mountains with mountain balds (peaks) nearing 6,000 feet high.  A vast mountain wilderness so isolated that it was nearly forgotten...North Carolina's Cherohala Skyway...

 

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North Carolina's Newfound Gap Road

North Carolina's Newfound Gap Road or US Highway 441 dissects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the two-lane roadway crosses thru the heart of the park and over its highest mountain gap.  Newfound Gap Road follows rivers, climbs steep slopes and offers incredible views from the rooftop of the eastern United States...North Carolina's Newfound Gap Road...

 

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Gold City Tour

Gold City Tour, Dahlonega to Blairsville in the North Georgia Mountains. It all started here and the rush was on.  Discovery of gold in Northern Georgia ended decades of broken treaties and unscrupulous land deals with the Cherokee People. No more wars, no more debates the Cherokee had to go and the beginning of the Trail of Tears was put into effect...Gold City Tour Scenic Drive...

 

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Russell Brasstown Scenic By Way in the North Georgia Mountains

Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is best described as going to the rooftop of North Georgia Mountains.  This 38-mile trek ascends the very heights of the Georgia’s mountain country and brings you into contact with some of the most spectacular natural wonders the North Georgia Mountains have to offer...Russell Brasstown Scenic By Way in the North Georgia Mountains...

 

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Tennessee's Cherohala Skyway

Tennessee's Cherohala Skyway transverses the entire width of the Lower Unaka Mountains; also known as the Unicoi Mountains.  The Lower Unaka Mountains are more than half the have the size of the Smoky Mountains with mountain balds (peaks) nearing 6,000 feet high.  A vast mountain wilderness so isolated that it was nearly forgotten...Tennessee's Cherohala Skyway...

 

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Tennessee's Newfound Gap Road

Tennessee's Newfound Gap Road or US Highway 441 dissects the Great Smoky Mountains National Park the two-lane roadway crosses thru the heart of the park and over its highest mountain gap.  Newfound Gap Road follows rivers, climbs steep slopes and offers incredible views from the rooftop of the eastern United States...Tennessee's Newfound Gap Road...

 

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The Ocoee Scenic Byway

The Ocoee Scenic Byway once known as the Old Copper Road, was the first designated National Forest Scenic Byway in the United States. This 26 mile two lane road trip connects what’s referred to locally as Upper and Lower Polk County. The Ocoee Scenic Byway also includes the Chilhowee Mountain Drive on Forest Route FR77 just across from Ocoee Lake in the Cherokee National Forest...The Ocoee Scenic Byway...

 

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The Southern Highroads Trail

The Southern Highroads Trail is a 364-mile National Scenic Byway that travels through 4 states of the southern Blue Ridge Mountain highlands.  The 364-mile byway will take visitors thru the mountainous regions of the Chattahoochee National Forest of North Georgia, the Sumter National Forest in northwestern South Carolina, the Nantahala National Forest in western North Carolina and the Cherokee National Forest in southeastern Tennessee. ..The Southern Highroads Trail...