Foothills Parkway (Western Section)

Ridge-running National Park parkway with open views to the high Smokies.

The western Foothills Parkway runs along high ridges between Walland and Wears Valley, a National Park Service motor road giving unobstructed views south to the crest of the Great Smokies and north over the Tennessee Valley. This Walland to Wears Valley stretch runs about 16 miles and forms the northern end of the parkway's roughly 33-mile western segment, which continues south toward Chilhowee. It is a smooth, sweeping ridge drive built for the scenery rather than for hard cornering, completed when the long-awaited 'Missing Link' bridges opened in 2018. Mind the slow sightseeing traffic and sudden overlook stops, deer and bear crossing the ridge, and fog rolling over the gaps.