Day 5 Stecoah Hot Springs Gatlinburg | The largest verified route archive thanks to MyRoute-app RouteXperts

Day 5 Stecoah Hot Springs Gatlinburg

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RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)

Last edit: 11-08-2025

Route Summary

Day 5 of our 6-day vacation in Tennessee and North Carolina.

America is the perfect country to explore by motorcycle. Many tour companies offer organized trips, but there's also the charm of mapping out your own routes and riding independently. There are good motorcycle rental companies throughout the country, and the motorcycles are often the latest models and well-maintained.

We'll be driving along the beautiful roads in Nashville and North Carolina, and this area is characterized by its beautiful, idyllic landscape, with two-lane roads winding through the countryside. You can visit charming towns, villages, and attractions. Be careful, though, as the roads are sometimes of very poor quality and are barely lit, if at all, after dark.

This route is definitely worth 5*****. The roads on the Blue Ridge Parkway are a dream for any motorcyclist, and the panoramas along the way are breathtaking.

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Verdict

Duration

10h 50m

Mode of travel

Car or motorcycle

Distance

368.92 km

Countries

RouteXpert Review

On Day 5, today we drive from Stecoah to Gaitlinburg via a section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. This route was modified in 2025 due to the damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway caused by Hurricane Helene.
This is a very long route of almost 400 kilometers, so we'll be driving the first 50 kilometers on the highway. It's less interesting to drive, but we can still make good progress on the first part and enjoy the beautiful panoramas along the way.

We drive through the beautiful Cherokee Indian Reservation, where Cherokee Indians have lived for centuries. The 56,000-acre reservation is still linked to ancient customs, culture, history, and traditions. For those interested, there are also museums and other attractions to visit; plan an extra day for this, as the area is vast and there's much to see and do. For those with more time, a longer visit to the Cherokee Indian Reservation is recommended.

We'll visit Soco Falls, a beautiful double waterfall near the Blue Ridge Parkway between Cherokee and Maggie Valley. From the parking lot, it's a five-minute walk along a maintained path that leads to a viewing platform. To the left of the viewing platform, a steep path leads down to the top of the smaller fall and further down to the creek below the falls. This path is unmaintained and very slippery. It's not recommended to continue on this path. Do not enter the creek above the falls. Tragically, several people have been killed at the falls in North Carolina.

We'll be driving along sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway, a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, known for its scenic beauty. The Blue Ridge Parkway is America's longest linear park, spanning 470 miles (759 km) and running through 29 counties in Virginia and North Carolina. It connects Shenandoah National Park with the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs along the spine of the Blue Ridge Mountains, a major mountain range that forms part of the Appalachian Mountains. The entire Blue Ridge Parkway is a beautiful route that can be driven in three to four days.

In September 2024, Hurricane Helene caused extensive damage to the Blue Ridge Parkway, closing large sections for repairs. Therefore, we drive on other scenic roads such as Lake Logan Road and Pisgah Parkway. This review includes a link to the closures. Before driving your route, it's advisable to check for closures.

So we can only drive parts of it, but there are places where we can stop to enjoy the beautiful panoramas. These points are marked with a waypoint; these include the Richland Balsam Overlook, also the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway at an elevation of 1845 m (6053 ft), and Herrin Knob Overlook at 1679 m (5510 ft). Although misspelled, Herrin Knob was named after James Herren, who owned land and operated a sawmill there.

Lunch is planned at the Jukebox Junction Restaurant and Soda Shop near Woodrow. It's a great place to stop and enjoy a delicious meal. Be sure to stop at the Pisgah Inn Overlook and Restaurant, which has a balcony with a stunning view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

We continue our drive to Hot Springs. This town may be best known for its hot mineral springs, but you'll certainly find plenty more to do! This Madison County village is located just 40 minutes north of Asheville at the intersection of the Appalachian Trail (which runs right through downtown) and the French Broad River. Surrounded by the Pisgah National Forest, Hot Springs is a haven for those seeking outdoor adventure, healing and relaxation, or a quiet romantic getaway. It's a lovely little town to stop in.

We continue our drive through Pisgah National Forest to our final destination, Gatlinburg, a vibrant city steeped in history and with plenty to do. For those with more time, a longer visit to the Cherokee Indian Reservation, Hot Springs, and/or Gatlinburg is recommended.

Links

Day 4 Roundtrip Great Smoky Mountains The Tail of the Dragon north to south and Cherohala Skyway
Cherokee Indian Reservation
Gatlinburg
Day 6 Gatlinburg Nashville
Blueridge Parkway Road Projects (Helene Recovery)

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Tennessee

About this region

Tennessee, officially the State of Tennessee, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th largest by area and the 16th most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to the north, Virginia to the northeast, North Carolina to the east, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi to the south, Arkansas to the southwest, and Missouri to the northwest. Tennessee is geographically, culturally, and legally divided into three Grand Divisions of East, Middle, and West Tennessee. Nashville is the state's capital and largest city, and anchors its largest metropolitan area. Tennessee's population as of the 2020 United States census is approximately 6.9 million.Tennessee is rooted in the Watauga Association, a 1772 frontier pact generally regarded as the first constitutional government west of the Appalachian Mountains. Its name is derived from "Tanasi", a Cherokee town in the eastern part of the state that existed before the first European American settlement. Tennessee was initially part of North Carolina, and later the Southwest Territory, before its admission to the Union as the 16th state on June 1, 1796. It earned the nickname "The Volunteer State" early in its history due to a strong tradition of military service. A slave state until the American Civil War, Tennessee was politically divided, with its western and middle parts supporting the Confederacy and the eastern region harboring pro-Union sentiment. As a result, Tennessee was the last state to secede and the first readmitted to the Union after the war.During the 20th century, Tennessee transitioned from a predominantly agrarian society to a more diversified economy. This was aided in part by massive federal investment in the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) and the city of Oak Ridge, which was established during World War II to house the Manhattan Project's uranium enrichment facilities for the construction of the world's first atomic bombs. These were dropped on Imperial Japan at the end of the war. After the war, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory became a key center of scientific research. In 2016, the element tennessine was named for the state, largely in recognition of the roles played by Oak Ridge, Vanderbilt University, and the University of Tennessee in its discovery. Tennessee has also played a major role in the development of many forms of popular music, including country, blues, rock and roll, soul, and gospel.
Tennessee has diverse terrain and landforms, and from east to west, contains a mix of cultural features characteristic of Appalachia, the Upland South, and the Deep South. The Blue Ridge Mountains along the eastern border reach some of the highest elevations in eastern North America, and the Cumberland Plateau contains many scenic valleys and waterfalls. The central part of the state is marked by cavernous bedrock and irregular rolling hills, and level, fertile plains define West Tennessee. The state is twice bisected by the Tennessee River, and the Mississippi River forms its western border. Its economy is dominated by the health care, music, finance, automotive, chemical, electronics, and tourism sectors, and cattle, soybeans, corn, poultry, and cotton are its primary agricultural products. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the nation's most visited national park, is in eastern Tennessee.