# Alternate route to Gatlinburg



## kjlknox

Does anyone know of an alternate route to get to Gatlinburg from I-40 without going through Pigeon Forge/Sevierville? We are arriving on a Saturday afternoon and I know traffic will be bad. Is there a way to get to 321 and come in from that direction. We are staying at Town Square and know how to take the by-pass off 321 to avoid the parkway traffic

Thanks, Kathy


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## sfwilshire

Hi Kathy,

I'm the World's worse with road numbers, but will try to help.

There are four routes that come to mind. One thing that makes it difficult is that not every Saturday is terrible. The worst ones seem to be when there are car shows in town. Also, Friday evenings are the pits in the season. 

We live north of Knoxville. On days we expect traffic to be heavy, we take Chapman Hwy which leads straight from downtown Knoxville to Sevierville. I can never remember if the highway designation is 411 or 441. When we get to downtown Sevierville (where they just improved the bottleneck intersection .... what a nightmare while they were working on it!) we go straight through and hang a right on Middle Creek Rd. They takes you by Dollywood and brings you out past the Pigeon Forge traffic. You still have the traffic from PF to Gatlinburg.

Another possibility is to find the route from I-40 at Cosby which leads to downtown Gatlinburg. No clue to the road numbers. I've never actually taken this, but recommended it to someone else who thought it was a good choice coming from the north or east.

I believe 321 is the route that goes through Maryville? From Maryville you can go to Townsend (scenic drive, by the way). From Townsend, you can either take Wears Valley Rd east (very scenic but quite curvy in spots) and come out in the heart of Pigeon Forge, which bypasses a lot of the traffic, or you can continue on into the National Park and take a left at the T. That will take you into the park side of Gatlinburg.

Good luck and sorry about not knowing the numbers. I really should get a map and study it a bit since this comes up so often on TUG. I can drive you anywhere, just can't tell you how to get there.

Sheila


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## Kozman

The alternate route  through Cosby is at exit 332 of I-40 (Foothills Parkway, 339).  Take 339 to the T in the road 32/321, turn left.  Shortly after going through Cosby, turn right on 73/321.  It is a scenic route, but beats the grid lock traffic on I-66.  Good luck.


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## umbluegray

We're going to Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge in July. We're coming from Memphis but we won't be taking I-40 thru Nashville and Knoxville. 

Instead, we're taking Hwy 72 from Memphis to Huntsville, AL where we plan to spend a few hours at the rocket museum. From Huntsville we'll take 72 to I-24 into Chattanooga where we'll hit I-75.

Looking at the map it seems the best route is to take I-75 to I-40 through Knoxville. However, based on this thread I'm wondering if I should avoid that way and the associated traffic.

If I alter our route it seems like taking the 321 exit (heading east) off I-75 might be the best alternative.

This would take us through Lenoir City and Maryville before heading right into the west side of Pigeon Forge at 441.

Is this an advisable route? If so, what type of road is 321 (73/95)? Is it 2-lane, 4-lane, divided 4-lane? Is it mountainous?

What would be a better route?

Thanks for any input.


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## wise one

umbluegray,

If you are going thru Maryville on 321, why not go into the Great Smoky Nat'l Park at Townsend and go to Cades Cove while you are that close and then you can take Little River Road thru the park back to Gatlinburg.  I know it is windy, but really scenic and you get to see part of the park and conserve gas, and therefore money over coming back out to that part of the park.


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## eschjw

Coming from Chattanooga, 321 is almost always the best way to go. Always go this way on a Friday as it can save you an hour or two. If you are going early (9:00AM) during the week it might add 10 or 15 minutes to your drive. It is by far the most beautiful way to go. If you are going to Pigeon Forge, turn left on 321 in Townsend. The road is 2 lane from this point and is does go over the mountain to Wears Valley. If I am going to Gatlinburg, I don't turn on 321 but go straight in Townsend. This takes you on a winding road in the Park that comes out at the upper end of Gatlinburg.


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## umbluegray

wise one said:
			
		

> umbluegray,
> 
> If you are going thru Maryville on 321, why not go into the Great Smoky Nat'l Park at Townsend and go to Cades Cove while you are that close and then you can take Little River Road thru the park back to Gatlinburg.  I know it is windy, but really scenic and you get to see part of the park and conserve gas, and therefore money over coming back out to that part of the park.



Not a bad idea at all. Thanks for the advice.

Would you estimate that route (Townsend to Gatlinburg via Cades Cove and Little River Rds) to be about +/- 15 miles?


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## umbluegray

eschjw said:
			
		

> Coming from Chattanooga, 321 is almost always the best way to go. Always go this way on a Friday as it can save you an hour or two. If you are going early (9:00AM) during the week it might add 10 or 15 minutes to your drive. It is by far the most beautiful way to go. If you are going to Pigeon Forge, turn left on 321 in Townsend. The road is 2 lane from this point and is does go over the mountain to Wears Valley. If I am going to Gatlinburg, I don't turn on 321 but go straight in Townsend. This takes you on a winding road in the Park that comes out at the upper end of Gatlinburg.



Thanks for the confirmation and advice.

I'm not sure whether we're staying in Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge yet. I'm reviewing resorts in the TUG Resorts Review section to determine which resorts I want to list as our options.

So, once we get to Townsend stay on 321 for Pigeon Forge or take the Smoky Mountains Hwy into the park for Gatlinburg.


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## kjlknox

Thanks for all the input. I was looking at a Tennessee map and it shows a route 454 off of Route 411 in Sevierville that connects with 321. Has anyone ever taken this route and know what this road is like. I have taken 321 through Maryville before and this would be a possibility but I was hoping to find something that would come in to Gatlinburg on 321 from the west without going all the way to Cosby.

Thanks,
Kathy


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## iceeu2

Where are you coming from?  Whatever you do,.....don't get on 411 or 441 going into Sevierville!  .....Like everyone has said....321 from Townsend to Pigeon Forge.....or go straight thru the park to Gatlinburg.

From the other direction, can't you just take 321 right off of I-40? and come straight down?


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## kjlknox

I found what I was looking for. I did a search for Gatlinburg on this forum and found a thread from December 2005 about taking Middle Creek Rd or Rt. 416 off of Rt 411 in Sevierville to bypass some of the traffic. I think we will try one of these routes unless we decide to go down to Cosby and pick up Rt. 321. That looks to be an additional hour on I-40 since we are coming from the east but the last time we arrived on Saturday it took 3 hours to get from I-40 to Town Square so it could save an hour and at least we'd be moving.

Thanks for all your help.
Kathy


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## sfwilshire

For those coming from the south or west, I-40 through Knoxville can be a real bear at times. Avoid anything close to typical rush hour times. If you are coming through in the evening or on weekends, you'll likely breeze right on through. Even the middle of the day, when you'd expect it to be OK, traffic backs up a lot of days. Afternoons are gridlock.

Sheila


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## umbluegray

sfwilshire said:
			
		

> For those coming from the south or west, I-40 through Knoxville can be a real bear at times. Avoid anything close to typical rush hour times. If you are coming through in the evening or on weekends, you'll likely breeze right on through. Even the middle of the day, when you'd expect it to be OK, traffic backs up a lot of days. Afternoons are gridlock.
> 
> Sheila



Thanks for the tip.

I know rush hour here (Memphis) is horrible. I avoid the expressways during rush hour as much as I can.


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## bestnana

I travel from Atlanta to Knoxville/Seymour/Sevierville about 3 times a year and most of the time have taken 321 off I-40 through Maryville.  Actually, I am originally from Knoxville and my sister lives in Seymour, so if I hear where one way may be bad, I can take alternatives.  321 is 4-lane most of the way (at least to where I turn off to her house).  I have also taken 640 to Western Avenue to Chapman Highway (Hwy 441) and gotten there that way.


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## sfwilshire

bestnana said:
			
		

> I travel from Atlanta to Knoxville/Seymour/Sevierville about 3 times a year and most of the time have taken 321 off I-40 through Maryville.  Actually, I am originally from Knoxville and my sister lives in Seymour, so if I hear where one way may be bad, I can take alternatives.  321 is 4-lane most of the way (at least to where I turn off to her house).  I have also taken 640 to Western Avenue to Chapman Highway (Hwy 441) and gotten there that way.



Good tips, except that I would have never thought of 640 to Western to Chapman (though I've gone that way in a pinch). There are two roads that run parallel to I40 into downtown. Kingston Pike is to the right of the Interstate and Middlebrook Pike is to the left (going east). Out west, you can take the Cedar Bluff, West Hills or Papermill exits and get over to either of them. Middlebrook is a bit tricky from West Hills or Papermill. You sort of have to know what you're doing. Either route east will take you to Chapman Hwy, though you have to make one right turn off Middlebrook. If you plan to be driving through Knoxville any time from about 7A - 6P, I'd try to find these routes on a map just in case. Of course, when the interstate gets backed up, these routes can as well.

Western Avenue/Oak Ridge Hwy is one more street over to the left from Middlebrook. It does lead directly into downtown, but once you've made it to 640, you're past most of the traffic problems anyway. If I got that far, I'd just stay on the Interstate and take the 17th street exit over to Chapman Hwy.

Sheila


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