Visit Bryson City for the Best Scenic Drives in the Smoky Mountains
Make Bryson City NC your home base for a mountain vacation, and get ready to enjoy some of the most scenic roads in the country. You’ll love our curvy mountain roads with endless mountain vistas, sparkling rivers and creeks, lush forests and peaceful valleys.
Our most well-known drives take you through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Nantahala Gorge, to Fontana Dam, on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the Cherohala Skyway, down The Road to Nowhere, and along the infamous Dragon at Deals Gap. Yet there are plenty of side trips down country roads that take you to that perfect picnic spot or fishing hole – or just a drive for the joy of the journey.
Explore the Smokies in a rental SXS including Honda, Yamaha and Polaris brands. Luxury vehicles also available. Learn about UTV rentals
Swain County and Great Smoky Mountains National Park Road Map with Activities
Click or Tap to enlarge
Seven Scenic Side Trips From Bryson City
Click or tap below for more information.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Oconaluftee to Sugarlands to Cades Cove
Road to Nowhere
Lakeview Drive, north of Bryson City
Blue Ridge Parkway
Cherokee to Asheville
'The Fugitive' Escape Day Trip
Visit WNC’s signature lakes, rivers and dams.
The Dragon and More
318 curves and two dams
Roads in WNC Rated Tops for Motorcycles
USA Today “10 great motorcycle routes across America” featured The Great Smoky Mountains National Park and included The Dragon at Deal’s Gap, The Blue Ridge Parkway, and the Cherohala Skyway Loop. Read more
American Motorcyclist Association also named these three among the top 15 best in America to ride.
Other media mentions about Bryson City and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
IN OUR BLOG
Guide to Five Scenic Roads to View Fall Foliage in the Smokies
With our varied elevations, you should be able to find beautiful color no matter when you visit in the fall.