This Budget Tennessee Road Trip Offers Danger and Scenery

Are you looking for a Tennessee road trip that offers scenery and danger? The perfect road trip travels on Hwy. 411, the Cherohala Skyway, Hwy. 129 'the dragon' and through two national forests. Travelers will journey, along a national scenic byway, past lakes, rivers and historic sites. My family took about six hours to drive this road trip. It was so much fun that we are already planning trip number two.

Our journey began in Etowah, a small Tennessee railroad town. It is directly on scenic Hwy 411 and is called the 'Gateway to the Cherokee National Forest'. It was the perfect starting point for our road trip. The Etowah Chamber of Commerce gave us maps of the area and brochures for the Cherokee National Forest. We were able to get gas for the car there and buy picnic supplies from a local grocery store.

Getting to the Cherokee National Forest from Etowah couldn't be simpler. Our family took Hwy. 411 North and followed the sign pointing toward to the Cherokee National Forest. From there, we drove about half an hour to the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center in Tellico Plains, TN. Staff at the center told us what to expect on this portion of our Tennessee road trip.

The folks at the Cherohala Skyway Visitors Center urged us to fill our gas tank before leaving Tellico Plains. The next gas station is out of Tennessee across the state line in Robbinsville, NC. We double checked the gas gauge. It was nearly full from the recent fill up.

Our family has taken the auto tour of the Cherohala Skyway before. It gives stunning views of the Cherokee National Forest and becomes more beautiful on every trip. We snapped photos at the overlooks on the road trip. Then we headed for a picnic ground at the Indian Boundary Campground and recreation area. The $3 fee here is the only fee we had on the road trip.

This stop on the Tennessee road trip offers lakefront swimming and a boat launch. The promised campsites have space for tents and RV's plus the Indian Boundary Campground has a well shaded picnic area.

The Cherohala Skyway in the Cherokee National Forest is a fun Tennessee road trip because other travelers are usually in a good mood. At scenic overlooks, we saw several groups of vacationing motorcyclists and several families on their own adventure. Snapping photos was the game of the day. Everyone was friendly and made small talk while doing so.

It didn't take long to exit the Cherokee National Forest in on our Tennessee road trip and enter the Nantahala National Forest in NC. The two lush forests offer stunning scenery, unimaginable vistas. Robbinsville, NC is just a few miles from this point. We topped off the tank there and grabbed a quick snack at McDonald's. Then we steered our car toward onto Hwy. 129S (locally called Tapoco Road) and back into Tennessee.

Like most roads, this portion of Hwy. 129 is nice and flat. In a few minutes the road trip changes drastically. Tennessee is home to one of the most dangerous roads in the U.S. Our drive on the Hwy. 129 Dragon was about to begin!

The faint of heart need not apply for this Tennessee road trip. The Hwy. 129 dragon has 318 tight switchback curves and only 11 miles to drive them in. On a map, the road resembles the tail of a dragon thus lending Hwy 129 it's famous nickname.

This road trip is popular for motorcyclists, sports car drivers and the occasional minivan or SUV. It's a Tennessee road trip that takes no prisoners and leaves back seat passengers breathless. Maybe that's why I enjoy driving it so much?

All too soon the drive is over. The adventure of the Hwy. 129 dragon ends as calmly as it begins. The next few miles of this Tennessee road trip takes place along the calm shores of Chilhowee Lake. After the switchback the change is surreal.

Beyond Hwy. 129 we turned onto Hwy. 72 toward Vonore, TN. The town is worth its own road trip. It is home to the Tellico River, Fort Loudoun and the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum. It is also where we picked up Hwy. 411 and headed south where our Tennessee road trip began.

Hwy. 411 South took us through the small Tennessee towns of Madisonville and Englewood. Restaurants ranged from locally owned eateries to regional and nationally recognized chains. Gas stations dotted the landscape.

Before we knew it we arrived back in Etowah and our Tennessee road trip was at the end. Before heading in for the night we picked up sodas at the Bi-Lo grocery that we left six hours earlier. Our Tennessee road trip was a getaway that left us wanting more.