Top 5 Roads For Autumn Views In The Tennessee Smokies

We have two cold snaps in the Smokies that transition us from Summer to Autumn. The first takes us from higher 80s and 90s to the 70s with some low 80s in there with lows that go into the 50s. The second cold snap takes us into the higher 50s and lower 60s with lows that border on the 30s. By Halloween, looking for snow at the tops of the highest mountains around us is perfectly reasonable.

Why is this sudden burst of meteorology important to Wranglers & Razors? Because both those cold snaps are what’s required for the famous Fall colors of the Smokies to bloom. The first cold snap provides the colors here on the “ground level”, the second is what’s required to see the mountains miles and miles away turn into great mounds of colors. As of writing right now, we have already had our first cold snap (and sooner than unusual), so now is a good time to recommend some of our top 5 roads to take our vacation vehicles on to get those Autumn vibes going!

1. Newfound Gap Road (Gatlinburg to Cherokee)
The obvious first choice for any road trip is our famous road connecting Gatlinburg to Cherokee, NC. This is a drive lasting slightly more than an hour, going directly into and through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offers, bar none, the BEST views of the mountains anywhere in the Tennessee Smokies. Many hiking trails, two visitors’ centers and one of the best places to see wildlife in the mountains can be found on Newfound Gap Road.

2. Gatlinburg Arts and Crafts Community Loop
Not officially a driving tour road, the roadways that connect to and through the Arts and Crafts Community have a certain magic all their own, bordering on “Tolkienesque” as you drive through a truly unique series of shopping centers, generations-old store locations, high and deep mountain forestry, and even the occasional mini-lake on the roads that surround here. Notably, you can connect to Pigeon Forge, Sevierville and Pittman Center with much less traffic through this roadway.

3. Pittman Center to Cosby, TN.
Speaking of Pittman Center, this is another great idea for a trip through a less developed part of the area with a variety of locations, views and off-the-beaten-path stuff all its own (while still being a major roadway, to some irony). There are some worthwhile local eateries, communities, markets and a pretty funky bookstore along the way to the other main gateway to the Smoky Mountains with Cosby, TN.

4. Wears Valley to Townsend, TN.
On the literal other side of the mountain, we have the unincorporated community of Wears Valley. Like Pittman Center, this is a major roadway with occasional bursts of industry and restaurants that are almost entirely locally made and run, many interesting and authentic markets and both thick forestry and long stretches of valley plains while the protecting wall of Appalachia surrounds. This is a 20-30 minute drive from Pigeon Forge to Townsend.

5. Foothills Parkway In Wears Valley
Finally, the newest addition to the list, the Wears Valley section of the Foothills Parkway was completed in 2018 and offers a high elevation drive strikingly similar to Newfound Gap. If you thought the mountains in Wears Valley looked great from down below, you will barely your eyes seeing them from high up in one of our razors! This section of the Foothills Parkway will connect to Townsend, TN.