Cherohala Skyway, NC-143 / TN-165

Driving

by Plot Along: Appalachia

A 43-mile National Scenic Byway climbing over the Unicoi Mountains between Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and Robbinsville, North Carolina. The name fuses the two national forests it crosses, the Cherokee and the Nantahala. If the Tail of the Dragon is tight and frantic, the Cherohala is its wider, calmer cousin: long high-altitude sweepers with mile-high overlooks. It took 34 years and roughly $100 million to build.

The road tops out above 5,400 feet and stays on the ridgeline for miles. A string of named overlooks, among them Santeetlah, Hooper Bald, and Stratton Ridge, look out over folded blue ranges with almost no development in sight. Because it climbs so high, fall color and spring greenup run a couple of weeks behind the valleys.

There are no gas stations or services across the full 43 miles between the two towns, so fuel up before you start. The skyway is open year-round, though the high section can close or ice over in winter. Most riders and drivers come for spring through fall.

Learn more: en.wikipedia.org

Tellico Plains
The Tennessee gateway at the western end, where TN-165 leaves the Tellico River valley and begins the climb. Last reliable fuel and food before the 43-mile run. The visitor center here is the traditional start.
Stratton Ridge Overlook
A high pull-off along the ridgeline near the state line, one of the spots that sits above a mile in elevation.
Whig Cove Overlook
A west-facing overlook on the Tennessee side of the crest, looking back down the drainages toward the Tellico River.
Santeetlah Overlook
At roughly 5,390 feet, the highest overlook on the skyway, named for Lake Santeetlah far below in the North Carolina valley.
Hooper Point Overlook
A North Carolina-side overlook near Hooper Bald, looking out over the Snowbird and Unicoi ranges with no roads or buildings in the view.
Shute Cove Overlook
One of the last overlooks before the skyway begins its long descent toward Robbinsville, looking down into Shute Cove.
Robbinsville
The North Carolina terminus, a small Graham County town in the Snowbird Mountains. The route ends downtown at the corner of N Main and E Main streets, a short hop from US-129 and the Tail of the Dragon, the natural pairing for a Cherohala-and-Dragon weekend.

Tellico Plains

Stratton Ridge Overlook

Whig Cove Overlook

Santeetlah Overlook

Hooper Point Overlook

Shute Cove Overlook

Robbinsville