The Road That Raised Me

This lesser-known drive offers the most breathtaking views in the Smoky Mountains

- CAMERON BEALL

AS A NATIVE of East Tennessee, I've found few parts of the South that have my heart like the Appalachian Mountains. Nearby Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg might be famous for tourist destinations such as Dollywood and the Ripley's attractions, but one of my favorite places is just beyond the back door of my childhood home in Walland, Tennessee.

A stone's throw from all the hustle and bustle, on the outskirts of Great Smoky Mountains National Park lies the Foothills Parkway, a quieter, uncrowded route that beckons with promises of tucked-away trails and grand vistas rivaling those on the Blue Ridge Parkway. The 33-mile-long road snakes across hills and valleys starting at U.S. 129 at Chilhowee Lake and emerging at U.S. 321 in Wears Valley.