a day / 82 miles / 2 hours 43 minutes
This route follows the original path of the Cherokee Warriors Path, the Wilderness Road across the Clinch Mountain and the Cumberland Gap, the Dixie Highway of the Civil War period and Thunder Road of moonshining lore.
Day 1
9:00 - 7.8 miles / 15 minutes - 9:15
To the south of Newport, the byway runs along the French Broad River, the third oldest river in the world, to the site of the Christy Mission in Del Rio. This site tells the story of a young woman who moved from Asheville to the mountains of Tennessee to serve as a school teacher. From the Catherine Marshall book came plays, a movie, and a TV
series offering both positive and negative images of Appalachia in the late 1800s. More than 10,000 visitors visit this site per year.9:15 - 50.1 miles / an hour 40 minutes - 10:55
Clinch Mountain was a part of the Wilderness Road and a barrier similar to Pine Mountain for settlers moving northward from the Carolinas. Today, this mountain offers spectacular views of lakes, valleys and the Great Smoky Mountains. Some interpretation is present. The Wilderness Road can still be seen at the base of Clinch Mountain. The road ran right up the mountain.
11:40 - 23.8 miles / 47 minutes - 12:28