Cherohala Skyway
Cherohala Skyway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by TDOT & NCDOT | |
| Length | 43 mi (69 km) |
| Existed | October 11, 1996[1]–present |
| Component highways | |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| States | Tennessee, North Carolina |
| Counties | Monroe, TN; Graham, NC |
| Highway system | |
The Cherohala Skyway is a 43-mile (69 km) National Scenic Byway and National Forest Scenic Byway that starts in Tellico Plains, Tennessee and ends in Robbinsville, North Carolina. It is located in the southeastern United States. Its name is a portmanteau of Cherokee and Nantahala, the two national forests through which it connects. Along with multiple vistas and overlooks, the skyway provides easy vehicular access to various protected and recreational areas of the Unicoi Mountains, including the Citico Creek Wilderness, the Bald River Gorge Wilderness, and the remote interior of the Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest.
Planning for the Cherohala Skyway began in 1958 and the road was completed on October 12, 1996, at a final cost of about $100,000,000. The western (or Tennessee) half of the skyway follows Tennessee State Route 165 for nearly 25 miles (40 km) from Tellico Plains to the state line at Stratton Gap. The eastern (or North Carolina) half follows North Carolina Highway 143 for just over 18 miles (29 km) from Stratton Gap to Robbinsville. The skyway gains over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) in elevation, rising from a low point of just under 900 feet (270 m) at Tellico Plains to a high point of just over 5,400 feet (1,600 m) on the slopes of Haw Knob near the Tennessee-North Carolina state line. The North Carolina half of the skyway terminates near the south shore of Lake Santeetlah.
Route description[edit]
The Cherohala Skyway is a state-maintained highway. It is a 2-laned road with wide shoulders and 15 scenic overlooks. Along the way you can expect minimum cell phone coverage and limited toilet facilities. There are picnic sites, trailheads for hiking, and a wide variety of traffic types ranging from motor homes to bicycles. Some grades are as steep as 9% along the skyway. The trip across the skyway takes about 2 hours. It is approximately 25 miles long in Tennessee and 19 miles long in North Carolina. Food and fuel are available in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and in Robbinsville, North Carolina.
Skyway highlights[edit]
- Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center and Charles Hall Museum (Mile 43)
- Forest Service Road 210/River Road (Mile 39) to Tellico District Ranger Station and Bald River Falls
- Forest Service Road 345/Indian Boundary Road (Mile 29) to Indian Boundary Lake campground
- Turkey Creek Overlook (Mile 27)
- Lake View Overlook (Mile 25)
- Falls Branch Falls Trail (Mile 21) — short trail through a patch of old growth forest to a 55-foot (17 m) cascade waterfall
- Unicoi Crest (Mile 18) — Tennessee-North Carolina state line, view of the Tellico River valley
- Cherohala Skyway Welcome Plaza (Mile 17) — picnic area; connection to Forest Service Roads 81/Old Santeetlah Road and 217/North River Road
- Stratton Ridge (Mile 16) — picnic area; Benton MacKaye Trail access
- Big Junction Overlook (Mile 12) — View south from the 5,235-foot (1,596 m) gap between Haw Knob and Big Junction
- Santeetlah Overlook (Mile 11) — 5,390-foot (1,640 m) view of the upper Santeetlah Creek watershed
- Hooper Bald (Mile 10) — short trail to the summit of Hooper Bald (elev. 5,429 ft or 1,655 m)
- Huckleberry Knob (Mile 9) — short trail to the summit of Huckleberry Knob (elev. 5,560 ft or 1,690 m)
- Shute Cove (Mile 3) — picnic area
- Hooper Cove (Mile 2) — picnic area
- Santeetlah Gap (Mile 0) — junction with Kilmer Road, which accesses Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest
History[edit]
As you travel around the mountain curves to peaks of more than 5,000 feet, you may marvel at the engineering feat of building such a road. The history of the road is a long winding story that began in 1958. In the spring of that year the Tellico Plains Kiwanis Club members were talking about the need for a road connecting the people of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina.
"A highway that would enable their youngsters to search for the reality inside the dreams of their parents. A highway that would allow bright young men and women to expand their horizons beyond the noble mountains of their birth. They would travel to places beyond the horizon, then bring the lessons they learned home to the mountains. Rural villages would grow in knowledge and education, while retaining the values of the past." (Taken from Wagon Train: 30 Years Across the Far Blue Mountains by Jim Thompson).
Charles Hall was one of the men at that Kiwanis Club meeting and remained a driving force behind the push for the road, until the dedication of the Cherohala Skyway in 1996.
"I had a lot of good help on this," Hall said. "I didn’t do it alone, I was just the one out front." Hall said during that Kiwanis meeting in April 1958, Sam Williams suggested they organize a wagon train to draw attention to the need for a road, "Since our roads are only fit for covered wagons." "We laughed at Sam a little while then got serious," said Hall. On July 4, 1958, 67 covered wagons and 325 horseback riders made the 42-mile trek to Murphy, N.C. The wagon train attracted the attention the men hoped it would and during its 30-year history was chronicled by local and national media. The route varied from year to year with the train making its way through small towns such as Tellico Plains and Robbinsville, Murphy, Hayesville, Franklin, Andrews and Bryson City, N.C.
It was on the 1960 wagon train, that then Robbinsville Mayor Smith Howell made the first announcement that the road connecting the two states would run from Tellico Plains to Robbinsville. Coincidentally, the 1960 wagon train remained the largest ever with 105 wagons and 776 horseback riders.
In 1962 Hall and several other men went before Congress to ask for money for the project. They had discovered the road could be built entirely on federal land, with it traveling through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests. The name Cherohala comes from combining the names of the two national forests. Later that year the Federal Highway Administration made the first appropriation for the road, but it was still a long way from becoming a reality. "After we got the first appropriation, it fell back to us to keep the wagon train going and the money coming in," Hall said. By 1967, the 10th anniversary of the Wagon Train, the road was finally under construction. As the Wagon Train ventured out on its annual journey in 1982, more contracts were being let for construction of the road and the Cherohala Commission had been appointed to promote and plan the new highway. Hall said construction was delayed for about 13 years while they worked with 21 environmental groups who had concerns about the road. But finally on Oct. 12, 1996, the road was dedicated and is now designated a National Scenic Byway. Hall’s wife, Billie Nell, said her husband was like the "Little engine that could" in his efforts to draw attention to the need for the road and seeing it through to completion. Hall said what is important to him is "the satisfaction of knowing it is done and is going to be enjoyed by so many people."
Mia Rhodarmer, Editor Monroe County Advocate & Democrat
References[edit]
- ^ "History of the Cherohala Skyway". Monroe County. Retrieved November 25, 2014.
External links[edit]
Media related to Cherohala Skyway at Wikimedia Commons- Cherohala.org - official website
- Monroe County Tourism - Cherohala Skyway info, photos, maps, visitor info
- Drive Among The Clouds - pictures, maps, and information
- Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center: A Dream Come True! Archived 2006-10-09 at the Wayback Machine - the building and dedication of the TN Visitor Center in Monroe County.
- Cherohala.com - commercial site with much good information, history, maps, and pictures.
- Tail of the Dragon - tips and information on driving the Cherohala
