Upper South

States: Tennessee

Start near: Chattanooga (starts here) · Knoxville (about 45 min to Gatlinburg) · Asheville (about 1 h 20 min to Gatlinburg)

The Overhill Country

Ocoee whitewater to the peaceful side of the Smokies

The Overhill Country is a ~175-mile back-roads route from Chattanooga to Gatlinburg on US 64, TN 68, US 411 and US 321, driven in 2 days, that stays off I-75 through the Upper South.

Open the interactive map →

Drive

Chattanooga → Gatlinburg

Distance

~175 miles

Time

2 days

Highways

US 64 · TN 68 · US 411 · US 321

Avoids

I-75

Region

Upper South

The mountains between Chattanooga and the Smokies that I-75 skips entirely — named for the Overhill Cherokee towns whose drowned capitals gave Tennessee its name. Olympic whitewater in the Ocoee Gorge, a man-made copper-mining desert, America's largest underground lake, the bacon shrine at Benton's, and Sequoyah's birthplace — landing on the Smokies' quiet side before Pigeon Forge turns the volume up. Lookout Mountain's Civil War heights launch the whole run.

📍 Tennessee's Overhill heritage region keeps its own trail markers; Cherokee history signage runs the Tellico corridor.

The drive, segment by segment

The Ocoee & the Copper Basin

Chattanooga → Tellico Plains · ~75 mi

Out past Lookout Mountain's battle heights and up the Ocoee Gorge — 1996 Olympic whitewater frothing beside the road — to Ducktown's eerie reclaimed moonscape, then north on TN 68 through gold-panning country to Tellico Plains.

• ⚔️Point Park & Missionary Ridge — Chattanooga

  November 1863: the Battle Above the Clouds took Lookout Mountain's brow, and the next day Union troops stormed Missionary Ridge without orders and broke the siege. Point Park's overlook is the war with a view; the Cravens House clings below.

• 🌿Ocoee Whitewater Center — Ocoee, TN

  The 1996 Olympic slalom course — the only Olympic whitewater venue on a natural river — still runs guided rafts spring through fall. The gorge road shoulders the rapids the whole way.

• 🛸Ducktown & the Copper Basin — Ducktown, TN

  A century of copper smelting killed fifty square miles so completely the red moonscape was visible from orbit — astronauts used it as a landmark. Now mostly regreened; the Burra Burra mine museum tells the strange whole of it.

Overhill Towns & the Quiet Smokies

Tellico Plains → Gatlinburg · ~100 mi

Sequoyah's birthplace on the drowned Cherokee capitals, the Lost Sea's underground boats, bacon worth a detour from anywhere at Benton's — then Townsend's 'peaceful side' and the plunge into Pigeon Forge's glitter.

• 🏘️Tellico Plains — Tellico Plains, TN

  The mountain town at the Cherohala Skyway's foot — 43 mile-high miles to Robbinsville if you take the spur. Bald River Falls is a short drive up the Tellico for a 90-foot roadside plunge.

• 🏛️Sequoyah Birthplace Museum — Vonore, TN

  The genius who invented the Cherokee syllabary — the only known person to create a writing system alone — born here among the Overhill towns. Chota and Tanasi, the capitals that named Tennessee, lie under the lake just offshore; their memorials stand at the water.

• 🌿The Lost Sea — Sweetwater, TN

  America's largest underground lake — four-plus acres of it, toured by glass-bottom boat past rare cave flowers, 140 feet down. The rainbow trout below the boats are descendants of a stocking experiment; they're doing fine.

• 🍽️Benton's Smoky Mountain Country Hams — Madisonville, TN

  Allan Benton's cinderblock smokehouse supplies the bacon and prosciutto-grade country ham to half of America's great restaurants — and sells it to you at the counter for gas-station prices. The smell alone reroutes road trips.

• 🏘️Townsend — Townsend, TN

  'The peaceful side of the Smokies': tubing the Little River, Tuckaleechee Caverns' 210-foot Big Room, and the back door to Cades Cove without the parkway crawl.

• 🎬Pigeon Forge & the Old Mill — Pigeon Forge, TN

  Dolly's empire in full neon — Dollywood, dinner shows, go-kart canyons — wrapped around the 1830 Old Mill still grinding by the river. Embrace it for one evening; Gatlinburg and the park gate wait ten minutes on.

Tips and best time to go

• Ocoee rafting releases are dam-scheduled — check TVA release days before promising anyone whitewater.
• Benton's closes mid-afternoon and Saturday lines form early; a cooler in the trunk is not optional.
• This route hands off to the Blue Ridge Parkway at Cherokee via Newfound Gap — or back west to Highway 64 at Chattanooga.

Frequently asked questions

How long is The Overhill Country and how many days does it take?

The Overhill Country is about 175 miles and takes 2 days at a back-roads pace.

Where does The Overhill Country start and end?

It runs from Chattanooga to Gatlinburg.

Which highways does The Overhill Country follow?

It follows US 64, TN 68, US 411 and US 321.

Which interstate does The Overhill Country replace?

It avoids I-75, using US 64, TN 68, US 411 and US 321 instead.

How many stops are on The Overhill Country, and what are the highlights?

9 stops are mapped, including Point Park & Missionary Ridge, Ocoee Whitewater Center, Ducktown & the Copper Basin, Tellico Plains and Sequoyah Birthplace Museum.

Worth a detour

• Fields of the Wood — Murphy, NC: the Ten Commandments spelled out in 30-foot letters across a mountainside — drive-up biblical land art, free, astonishing.
• Bald River Falls — A 90-foot waterfall you can see from the car window on the Tellico River road.
• Foothills Parkway — The 'missing link' section finished in 2018 — the best Smokies panorama per gallon anywhere, between Walland and Wears Valley.

Spurs & side-roads

• The Lost Sea (Sweetwater)
• Cherohala Skyway