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All the United States North Carolina Bryson City The Road to Nowhere

The Road to Nowhere

This road in the Great Smoky Mountains was supposed to assuage a displaced community, but ended up a $52 million dead end.

Bryson City, North Carolina

Added By
ashleeweeks
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Tunnel at the end of the road.   Washuotaku/CC BY-SA 4.0
Tunnel at the end of the road.   Washuotaku/CC BY-SA 4.0
It’s been a long and winding road.   David Haas/National Park Service/public domain
Once on the other side, the road just ends.   Bureau of Public Roads/Library of Congress/public domain
Great Smoky Mountains National Park entrance on Lakeview Drive (aka “Road to Nowhere”).   Washuotaku/CC BY-SA 4.0
Welcome sign in the tunnel.  
The tunnel opening on the far side.  
The Calhoun home is all that remains of the abandoned town of Proctor on the north side of Fontana Lake.   Brian Stansberry/CC BY 3.0
The entrance to the tunnel.  
The tunnel at the end of the road.  
The never-used road on the other side of the tunnel.  
Fontana Dam, the cause of all the headaches.   TVA Web Team/CC BY 2.0
End of the road, where the pavement turns into gravel trail. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the tunnel. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Inside the tunnel. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Graffiti located inside the tunnel at the entrance on the left side. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Exterior shot of the tunnel, looking west. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Road leading into the tunnel. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Fontana Lake Overlook   jimmysoda / Atlas Obscura User
Road to Nowhere Tunnel  
  blackmonautomotive / Atlas Obscura User
Just so you can see the size of this place!   blackmonautomotive / Atlas Obscura User
  blackmonautomotive / Atlas Obscura User
Entrance   blackmonautomotive / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
  notquitewonderwoman / Atlas Obscura User
  notquitewonderwoman / Atlas Obscura User
Tunnel entrance  
It’s a long tunnel.  
Sign at the beginning,  
  notquitewonderwoman / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Posts that block cars from entering the tunnel, small parking lot not pictured to the right. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
At the end of the tunnel looking back towards the entrance. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Graffiti located at the entrance in the tunnel on the right side. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
9/28/2019   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Shot of the tunnel looking east. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Shot of the tunnel looking east. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
Where the gravel trail begins. (9/28/2019)   exploringwithesch / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Update as of November 2023: The road is closed for renovations until 2024.

The Fontana Dam, rising high above the Little Tennessee River in western North Carolina, is the tallest dam in the eastern United States. It was a long and winding road to getting the dam built, and what was lost during the journey can be seen in the nearby “Road to Nowhere.”

Fontana Dam was built in 1941, on land given over to the Tennessee Valley Authority by the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA). The United States' entry into World War II meant a huge spike in the demand for aluminum for aircraft, ships, and munitions, so a deal was struck for the TVA to build the dam with ALCOA as the primary consumer. With a readymade customer in the U.S. War Department, the aluminum company stood to benefit from all that hydroelectric power coming in.

The people that did not benefit were the flooded-out communities along the banks of the rising water. Where there had previously been small towns, villages, and homesteads along the north side of the river, there was now Fontana Lake, and the people who lived and worked there were either bought out or moved off.

To assuage those being displaced, part of the dam deal was to build a road from Bryson City to Deals Gap along a route north of the river. It was intended not only to allow people to make the journey but to provide ongoing access to their ancestral lands and cemeteries. The road was to be cut through the newly created Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

The people were moved, the water rose, and by the 1970s—30 years after the original agreement was made—only a small portion of the road was built. This small section, still there today, is about seven miles long and ends abruptly at a quarter-mile tunnel in the park, in the middle of nowhere. 

The road was never finished due to environmental concerns: someone noticed that snowflakes melted unusually quickly on the newly exposed rock, as well as a strong smell of sulfur. The rock had the potential to turn runoff acidic, threatening wildlife in nearby streams. The only solution was to stop construction. 

The road sat unfinished for decades, and finally, the U.S. Department of Interior agreed to pay a consolation prize of $52 million to Swain County in lieu of building the road. As of 2016 only $12 million had been paid, and the county filed a lawsuit for the remainder of the promised money. In 2018, the last payment was made in the settlement; the funds are held by the state of North Carolina and Swain County receives interest on the settlement money. 

As for the road itself, it will remain as it is now: going nowhere. It’s no wonder one landowner has maintained a now-iconic sign:

“Welcome to the Road to Nowhere—a broken promise! 1943 - ? →”

Related Tags

National Parks Tunnels Abandoned Dams Roads Subterranean Sites

Know Before You Go

From Bryson City, follow Everett Street/Fontana Road north out of town, and stay on Fontana Road until you come to the entrance to Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Once in the park, the road becomes Lakeview Drive East. Follow the winding road for about 6 miles until you cross a bridge over Nolands Creek, and there is a parking area next to a barricade. From there it’s a short walk to the tunnel, which is about a quarter-mile long—longer than it looks from the outside. It's dark in there, so bring a flashlight. “Nowhere” is on the other side, along with some beautiful trails and views. The abandoned site of Proctor is about a 10-mile hike from here; follow National Park Service trail maps for all trails and connections inside the park.

Community Contributors

Added By

ashleeweeks

Edited By

Blindcolour, Meg, exploringwithesch, notquitewonderwoman...

  • Blindcolour
  • Meg
  • exploringwithesch
  • notquitewonderwoman
  • blackmonautomotive
  • jimmysoda
  • wilfol1

Published

June 29, 2016

Edit this listing

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Sources
  • http://ncpedia.org/road-nowhere
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakeview_Drive
  • http://www.nationalparkstraveler.com/2011/12/trails-ive-hiked-lake-shore-loop-great-smoky-mountains-national-park9194
  • https://www.brysoncityoutdoors.com/2015/03/13/the-road-to-nowhere/
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_Creek_(Great_Smoky_Mountains)
The Road to Nowhere
Lakeview Drive East
Bryson City, North Carolina, 28713
United States
35.459071, -83.537915
Visit Website
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Nearby Places

Kuwohi

Bryson City, North Carolina

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Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Bryson City

Bryson City

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Places 3

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