Foothills Parkway Ride (North) Bike Climb - PJAMM Cycling

0.3
FIETS
31.7 mi
DISTANCE
4,367 ft
GAINED
-0.32 %
AVG. GRADE

FULL CLIMB STATS

Page Contributor(s): Tom and Carla Morton, Garland, Indiana

INTRO

The Foothills Parkway is a scenic and peaceful 32 mile ride in the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains. This ride begins at Chilhowee Lake and includes three rises with a total elevation gain of 4,915' until reaching Wears Valley at the northern end of the Parkway.  There are nineteen scenic but unnamed overlooks along the Foothills Parkway.  

There are four ascents along this 32 mile route:  (a) 4.5 miles at 4.2% at the beginning of the climb, (b) 1.5 miles at 5.4% beginning at mile 8.5, (c) 3.1 miles at 5.8% beginning at mile 14.8, and (d) 3.2 miles beginning at mile 19.2 averaging 4.6%.  

See more details and tools regarding this climb's grade via the “Profile Tool” button.
Roadway: This is a two lane road in excellent condition with a narrow shoulder throughout most of the ride.

Traffic: Mild.

Parking: On the side of the road at the start of the climb (MapStreet View). 
Provisions:  At Marathon Gas at the start of the climb or in Townsend at the mid-point (4.5 miles south of Walland on Highway 321: Map), or 3.7 miles west of the finish at the Highway 129 store next to the helipad to medivac Tail of the Dragon victims 🤕 (Map; Street View), or seven miles west at Dragon 318 Market (Map). 
Before heading out on any cycling adventure check out our Things to Bring on a Cycling Trip and use our interactive check list to ensure you don't forget anything.
A scenic and challenging cycling route is to ride Foothills Parkway as an out-and-back, which is 63 miles gaining 8,370' (Map). 

Use the “Routes in Area” button on the menu bar to see other bike climbs in this area. 

ROUTE MAP

MEMBER RATING

Not Yet Rated
-
Road
-
Traffic
-
Scenery

CURRENT WEATHER

PJAMM TRIPS ADVENTURE STARTER BUNDLES

Check out PJAMM Adventure's prepackaged (self-guided) cycling trips. They will help you plan, document and conquer your next adventure.
ALL TRIPS
Browse all of our prepackaged trips and find your next adventure!
Smoky Mountain National Park
United States (NC,TN)
17 ROUTES
31 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
181.8
mi
DISTANCE
34,253
ft
ELEV. GAIN
The Blue Ridge Parkway (North)
United States (NC,TN,VA)
38 ROUTES
70 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
716.5
mi
DISTANCE
75,697
ft
ELEV. GAIN
The Blue Ridge Parkway (South)
United States (NC,TN,VA)
30 ROUTES
63 POIs
ROUTE STATS (TOTAL)
690.7
mi
DISTANCE
74,180
ft
ELEV. GAIN

NEARBY CLIMBS (0) RADIAL PROXIMITY

FROM
No Climbs Found

MEMBER REVIEWS & COMMENTS

Let us know what you thought of this climb. Signup for our FREE membership to write a review or post a comment.
Already have an account?
ROUTE MAP
PROFILE TOOL
Route Data
S.G. (%)
hide
Segment Data
hide

Climb Profile Not Found
CLIMB SUMMARY

Cycling Foothills Parkway

This is a national parkway traversing the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains just north of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Parkway is supposed to be 72 miles long, but its construction has stalled since it was approved in 1944 and less than half has been completed.  

        

Thank you Tom and Carla!!

Access to full Climb Summary requires a PJAMM Cycling PRO Membership!

It takes less than a minute to sign up & with your PRO membership you can:
  • Rate climbs, post comments and share your experiences on any of our climb pages
  • Create bucket lists of climbs & mark the dates you complete them
  • Weather data for all climbs - Start & Finish
  • Upload photos to your member page to customize your PJAMM Cycling experience
  • Utilize all of our interactive tools - Profile & Routes in Area
  • Download climb route .gpx files
LEARN MORE
SIGN UP

Already have an account? LOG IN HERE