Car rental for the Foothills Parkway

The Foothills Parkway is one of the least-known drives in the region and one of the best. It was proposed as a scenic corridor around the entire perimeter of Great Smoky Mountains National Park — only two sections were built by 2018 when the western section (Walland to Chilhowee) was finally completed after decades of construction.

The western 11-mile section is the one worth making a trip for. It runs along a ridge on the south face of the Smokies with the mountains visible the entire route. No commercial traffic, no traffic lights, no driveways — just a two-lane parkway with pull-offs at every meaningful viewpoint. The speed limit is 35–45 mph, and the pavement is smooth and well-maintained.

The Chilhowee end connects to US-129, which puts you 20 miles from Deals Gap and Tail of the Dragon. Most guests who take the Foothills Parkway are either combining it with the Dragon (20 minutes from the western end) or using it as the final scenic segment of a Smokies day trip.

No car in the Drive865 fleet matches the Foothills Parkway better than the 1995 Mazda Miata. The road demands nothing more than 45 mph and a desire to look at mountains. The Miata's low seating position puts the windshield frame at eye level with the Smokies ridge — the mountains appear above the car, not through the glass. Top down, the sky is overhead and the sound is wind and the distant sound of a water gap. This is exactly the experience the road was designed for.

The Miata is also immediately adjacent to two other good things: the Dragon is 20 minutes west on US-129, and Cades Cove is 35 minutes east via the Chilhowee to Townsend route. A Foothills Parkway morning in the Miata, followed by a Cades Cove afternoon, is a complete East Tennessee day with one car.

There is also a shorter Eastern section of the Foothills Parkway near Cosby, Tennessee — about 5.5 miles connecting I-40 to US-321. It's paved and accessible but less dramatic than the western section. Most visitors prioritize the western Walland-to-Chilhowee segment.

The western section's northern terminus is at Chilhowee (elevation ~1,500 feet) and the southern terminus is at Walland, just off US-321. The Walland entrance is the most common starting point coming from TYS — take US-411 south toward Maryville, then US-321 east toward Townsend, and turn left onto the Parkway at the Walland sign.