Entry No. 24 — the Asheville file — filed under: abandoned
Road to Nowhere / Tunnel to Nowhere
When Fontana Dam flooded the north shore in the 1940s, Washington promised Swain County a new road to its drowned towns and cemeteries — then built six paved miles into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, bored a 1,200-foot tunnel through the ridge, hit acid-leaching Anakeesta rock in the 1970s, and quit. The county finally took a $52 million settlement in 2010, and the road keeps the name locals gave it. Today you drive up from Bryson City, park at the dead end, and walk the tunnel, which goes genuinely black at the center and opens onto trails past stone walls, rusted car frames, and the cemeteries of the displaced communities. Park staff still ferry descendants across Fontana Lake every Decoration Day to tend the graves.
→ Three more weird outdoor & roadside oddities in Asheville — never the same twice
The story
In 1943 the Tennessee Valley Authority completed Fontana Dam — 480 feet, the tallest in the eastern United States — to power the aluminum plants feeding the war effort. The reservoir behind it drowned the Little Tennessee River valley and the communities strung along the north shore: Proctor, Hazel Creek, Forney Creek. Hundreds of families lost homes, farms, and churches, and North Carolina Highway 288, the only road linking those communities to Bryson City, went under with everything else. The cemeteries stayed where they were, on the far side of the new water.
The deal was that the federal government would build a replacement road along the north shore, restoring access to the graves. Construction started in the 1960s and produced six paved miles and one 1,200-foot tunnel bored through a ridge before it stopped. Crews noticed snow melting unusually fast on the exposed rock and a strong sulfur smell in the cut; environmental review in the 1970s confirmed that blasting through the Anakeesta formation would leach acid into park streams, and remediation cost more than the road was worth. Swain County residents supplied the name that stuck: "Road to Nowhere — A Broken Promise." In 2010 the Department of the Interior settled for $52 million. Six years on, only a portion had been paid and the county sued for the rest; the final installment arrived in 2018, and the money is held by the state of North Carolina with the county drawing the interest.
What you actually visit is a dead end. Lakeview Drive climbs six miles out of Bryson City into Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ends at a small lot, and hands you a tunnel roughly a quarter mile long with no lighting in it whatsoever. Walk to the middle and the daylight behind you shrinks to a pinpoint. Out the far portal the pavement quits and the old roadbed becomes the Lakeshore Trail, running to Fontana Dam past crumbling stone walls, rusted car frames, and the graveyards of the drowned towns. Park staff still ferry descendants across Fontana Lake for Decoration Day so families can tend those graves.
What it's like
Everett Street out of downtown Bryson City becomes Lakeview Drive at the park boundary and climbs for about fifteen minutes through hardwoods with Fontana Lake flashing below — paved the whole way and fine for any vehicle. The lot at the end is small, and weekends and October fill it early. There is nothing there: no visitor center, no restrooms, no water, no ranger. The walk to the tunnel takes a couple of minutes; going through and back takes ten or so. It is genuinely black at the center, the floor is uneven, and phone flashlights are worse than you expect. Bring a real one, then switch it off for a minute in the middle, which is the actual reason people come. Sound carries absurdly well in there, so assume everyone hears whatever you say.
The move: Buy the $5 park parking tag online or in Bryson City, drive the six miles up in late afternoon, and split one flashlight between the two of you for the tunnel walk — then poke down the first stretch of the Lakeshore Trail beyond before heading back to downtown Bryson City for dinner.
📍 Before you go From downtown Bryson City, Everett Street becomes Lakeview Drive at the park boundary; the dead end is six winding miles up with only about 16 parking spaces, so weekends fill early. A $5 daily Great Smoky Mountains parking tag is required. The tunnel floor is uneven and completely unlit — bring real flashlights, not just phones. Open year-round, no gates; the 3.2-mile Goldmine Loop makes a good add-on if you have daylight left.
- 📍 Bryson City
- 💸 Free
- ⚡ Up for anything
- 🌗 Outdoors
Where: Lakeview Drive, Bryson City, NC 28713
Hours: Added 2026-08-25 — confirm current hours before you go.
Pair it with
- Judaculla Rock — Both are places where the record of who lived here first is written into the landscape rather than housed in a museum, and Cullowhee sits on the way back east — bring the same late-afternoon light strategy, since the carvings vanish under a noon sun.
- The American Museum of the House Cat — Sylva is the natural stop between Bryson City and the drive home, and a $10 room of Victorian cat art staffed by resident shelter cats is the correct tonal antidote to a tunnel built over displaced graves.
More weird in Asheville
Good to know
How do I get there from Bryson City?
From downtown, Everett Street turns into Lakeview Drive at the park boundary, and the dead end is six winding miles up. The road is paved and well maintained, so no special vehicle is needed. Note that there are no services, restrooms, or water past the Bryson City town limits — fuel up and use the facilities before you leave town.
Is there a fee?
Entry to the park is free, but a Great Smoky Mountains parking tag is required to leave a vehicle at the trailhead: $5 daily, $15 weekly, or $40 annual. Buy it in advance online or at a park visitor center, or at the pay station at the lot.
Do I really need a flashlight?
Yes. The tunnel is roughly a quarter mile long, completely unlit, and the floor is uneven. A phone screen is not adequate — bring an actual flashlight or headlamp per person, ideally with a spare set of batteries.
What is worth hiking beyond the tunnel?
The Goldmine Loop, about three miles, starts a half mile past the tunnel and makes a manageable day hike through second-growth forest. The Lakeshore Trail begins at the far portal and follows the old roadbed all the way to Fontana Dam. Half a mile before the road ends, the Noland Creek Trail branches south toward the lake and is popular with trout anglers.
When should I go, and are there seasonal quirks?
It is open year-round with no gates. October is the peak for the hardwoods and Fontana Lake views, and also when the small lot fills fastest — arrive early or come late in the afternoon. The road is a favorite with cyclists, who face a strenuous uphill, so watch for them on the descent.
Plan a visit & invite your people →
Further reading: Official site · nctripping.com · visitnc.com
last checked: 2026-08-25