Foothills Parkway West: Wears Valley–US 129 GPX

The drive

The western Foothills Parkway offers a ridge-side drive on the Tennessee side of the Smokies. This trace follows the connected paved western section from Wears Valley, past the Walland area, to US 129 near Chilhowee Lake.

The word West matters: Foothills Parkway is not one continuously completed road across the entire northern park boundary. This GPX excludes the separate eastern section near Cosby, proposed unbuilt sections and any connecting drive between them.

Plan viewpoints and breaks around legal parking. Look Rock is a possible separate stop, but its parking approach and walking trail are not a drive to the observation tower.

RevScore: this route's curviness

How these planning facts were checked

The OSRM car-routing model was checked against 100 points along this exact GPX, including its loop or segment shape—not simply the fastest route between the endpoints. The 1 h 5 min–1 h 40 min range uses rounded planning allowances of 15–75% above the model's no-live-traffic baseline. These allowances are not measured traffic statistics or a guarantee; allow extra time for lunch, photographs and other stops.

Terrain elevations were sampled at 100 points along the GPX using the USGS NED approximately 10-metre terrain dataset hosted by Open Topo Data (dataset snapshot: April 23, 2020). The displayed range is rounded to 50 feet / 10 metres. It is an approximate sampled range—not an exact road minimum/maximum, summit height or cumulative elevation gain. Terrain can differ from the road surface around tunnels, bridges and road cuts.

Facts checked October 11, 2026. Sources are linked under “Guide sources.” The original GPX remains an untimed map trace; these modeled facts are not recorded-drive measurements.

Driving notes

1. Drive within posted limits

   These are public roads shared with residents, cyclists, wildlife and other visitors—not closed courses. Stay in your lane and leave room for slower traffic.

2. Plan fuel and breaks separately

   Choose lawful meeting and parking places before departure. The road trace does not reserve parking or include attraction entrance roads, walking trails or lunch stops.

3. Western section only

   Do not interpret this trace as the entire proposed Foothills Parkway. It does not cross unfinished sections or connect directly to the Cosby section.

4. Check parking-tag requirements

   Great Smoky Mountains National Park generally requires a parking tag for stops longer than 15 minutes. Check current rules and exceptions before parking.

Places along the route

• Look Rock area

  Check the park’s current parking and trail information. The tower is reached on foot, not by this road GPX.

Questions drivers ask