The Road to Nowhere, Bryson City, NC

The “Road to Nowhere” tunnel is one unique place in North Carolina you won’t soon forget. 

I know I’m not the only traveler out there who loves a good history lesson. But I do wonder if I’m the only one who tends to become slightly obsessed with a place when the story is interesting?

Much like reading a good book, when I travel I want to absorb everything about a place. I want to immerse myself in the characters, stand on the same piece of earth, and catch a glimpse of the lives, histories, and hardships of those who came before me.

Drawn by the name, and not really knowing what we would find, we darted off to find this “Road to Nowhere” on a whim. We set out looking for an adventure. Then, this overnight road trip took us on an unexpected journey of its own.

What is it?

Unassumingly nestled just outside of Bryson City, North Carolina, on what’s commonly known as the “quiet side” of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is the “Road to Nowhere” tunnel. What lies beyond still whispers its tales of sordid beginnings, loss, and betrayal. 

What seemed a little surreal to us was that the road to the tunnel, more officially known as Lake View Dr. E., looks like any other winding, twisting road that snakes through the area…that is until it comes to a literal and abrupt stop about eight miles outside of Bryson City.

Strange, huh? I thought so too..so I got curious.

A History Lesson

Clearly displayed just before the National Park boundary, this sign welcomes visitors to “The Road to Nowhere…A Broken Promise!…1943 – ?” 

What the…? At this point, I just had to know more.

Fontana Dam

In short, what I found out was that as early as 1910, the Aluminum Company of America (ALCOA) began obtaining properties along the Little Tennessee River with the intention of developing hydroelectric power.

The mid-thirties witnessed the creation of the TVA (whose objective was to develop the resources of the region) and the establishment of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

In 1941 ALCOA agreed to transfer all the land acquired for the Fontana Dam project to the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in exchange for dependable power.

1941 also marked the beginning of World War II. As aluminum became a critical component in the construction of ships, aircraft, and ammunition for the war, more electricity was needed in order to ramp up production. Urgency toward the completion of the dam intensified.

Construction began in 1942 and Fontana Dam was completed in 1944. 

**Thanks to Joe Kegley via Wildlife South Magazine, here is a more complete timeline.

The Broken Promise

So it is my understanding that the creation of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and the subsequent construction of Fontana Dam displaced more than 1,300 families in the area.

Once the dam was completed and the reservoir, now known as Fontana Lake, began to fill, NC Highway 288, the main passage through the area, was submerged along with many of the remaining ghost towns.

All that was left were cemeteries and ruins of several homesteads, logging operations, and mining towns. At some point, twenty-eight of these cemeteries were relocated to higher ground along the north shore of the newly formed lake.

The Federal Government had promised to replace NC 288 with a new road along the northern shoreline. Lake View Drive was to be the thirty-mile road that would connect Bryson City and Fontana and allow displaced citizens access to the graves of their loved ones.

A new road was constructed along the southern border of the lake. It is considered a continuation of NC 28 and runs all the way to US 129 near the Tennessee border.

On the North Shore road, construction began in 1947. One mile was completed. It seems that no more work was done until 1959 when the State of North Carolina fulfilled it’s part of the agreement and built the road from Bryson City to the National Park boundary. Then, beginning in 1963, the National Park Service constructed a 6 mile stretch of the proposed North Shore Road and a tunnel before halting construction in 1971 due to environmental concerns.

Certain sources say the environmental issues were resolved even though construction of the road was never resumed. Others seem to imply that construction was never resumed because, in order to continue, the cost of safely resolving the environmental issues would be too high.

Either way, the dispute continued for decades and the abandoned project eventually dubbed the “Road to Nowhere” by aggrieved locals.

Various attempts were made to resolve disputes over the 1943 agreement before it was finally settled in 2010 when the Federal Government agreed to pay Swain County, NC $52 million in lieu of replacing NC 288. The final payment was made in 2018.

Present Day

Today, the descendants of those buried in the cemeteries are only able to access the gravesites of their loved ones by trail or by crossing Fontana Lake by boat.

On weekends during the summer, the Park Service still ferries groups of Swain County residents across Fontana Lake to visit their old family cemeteries for Decoration Days and family reunions.

If you find all of this as fascinating as I do, check out Bryson City blogger Ashley Hackshaw’s post, “The Ghost Towns of Hazel Creek” where she tells her story of accompanying a local family on Decoration Day.

The Tunnel

The Road to Nowhere tunnel was pretty interesting in and of itself. I promise it’s much longer..and darker…than it first appears.

The acoustics are AMAZING! A family of seven came through behind us. Their singing and harmonizing in the echoing tunnel was such a fun and unique experience!

Graffiti adorns the walls on both sides. Some of it is pretty cool and of course, some is a bit distasteful.

• 

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No trip through a dark tunnel deep in the forest would be complete without alien graffiti, would it?

I later found out that the tunnel was actually one of the filming locations for “Alien Abduction”, a 2014 film about the Brown Mountain Lights Phenomenon of Western North Carolina.

Beyond the Tunnel

Beyond the tunnel, you’ll find a network of hiking trails, several backcountry campsites, and some of the most breathtaking views in the eastern United States.

On this trip, we just visited the tunnel but if I had known about the trails beforehand, I would have better prepared and been ready for a day of hiking and exploring.

We saw several people, including families with kids, wearing swimsuits and flip-flops, so I’m sure they were headed to the water.

On the trail map, it looks like there may be a spot to swim just a short hike in on Goldmine Loop trail.

The Trails

• Lakeshore Trail – 33.5 miles, runs to Fontana Dam
• Goldmine Loop Trail – 3-mile loop, Easy to Moderate, Most popular for day hikers, features the tunnel, a small Fontana Lake inlet, and remnants of old farms
• Tunnel Bypass Trail – .4 miles, skips the tunnel, provides access to Lakeshore Trail and the Goldmine Loop Trail
• Noland Creek Trail North – 8.4 miles total (in and out), easy to moderate, accessible via Noland Creek parking lot, features a creek, bridges, remnants of old farms
• Noland Creek Trail South – 2 miles total (in and out), Easy, features creek, access to Fontana Lake

Download Trail Map

Getting There

From Main St. in Bryson City, turn onto Everett St. Everett St. becomes Fontana Rd. Follow Fontana Rd. until it turns into Lake View Dr. E. at the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Resources:

• https://www.greatsmokies.com/road-nowhere/
• http://www.wildlifesouth.com/Locations/NorthCarolina/NC288-FontanaDam-TheRoadToNowhere.html
• http://digital.ncdcr.gov/cdm/ref/collection/p16062coll4/id/24240
• https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-road-to-nowhere-bryson-city-north-carolina
• https://www.ncpedia.org/road-nowhere
• https://blueridgemountainlife.com/road-to-nowhere-bryson-city-nc/