Asheville to Gatlinburg drive: Best stops, distance & time
The best road trip stops on the Asheville to Gatlinburg drive are Waterville Lake, Hartford TN and the Foothills Parkway. The distance from Asheville to Gatlinburg by car is 86 miles, with a 1h36m driving time.
Planning an Asheville to Gatlinburg road trip itinerary
The Asheville to Gatlinburg drive takes you between mountain cities in North Carolina and Tennessee.
In the Blue Ridge Mountains, Asheville NC is one of the main gateways to the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is one of America’s best road trip routes.
But there’s more to Asheville than the mountains. It’s a buzzy city of arty shops, restaurants, breweries and live music venues. The River Arts District is particularly strong on the studios and galleries front. The lavish Biltmore Estate, meanwhile, is the country’s biggest privately-owned home.
Top Asheville experiences include after dark ghost walks, Blue Ridge Parkway hiking tours and Jeep adventures, plus Segway tours and scenic helicopter rides.
You can also do guided e-bike tours either downtown or in the mountains, then take a guided visit to several craft breweries.
The mountain resort city of Gatlinburg has the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on the doorstep.
To explore the national park, either take an audio self-driving tour or go guided with a hiking tour or a small group bus trip.
Other Gatlinburg experiences include ziplining, ghost tours, the Impossibilities magic show, a wine and moonshine tour and the Moonshine Mountain Coaster.
To find Gatlinburg hotel deals, hunt here.
Asheville to Gatlinburg distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Asheville to Gatlinburg is 86 miles. That makes for a driving time of around one hour and 36 minutes. The quickest route heads along the I-40 and US-321.
The best stops to add to an Asheville to Gatlinburg road trip itinerary are Waterville Lake, Hartford TN and the Foothills Parkway.
Asheville to Gatlinburg road trip attractions: Waterville Lake
Waterville Lake, created by Walters Dam on the Pigeon River, has a pretty setting in the shadow of Mount Sterling. Turn off the I-40 down Walter’s Dam Road for the best views of the dam, lake and mountain.
Best stops between Asheville and Gatlinburg: Hartford TN
If coming from North Carolina, Hartford TN is the first town you’ll encounter in Tennessee. It’s something of a whitewater rafting capital, with several outfitters offering trips along the Pigeon River. Trips along the Lower Pigeon River tend to be gentler and more suited to beginners. For bigger thrills and bigger rapids, go rafting on the Upper Pigeon River instead.
Asheville to Gatlinburg drive: The Foothills Parkway
Given that the first section of the Foothills Parkway was completed in the 1960s, the rest of it really should be finished by now. Alas, that’s not the case – it’s only half open, and in chunks that don’t properly connect to each other. Nonetheless, the opening 5.6-mile salvo connecting the I-40 with the US-321 is a marvellous drive. There are four overlooks where you can pull in a take great photos of the beleaguered road as it winds through the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains.
More Asheville NC road trips
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