East Tennessee Crossing - A National Scenic Byway

November 6, 7:49 PMKnoxville Day Trips ExaminerClayton Hensley

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View from Clinch Mountain - US 25-E  Photo by C. Hensley

Twenty-first century travelers expect to get to places quickly, but sometimes Mother Nature gives us a reason to slow down.   Although much of US 25-E is now a 4-lane highway, it closely follows a route important to America's move westward, the Wilderness Road. 

Long before the pavement Daniel Boone led thousands of people across the rugged ridges and mountains of East Tennessee to a small gap in the Cumberland Plateau into Kentucky.   Today, that trip is a much quicker one, but one that still can save you a few miles while adding countless opportunities to enjoy the scenery.

In October 2009,  all of US-25-E in Tennessee and part of US 25 earned the National Scenic Byway designation.

The route runs from the North Carolina state line following the French Broad River through Del Rio and into Newport.  From there this byway takes you along the shores of Douglas Lake in the shadow of the Smoky Mountains.  

The East Tennessee Crossing as it is called continues through the large lakeway city of Morristown and across Cherokee Lake before crossing Clinch Mountain at Bean Station.  The overlook at the top of the mountain offers you one of the best views anywhere in the state.  You might even want to stop in at the Lookout Restaurant for a slice of Vinegar Pie.  

US 25-E continues from Clinch Mountain into the Powell Valley and the small towns of Tazewell and Harrogate.   Just after Harrogate you'll find the historic town of Cumberland Gap nestled up against the mountain pass of the same name.  The town is filled with quaint shops, places to eat and the historic Iron Furnace and Gap Cave.

The end of the East Tennessee Crossing is the Cumberland Gap Tunnel an engineering marvel that took decades of planning and construction to bring to reality.  On the other side US 25-E becomes the Wilderness Road Heritage Highway.   The Visitor's Center for the Cumberland Gap National Historic Park is off the exit as you come out of the tunnel in Middlesboro, KY.  There you will find more information about the park as well as a small museum and film about the history of "the Gap."     

For more info: Map of the East Tennessee Crossing