Not sure about the part in TN, but the NC portion of US 74 is a pretty good road. Mostly 4-lane, but take it very easy on the 2 lane part down from Topton thru Nantahala Gorge. Looking at the map, you might be tempted to 'shortcut' on US 19 thru Cherokee and over Soco Gap into Maggie, but that's a true narrow, twisty, steep mtn road.
Jim, "Shotgun wedding... a case of wife or death."
'06 Tiger CX 'C Minus' on a Silverado 2500HD 4x4, 8.1 & Allison ('Loafer's Glory'); '07 Forester 2.5 ( the 'HANDBSKT'); '95 Toyota SR5 V-6 4x4 pickup, ARB locker, Bilsteins, Warn hubs & M8000, etc;
'94 968, M030 swaybars ('DOPPLER')
Handbasket wrote: Not sure about the part in TN, but the NC portion of US 74 is a pretty good road. Mostly 4-lane, but take it very easy on the 2 lane part down from Topton thru Nantahala Gorge. Looking at the map, you might be tempted to 'shortcut' on US 19 thru Cherokee and over Soco Gap into Maggie, but that's a true narrow, twisty, steep mtn road.
Jim, "Shotgun wedding... a case of wife or death."
Agree with Jim and would not cut threw on 19 very curvey and steep with lots of car traffic
We were in Maggie Valley when I40 closed. We planned to travel back to West Tennessee by I40. We backtracked the way we came in through Chattanooga up to Cleveland on I75, east on 64/74 to Murphy. Then 74 to Bryson City. We then took the four lane to Waynesville and exited on North 276 to Maggie Valley. The two areas previously mentioned are okay but go slow approaching some curves in Oconee(?). Tractor Trailers also on this road and their swinging on the curves sometimes uses part of your lane! We were pulling a 34' fifth wheel. Beautiful drive!
Yep, come to think of it, US 64 & US 74 are routed together west of Murphy 'way over into TN, and that includes Ocoee Gorge, west of Ducktown, TN. Not a road I'd take a forty footer on if I had a choice.... a couple of _real_ sharp curves, and ISTR some overhanging rock, but that was the east-bound lane, which is against the cliff-face.
But with I-40 closed at the NC-TN border, it may be the only practical route. Otherwise, I guess it's I-75N to Knoxville & I-40E, to I-81N to I-26E to Asheville to I-40W, then double back west to exit 27....Yoicks! Maybe an extra 150 miles to avoid ~15 miles of bad road? A quick glance at an atlas didn't show any better way to get from Chattanooga to Ducktown / Copperhill.
You may want to grease the sides before you set out..... Good luck.
Yep, a rockslide (yesterday?) on US 64/74 in Ocoee Gorge. There's probably film of the actual event on youtube. A 200 ton boulder just missed a tractor-trailer, and a TV crew was out on that when the 'main' slide fell. I've heard a one week guess-timate on cleaning that up, but dunno if it's even remotely accurate.
Going thru Knoxville and Asheville looks like more of a 'good' option, or finding a southern route (thru Chatsworth, Ga?). If you can get onto US 23/441 around Clayton GA, there's a fairly good route to Maggie from there.
Handbasket wrote: Yep, a rockslide (yesterday?) on US 64/74 in Ocoee Gorge. There's probably film of the actual event on youtube. A 200 ton boulder just missed a tractor-trailer, and a TV crew was out on that when the 'main' slide fell. I've heard a one week guess-timate on cleaning that up, but dunno if it's even remotely accurate.
Going thru Knoxville and Asheville looks like more of a 'good' option, or finding a southern route (thru Chatsworth, Ga?). If you can get onto US 23/441 around Clayton GA, there's a fairly good route to Maggie from there.
Jim, "Mo' coffee!"
US-76 from Dalton to just past Blue Ridge. GA-60 to Mineral BLuff, GA-60 spur/NC-60 back to US-64 near Ranger NC. About 20 miles longer than US-64 through Ocoee. IMHO better road than US-64 too.
Offline
