It remained out of sight but was moving up ahead of us on the trail. Below: The first trail junction Wet trail.Īs we walked along we could clearly hear the sound of a barred owl nearby. It was incredibly humid from the recent rains and my glasses were fogging up and the ground was wet in many places. We took this trail which skirted alongside the hillside. Continuing a bit further up the trail, we reached a junction at. On the other side of the tunnel, the true Lakeshore Trail begins. We used headlamps so we could see where we were stepping but the tunnel floor was quite flat and smooth. When you enter the tunnel, it will be quite dark. We parked there, walked down the road, went around the gate, and made our way toward the tunnel. You will see trail signs along the side of the road. The road ends at a gate before the tunnel, but before the gate there is a large parking lot on the right hand side of the road. Below: The trailhead Blooming Rosebay Rhododendron The tunnel. The road ends in the tunnel and you come out on trail. Ultimately in 2010, the Department of the Interior paid Swain County $52 million in lieu of finishing construction of the road. The environmental issue was eventually resolved, but the road was never continued. Construction was stopped at the long, impressive tunnel that marks the beginning of this hike. They began work on constructing Lakeview Drive, but came across numerous environmental issues – a study released stated that completing the road would have major, adverse, long-term impacts to topography, geology, and soils. The government promised to create a new road that would connect Bryson City to Fontana (30 miles away to the west). Hundreds of people were displaced from their homes when Old Highway 288 was covered by water after the creation of Fontana Dam. In the 1930s and 1940s, Swain County donated a lot of its private land to the federal government to help create the Fontana Lake area of Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This is not a Talking Heads song reference, but a road that has an interesting history. Our rental cabin was near a place in the Smokies called The Road to Nowhere. There was lots of rain on and off during our trip, so we had to be strategic about timing our hiking possibilities. In early July, we made our way down to the southern end of the Smokies for a couple day stay in Bryson City, NC. View the full album of photos from this hike At the end of our hike, we enjoyed a rainbow over Fontana Lake.
The total route ended up being 4.7 miles with a moderate amount of climbing. As it turns out, it’s a beautiful, jungle-like trail that leads down to the shores of Fontana Lake.
We had a hard time finding reliable information about the trail and did some guesswork along the route. While the Road to Nowhere is popular and well-known, the adjacent Goldmine Loop seems lightly traveled and mysterious. Introductory Guide to Visiting Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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