Hagerty Road of the Year 2025: Cherohala Skyway

After carving 43 miles of smooth asphalt that rises through meadows and dense forest on its way to a mile-high peak, a driver might conclude that the Cherohala Skyway was made purely for the fun of it. The history of the 2025 Hagerty Road of the Year suggests that conclusion isn’t too far from the truth.

Running between Tellico Plains, Tennessee, and Robbinsville, North Carolina, the Skyway streams through the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina, Cherohala being a combination of the two tribal names. This ribbon of uninterrupted bliss, which traverses the spine of the Unicoi Mountains, unwinds over thousands of uninhabited acres and few connecting roads.

[Editor’s Note: Following last year’s inaugural Road of the Year selection—State Route 33 in Ojai, California—we set our sights east of the Mississippi for 2025, landing on an Appalachian fantasy road that offers an equal measure of thrills and views. Although our selection process is entirely subjective, aka at the whims of this magazine’s editorial team, we do keep a few guidelines in mind. First, the road has to be no more than a one-day round trip from a major urban center, the thinking being that anyone should be able to access the route easily as a day excursion, perhaps while visiting said urban center for work or vacation. Also, the pavement has to be in good condition. Plus, it must have some reasonably close dining and lodging amenities, and we lean toward roads with outlets to other roads, such that they can be run in one direction rather than merely to a turnaround point.]

As scenic roads go, the Cherohala is practically brand-new. Back in 1958, when local history buff Sam Williams organized a covered-wagon reenactment across the mountains, 67 covered wagons and another 300 horseback riders showed up and an annual festival was born. Tellico Plains Mayor Charles Hall capitalized on the growing festival to pitch a new scenic road between Tellico Plains and Robbinsville. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park, which FDR commissioned in 1940, was drawing tourists, and Hall wanted to lure them to his hamlet. In 1962, Congress allocated the land for the road, at an estimated cost of $6 million. Construction, however, took decades and $100 million, with the Skyway finally opening in 1996. One of the bridges was named after Charles Hall to honor the tireless local mayor who made it happen.

We salute Mayor Hall and his vision to create a road that is the stuff of driver fantasies. The Cherohala floooooows. The generously radiused curves are linked, each one evolving to the next. If you’re making time in a sports car, such as the 2017 C7 Corvette seen in these photos, g-forces gradually build at corner entry, peak in the middle, then dissipate as the turn opens, which gracefully glides to the next bend. There are few sharp corners, which means few abrupt speed changes, and wide shoulders so you can see far down the road, making the Cherohala ideal for driving any classic car—or, for that matter, any decent rental from the Hertz lot. Tree breaks and highland meadows reveal the surrounding mountains. Before long, you fall into a Zen-like rhythm, just you, your machine, and the road. Escapism by tarmac. Should you need a break, you’ll find numerous well-manicured pullouts for stretching legs and snapping photos of the incredible views.

Somehow this stretch of asphalt, which is near the country’s most popular national park, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, is largely unknown except to locals. Traffic is usually gloriously light, with some estimates as low as 50 cars and 100 motorcycles on it each day.

That’s a stark contrast to the Tail of the Dragon, the famous series of hairpins some 20 miles to the north, as the crow flies. U.S. Route 129, as the Dragon is officially known, is rightfully celebrated, but it’s a zoo most days by 9 in the morning. The crowds are so thick that several enterprising photographers position themselves in key corners to take photos of oversteering cars and motorcycles in full lean, offering them for sale online. It often feels like Disneyland.

In 2012, during a driving tour of the area with friends, I met a car-crazy local who shared the preferred itinerary: Hit the Dragon before the tourists, at about 6:30 a.m., then head to the Skyway, which they pronounce Cher-ah-hala. I’ve returned every couple of years, including last fall when we shot these photos.

Our criteria for ROTY include proximity to a major airport. Atlanta is 140 miles away and Knoxville is only 70. For an overnight stay, we suggest the RT Lodge in nearby Maryville, a charming college town south of Knoxville. Built as a private residence in 1932, the lodge was once a corporate retreat and training center for the Ruby Tuesday restaurant chain before being bought by its current owners in 2021. It’s nestled in the forest and, with a peaceful campus atmosphere and farm-to-table dining, is its own escape. From there, it’s 42 miles to the western start of the Skyway, Tellico Plains.

While a yoga studio and Trout Mountain, a coffee shop and inn, speak to a recent rise in tourism, Tellico Plains still wears some evidence of tougher times. A faded “Discount Gas” sign stands atop a pole in an empty lot. Across the street from city hall, there’s a functioning service station with a rusty engine sitting outside. A well-worn self-storage facility is a block from the town square and concise main street. You could deem the town shabby chic or run-down, depending on your perspective. About 1000 people call it home.

As the name suggests, the land is flat around Tellico Plains, but the Unicoi range, part of the Blue Ridge province of the southern Appalachians, stands like a wall just to the east. The area supported farming, fur trading, ironworks, logging, a gold rush, and, for a time, bootleg hooch. The town lies in the crook of north/south State Route 68 and the Skyway that heads east. People with places to go take 68, whereas the Skyway is for fun, a point driven home by the Cherohala Skyway Visitors Center and gift shop.

From the gift shop, the first 5 miles parallel the Tellico River before the Skyway veers uphill through a second-growth forest of sugar maples, yellow poplar, and red oak. Logging denuded the steep slopes and a fungus largely wiped out American chestnuts in the first half of the 20th century, but the woods are once again thick. Small-scale logging still exists, but the Cherohala bisects mostly protected wilderness areas and other recreational lands.

Ten miles later lies the Turkey Creek Overlook, which has cobblestone curbs, a bathroom, and of course a stunning view. About 8 miles later, you cross into North Carolina, and with it comes a pavement change. The asphalt is light-colored and coarse in Tennessee but smoother and darker in North Carolina. We never saw a pothole. Soon you’re at the highest point on the road, near the summit of a mountain called Haw Knob, with an elevation of 5472 feet. There’s a pullout nearby, the Santeetlah Overlook, which is more than a mile above sea level. The foliage looks more high alpine than thick forest, with a mixture of hardwood and pine trees, and the road follows the top of the ridge. One October, I unexpectedly came across snow on this section.

A steady descent of switchbacks leads to Robbinsville. Plan for about two hours, with stops, to arrive at this small town of roughly 600 residents. Grab a bite at Lynn’s Place, a downtown diner that deep-fries corn and cheesecake (which tastes better than it sounds). Have a look at the mural of country singer and local son Ronnie Milsap.

Robbinsville is a fine jumping-off point for a deluge of extra two-lane bliss, which is yet another reason we chose the Skyway as the second annual Hagerty Road of the Year. Asheville, North Carolina, lies to the northeast; Clemson, South Carolina, is to the southeast; and the Dragon is northwest. They’re all accessed by more mountain routes. Have fun out there. Maybe we’ll see you on the road.

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This story first appeared in the May/June 2025 issue of Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Join the club to receive our award-winning magazine and enjoy insider access to automotive events, discounts, roadside assistance, and more.