Green Textured Cycling Background

Foothills Parkway Challenge

Nearby Towns & Parks

Townsend, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Length

63.00 Miles

Elevation Range

8100

Terrain

Road Cycling

Features

Mountains, Woods, Views

Learn on ridewithgps.com

About This Route

Few rides in the eastern U.S. offer climbs and descents of this length, coupled with vistas comparable to Colorado and the western states. The entire Foothills Parkway is a treat, but the new section is a rare gem that will undoubtedly be ranked as one of your top all-time favorite rides. The views of the Smoky Mountains are that good, and the descents are that fun! It’s a tough ride (even when shortened) with a huge payoff for the effort. We can’t recommend this ride enough.

Know More
Two cyclists sit on road bikes at sunset near a hillside, facing away, under dark stormy clouds.
Person riding a recumbent bicycle on a mountain road, leaning into a curve with a scenic valley view in the distance.
Person lying on a red recumbent bicycle on a road, wearing sunglasses, with mountains in the background.
Two cyclists are silhouetted against a dramatic dark, cloudy sky with an orange glow at the horizon, as they ride on a road with grass in the foreground.

Ride With GPS

Learn on ridewithgps.com

Need More Inspiration?

Cycling roads near Memphis

Discover Flatland Cycling Routes near Memphis

These cycling routes near Memphis take you to towns full of history, beauty and culture.
A pair of cyclists bike through the Upper Sequatchie Valley.

Cycling Adventures and Culinary Delights Near the Smokies

Find your ideal cycling route with a Smoky Mountain backdrop in East Tennessee.
Overlooking Fall Creek Falls

Discover Waterfall Cycling Routes near Nashville

These cycling routes will take you near some of Tennessee's most beautiful cascades.

Explore Nearby Routes

Explore More Routes

The Real Seal

In a world where millions of AI-generated photos are created every day, travelers can’t always tell what’s real anymore. But we’ve made a commitment to never use AI-generated pictures to represent our destinations. Every place we show is real. And to prove it, we created a certified mark for our photography that verifies its authenticity.

Every original photo submitted is analyzed to confirm it’s real, not AI-generated. Once verified, each picture receives content credentials and secure metadata showing who captured it, when it was taken and what camera was used.

Some basic retouching can still be part of a certified photo, but only when it helps to better reflect what was already there.

The Tennessee Real Seal sets a new standard for travel content that people can trust. So even when the landscape looks too beautiful to be true, you know it didn’t come from a prompt. It’s a real place in Tennessee, waiting for you to explore.

FIND WHAT'S REAL