This Tennessee Scenic Byway Is The Road Trip Of A Lifetime

If you’ve ever had the misfortune of being on the receiving end of a groan-worthy pickup line, you may have been informed you ought to have been born in Tennessee—because, as the line goes, “you’re the only 10 I see.” But this tired line isn’t only played out: it’s also not true. With nine scenic byways administered by the America’s Byways program of the Federal Highway Administration, Tennessee is full of natural beauty, and the recipient of a pickup line is far from the only 10 we see. Today's winner? The Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway.

About the Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway

Rather than bring out one of the heavy-hitters, routes every road trip guide advises you to take, we want to bring your attention to a lesser-known gem with just as much to offer. The 70-mile Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway doesn’t look like anything like the image of Tennessee in most people’s heads, all honky tonks and Blue Ridge vistas — and you’ll be glad to be proven wrong.

Originating just north of the Tennessee-Alabama border, the Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway runs northeast through the state for 70 scenic miles. Its entire route follows the narrow Sequatchie Valley as carved out by the Sequatchie River. Hemmed in by escarpments (non-geologists, picture sheer cliff faces rising up from the valley floor), and it’s noteworthy mostly for its extraordinary straightness.

In many ways — geologically, scenically, geometrically — it’s practically tailor-made for driving, and each of the four counties through which the byway passes holds plenty of surprises for the slow-going road tripper. Driving through the valley over a long day on the road will give most visitors the best chance of enjoying its bucolic charms at the relaxed country pace they deserve.

Getting There

What that looks like will depend on whether you decide to start at the north end of the valley or the south end. And that will likely depend on whether you’re a local making a day trip or a visitor to Tennessee flying in.

When you start with the northern gateway town of Pikeville, you’re about two hours from either Nashville or Knoxville. (These are ideal jumping-off points if you’re flying into the region, with international airports in both.) From South Pittsburgh in the south, your best bet is about thirty miles away in Chattanooga. While Chattanooga’s regional airport doesn’t have the same breadth of connections as Knoxville or Nashville, it eliminates a huge chunk of pre-Scenic Byway driving. And if you’re not flying in, this one’s a no-brainer: just start at the end of the drive closest to you.

Must-Stop Spots

Then what? Starting from South Pittsburgh near the Alabama border, let’s take a look at some of the things there are to see (besides the lush, green-carpeted valley and its dramatic escarpments, which are a given) along the Sequatchie Valley Scenic Byway.

You’ll be starting your day (or ending it) in the once-bustling industrial hub of South Pittsburgh, so what better way to get acquainted with coal country than by visiting the Lodge Museum of Cast Iron? A project of the locally-based Lodge Cast Iron company, it’s a chronicle of American culinary history as told through the cast iron implements the company produces, as well as the home of the world’s largest cast-iron skillet and the perfect quirky kick-off to a road trip. Visiting in April? Then you might get the chance to hit up the National Cornbread Festival, too.

Leaving South Pittsburgh, you’ll pass through the towns of Kimball and New Hope. In this pair of towns, the favorite attraction is Nickajack Cave Wildlife Refuge, where a semi-flooded cave once served as a hideout for pirates(!). It gets its Wildlife Refuge designation from the protected population of grey bats that call the cave’s dry upper reaches home. If you’d like to break up your drive with a little outdoor action, try boating or paddling — you can’t enter the cave, but in the spring and fall, you can see the bats from the water. (A viewing platform is also available.)

After that detour, you’ll find yourself in Jasper. This little blip on the map is another hub for outdoor adventurers as the headquarters of Chattanooga Skydiving, a company that offers exactly what it promises to. If you don’t fancy a long drop from the sky, continue on to Sequatchie. (Yes, there’s a town, too.) Sequatchie offers some of the area’s best access to outdoor recreation, but if you’re starting to get peckish by now, forgo that adventure in favor of a visit to the Sequatchie Cove Farm & Creamery. It’s well-known in the region for its delicious artisanal cheese.

Continuing on to Whitwell, you’ll have another chance to eat (if cheese isn’t to your taste) at Jerome’s Fine Swine & BBQ. Then, think about another kind of smoke at the Coal Miners Museum: you can't pass through Appalachia without learning a little about the area’s key industry. You’ll have a similar opportunity in neighboring Dunlap, should you choose to make your stop there instead, at the similarly coal-focused Dunlap Coke Ovens Museum. Depending on the order of your stops, you may also want to sit down for a home-cooked Southern meal on a working dairy farm at the Cookie Jar Café.

And finally, if you’re traveling north, you’ve made it to the byway’s northern terminus at Pikeville. It’s the perfect place to stretch your legs, and if you’re especially inclined, Fall Creek Falls State Park is the spot for hiking, paddling, and waterfall views.

More to Explore

This sample itinerary is, of course, only scratching the surface: you could easily fill a Sequatchie Valley road trip just by wandering aimlessly through the towns you pass. Each certainly holds plenty of surprises. But if you’ve only got one day, you still have all the time you need to get a taste for what this beautiful but often-overlooked region is all about.