Official web site for the CHEROHALA SKYWAY
National Scenic Byways.
As Monroe County Mayor, I would like to welcome you to our website. I hope you find the information helpful in learning more about this wonderful area.Ranked sixth, largest in land area, among Tennessee's 95 counties, we offer a wide array of beautiful sights as well as great opportunity. We are blessed with many beautiful rivers, mountains, valleys, streams and lakes.
I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to visit our county and travel our National Scenic Byway, the Cherohala Skyway. This beautiful mountainous drive will take you through the Cherokee and Nantahala National Forests, all the way from Tellico Plains, Tennessee to Robinsville, North Carolina. You can also camp, hike, picnic or swim along the way. Come visit us, you just might decide to stay!
Welcome from high atop the Cherohala Skyway at 5,390 ft elevation at the Santeetlah pull-off overlook. It's a breath of fresh air to take in this miraculous beautiful scenery. The Cherohala Skyway National Scenic Byway is a must-see for anyone yearning for a beautiful mountain drive. It offers plenty of pull-offs and overlooks equipped with picnic tables, restroom facilities, ample parking, and plenty of photo opportunities to take home and remember your trip.
Please make sure and take the time to stop in Tellico Plains first at the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center at the foot of the skyway to get updated road and weather conditions. A friendly welcome staff will greet you with a warm southern welcome and provide you with plenty of free area information and free detailed tear-off maps of the Cherohala Skyway before you start your journey up the Cherohala Skyway that you will be sure to remember. Come and see us!
The Cherohala Skyway was opened and dedicated in 1996. The road has been designated a National Scenic Byway. The road cost over 100 million dollars to construct. The Cherohala Skyway crosses through the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee and the Nantahala National Forest in North Carolina.
The name “Cherohala” comes from the names of the two National Forests: “Cher” from the Cherokee and “ahala” from the Nantahala.
The Cherohala Skyway is located in southeast Tennessee and southwest North Carolina. The skyway connects Tellico Plains, Tennessee, with Robbinsville, North Carolina, and is about 50 miles long.. The Cherohala Skyway is a wide, paved 2-laned road maintained by the Tennessee Department of Transportation and the North Carolina Department of Transportation. The elevations range from 900 feet above sea level at the Tellico River in Tennessee to over 5400 feet above sea level at the Tennessee-North Carolina state line at Haw Knob.
The Cherohala Skyway Visitor Center in Tellico Plains, Tennessee, is a product of a grant from the National Scenic B
yway program. The visitor center was opened in September 2003 and is owned by Monroe County, Tennessee. The gift shop in the visitor center is a “not-for-profit” gift shop. Maintenance of resources along the Cherohala Skyway is by the highway departments of the appropriate state and/or the US Forest Service. The Cherokee and Nantahala National Forest through which the Cherohala Skyway traverses are managed by the US Forest Service, Department of Agriculture.
Outdoor activities such a hiking, motor touring, motor cycle riding, kayaking, canoeing, camping and bird watching abound in the Skyway area.