Tellico Plains to Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest Road

This historic route follows Forest Service Road 210 as it climbs from the Little Santeetlah Creek valley through dense rhododendron tunnels to reach Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Originally a Cherokee hunting trail, then a railroad grade for Babcock Lumber Company operations in the 1920s, the road winds past remnants of old splash dams and logging camps. The final approach to Joyce Kilmer requires negotiating a series of steep switchbacks where towering 400-year-old hemlocks create a cathedral canopy overhead.

Rated moderate for the sustained climbs and occasional washouts after heavy rains, but any stock 4WD can handle it with careful driving. The gravel surface gets loose on the steeper sections, and the last 3 miles narrow considerably. Best accessed from late spring through fall when the rhododendrons bloom spectacularly. No camping in the memorial forest itself, but dispersed sites are available along the lower sections of FS Road 210. Worth it for the humbling experience of standing among trees that were ancient when the Cherokee ruled these mountains.