Balsam Mountain Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
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A scenic drive around the Balsam Mountain Region of Great Smoky Mountains National Park can be formed by driving a portion of the Blue Ridge Parkway, Heintooga Ridge Road, Balsam Mountain Road (aka Heintoga Round Bottom Road), and Big Cove Road. All roads are paved except for Balsam Mountain Road, which is also one-way for a good portion of the drive. Furthermore, it is only open seasonally, usually from late May until the end of October. For a current schedule, check the National Park Service’s Seasonal Road Schedule for the park.
Balsam Mountain Loop Drive (click to enlarge)
Because of the one-way Balsam Mountain Road, you must begin the loop on Heintooga Ridge Road and finish on Big Cove Road. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs between them. Regardless of how you get there, after approximately 9 miles on Heintooga Ridge Road the pavement ends and the dirt Balsam Mountain Road begins. Buses, motor homes, vans longer than 25 feet, and passenger vehicles towing trailers are prohibited on Balsam Mountain Road. Heintooga Ridge Road does end in a loop, do prohibited vehicles can turn around and head back towards the Parkway.
The sign at the start of Balsam Mountain Road states that it is 28 miles back to Cherokee, though part of this is on the paved Big Cove Road. If you came from Cherokee to begin with, factor in the 10 miles traveled on the Blue Ridge Parkway and the 9 miles on Heintooga Ridge Road and you have nearly a 50-mile drive, 18 of which are on the dirt Balsam Mountain Road. Allow 3-4 hours for the journey.
Start of the Balsam Mountain Road
I don’t know if there is a speed limit on Balsam Mountain Road, but 15 MPH is about all the road allows. There are too many rocks, foot-deep potholes, and gullies, and if you hit one going much faster, you and your car are in for a good jostling. If you’ve been on the extremely rough road between Big Creek and Cataloochee, this is actually worse. While 4-Wheel Drives or other high-clearance vehicles are not required to drive the road, I do not recommend taking vehicles without beefed up suspensions like pick-up trucks and 4-Wheel Drives, unless you have an old beater.
Balsam Mountain Road
The draw to the Balsam Mountain Loop Drive is Balsam Mountain Road itself, but to tell the truth, it’s just a dirt road that goes through the forest. There are no overlooks, so unless the leaves are changing color in the fall, there is nothing particularly scenic, unless you find trees scenic. There are plenty of beautiful paved roads in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, if beautiful scenic drives are what you are after. There are a few trailheads along the road (Balsam Mountain Trail and Palmer Creek Trail), so hiking these would be a good reason for the drive. Otherwise, unless it’s fall or you have nothing better to do, I suggest skipping this drive. (Note: The Beech Gap Trail, Enole Creek Trail, and Round Bottom Horse Camp are all located along the two-way section of Balsam Mountain Road, so you can get to them from Big Cove Road. This section of the road is a little smoother, and there are no vehicle restrictions.)
Balsam Mountain Road in Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Balsam Mountain Road
Balsam Mountain Road
Balsam Mountain Road
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Last updated on February 14, 2021
