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Print Friendly MapTownsend is a gateway community to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The small town, however, has its own charms, including this beautiful hike-and-bike trail. The Townsend Historical Trail runs the length of the town on both sides of US 321/Lamar Alexander Parkway. It stretches 4.5 miles along each side of the highway for a total of 9 miles. Underpasses allow trail users to switch between the trail segments on the north and south sides of the highway.
The trail runs along Little River and there are places where users can get a good glimpse of it, including the 0.3-mile unpaved River Walk, a short diversion that was built and maintained by volunteers. Other points of interest include the Great Smoky Mountains Heritage Center and the Little River Railroad and Lumber Company Museum, for insight into the natural and economic history of the town and region. The trail also takes users past local eateries and other businesses.
The trail features some mild slopes and intersects with roads and driveways so always proceed with caution.
There is a parking lot on the east end, on Towns End Drive. Trail users can also park at the Townsend Visitor Center (7906 E Lamar Alexander Pkwy), where they can get brochures detailing the points of interest in town and along the trail.
Nice trail through Townsend area. Paved, some ups and downs but no hard climbs. Not a whole lot to see really. Restaurant near north end has good food. You can take the bike underpass at the north end, cross under the four lane and then cross the small river and pick up the road on the left along the river. Take that through Walland all the way to the intersection with Ellejoy road. This is a nice ride along the river with minimal traffic and only one hill at Walland. There is a parking lot just across the intersection on Ellejoy road. I ve parked there, pedaled to the end of the trail in Townsend and back.
The "trail" is pavement and mostly right next to the highway. We chose to cross the bridge at the end and ride Old Walland Hwy which had light traffic. The road rolled a little and had some pot holes as it stayed mostly next to the river.
As for the "Trail" it-self, it would a better representation of a Trail if there was vegetation on both sides.
Over all mostly a road ride but not an unpleasant day.
Actual ride length as measured by Fitbit app GPS is 10.89 miles Note the high side path is a bit up and down While the low side is frustrating for the driveway ramps along 80% of the route
Just completed the 9 mile trek; somewhat challenging for me cuz I’m out of bike shape. Those of you who ride full time will know what I mean with regards to bike shape. Otherwise, it was quite fun. The surrounding hills are eye candy for me but I have to say that it’s worth a one time ride just to mark it off my list of trails to ride. FYI, I want to ride every one of them before I kick the bucket.
This trail is on either side of the road for about 4.5 miles. There is a parking lot at the east end at the corner of Towns End dr. Across the street from there is a gas station with bathrooms outdoors. Townsend is tucked in between mountains near the entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains so the views are spectacular. There are several historical sites and markers, along with a couple of informative signs about more area history. If you get hungry be sure and stop at one of the many local restaurants. I always follow my ride with a dunk in the river. It's also worth noting that one side of the road is mostly flat while the other is quite hilly so you can choose easy or challenging.
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