Traffic on Route 66

[kingami]

I'm coming to Pigeon Forge the first Sunday in November. What kind of delay can I expect on Rt.66 coming from I-40. If it is bad, is there an alternate route? Last year, Route 66 was like a parking lot for miles.

[insider]

November isn't bad until Thanksgiving weekend. The best thing to do is time your arrival better than most people. The traffic is usually thick on Friday from around 3pm-8pm. Get here sooner or later than that and you won't have to worry so much about it.

Now...if you want to take a backroad, I'm going to share a closely guarded secret. Coming in on Highway 66...just after Smoky Mountain Knifeworks there is a redlight with a gas station. That road is Boyd's Creek Road. Turn right.

Go abut 1 mile and look for Old Knoxville Highway that cuts back to the left. It's easy to miss, so be on the lookout.

That road runs parallel to Highway 66 and you'll bypass ALL the traffic to Sevierville!

Now...when you get to Highway 411 (the first redlight you come to on Old Knoxville Hwy), you can either take a left and go to the first redlight and get back in traffic on the right...OR...

You can miss more traffic using more backroads....here's how:

Go straight through the light across 411 and onto Hardin Lane. Follow that for about 5 miles (winding backroad) and you will come to a stop sign. Take a left and that will take you back out to the parkway in Sevierville at Five Oaks Mall.

OR

You can get to Pigeon Forge if you take a right at the stop sign instead....keep reading if you're not lost yet.

After you turn right onto S. New Era Rd go about 2 miles to a 4-way stop. Turn left onto River Divide.

Follow that for about 2 miles until you get to a large, open field on your right...you'll see a road on the left called Henderson Rd that has a bridge...take that road and follow it for about a mile and you'll pop out at Ruby Tuesday in Pigeon Forge.

I could get you even farther into Pigeon Forge, but I won't tick off all the locals.......yet.

[kingami]

Thanks. I was going to try Old Knoxville Highway last year, but it was being repaired. Pigeon Forge has been my favorite place to visit ever since I discovered it 20 years ago. I guess I've seen every show during that time.

[insider]

Yeah, they had Old Knoxville Highway shut down for construction, which hurt the locals. Fortunately it's back up and running though!

[kingami]

Back in 2006, you gave me directions to avoid Route 66 traffic from I-40 to Pigeon Forge. I know that new roads have been built, so are there new easier ways to avoid Route 66 traffic. I will be coming to Pigeon Forge on Saturday, October 24,2009. Thanks.