Scenic pullout · Great Smoky Mountains National Park
A short roadside stop for Townsend and Smoky Mountain ridge views.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Great Smoky Mountains National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
See the Great Smoky Mountains audio tourRecorded for this place
Caylor Gap and Townsend Overlooks“You're coming up on Caylor Gap, with two close pull-offs for views across rolling hills and the Smokies. Treat the pair as one short stop; you don't need to park at both.”
Plays as you drive up to Townsend Overlook in the Parkwolf Great Smoky Mountains Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
Townsend Overlook is a roadside viewpoint near milepost 25 on the Foothills Parkway, looking toward Townsend and the Smokies' peaceful side. It's a short scenic stop on the Walland-to-Wears Valley drive rather than a hike or a major destination. The lot has ten spaces, including one accessible parking space.
The Walland-to-Wears Valley stretch is about 14.75 miles, linking U.S. 321 south of Walland with the road northeast of Line Springs Road in Wears Valley. The route was completed in 2018 and climbs to nearly 2,500 feet near Caylor Gap, with several overlooks along the way. A Smokies parking tag is required if you park for more than 15 minutes.
The outlook faces Townsend and the wooded ridges of the Smokies. For a photo, keep some foreground foliage along the edge and include the layers of hills; that gives the view more depth than a frame aimed only at the distant skyline.
Wildlife
1,569 sightingsBlack BearMost seen around 7 PMSighting map
900 sightingsElkMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
13 sightingsBald EagleMost seen around 9 AMSighting map
142 sightingsTimber RattlesnakeMost seen around 6 PMSighting map
26 sightingsBobcatMost seen around 8 PMSighting map
42 sightingsRiver OtterMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Great Smoky Mountains. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
ModerateChestnut Top Trail8.6 mi · 5.5 hr · 3.6 mi awaySpring wildflowers and Smokies views reward a steady climb.
ModerateMeigs Creek Trail3.5 mi · 2 hr · 4.6 mi awayCreek crossings build to a waterfall, then the trail keeps going.
ModerateLittle Greenbrier Trail4.3 mi · 3.5 hr · 4.6 mi awayEasy woodland miles, then a steep climb to the Laurel Falls Trail.
ModerateRoundtop Trail7.4 mi · 4 hr · 4.6 mi awayA 7.4-mile one-way ridge hike ending at a Little River ford.
EasyMetcalf Bottoms Trail1.4 mi · 45 min · 4.9 mi awayA short forest walk to a one-room Smokies schoolhouse.
ModerateLittle Brier Gap Trail3.9 mi · 2.5 hr · 4.9 mi awayA forest walk to a schoolhouse and Walker Sisters homestead
Scenic pullout · 0.8 mi awayCaylor Gap OverlookA quick pull-off for rolling hills and a broad Smokies panorama.
Scenic pullout · 2.7 mi awayCapshaw Branch OverlookA quick pullout for wide views across the Smokies.
Sight · 3.7 mi awayTownsend WyeRocky Little River access just beyond Townsend's park entrance.
Sight · 4 mi awayMeigs FallsA roadside waterfall view without adding a hike.
Sight · 4.6 mi awayThe SinksA logging blast opened the bend behind this rushing cascade.
Picnic area · 4.8 mi awayMetcalf Bottoms Picnic AreaA riverside lunch pairs with a 3.4-mile schoolhouse walk.Parkwolf’s Great Smoky Mountains ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
