Take a break at

Bear Lake, North Carolina

From Asheville, NC

Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) The drive from Asheville to Whittier is approximately one hour.

From Atlanta

From West Atlanta, take I-75 north to I-575 north which becomes Georgia route 5. At Blue Ridge, GA, turn left (west) on to Route 60 and travel 1.5 miles to Mineral Bluff, GA.. Turn right on to Route "60 Spur" and travel approximately 12 miles to the junction with US 19/74. Turn right (east) and proceed on US 19/74 through Murphy, NC, Andrews, NC, the Nantahala Gorge,
and Bryson City to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) . The drive from Murphy to Whittier is approximately one hour, and a total of three hours from downtown Atlanta.

From East Atlanta, take I-85 north to I-985 which becomes US 23 which becomes US 23/441.You1ll pass through Clayton, GA, Franklin, NC and Dillsboro, NC. Just past Dillsboro, take US 74 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) west to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) . The drive from Atlanta to Whittier is approximately three hours.

From Charlotte

Take I-85 west to US 74. Continue west on US 74 to I-26. Go north on I-26 to I-40. Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) The drive from Charlotte to Whittier is approximately three hours.

From Spartanburg and Greenville

From Spartanburg, take I-26 north to I-40. Take I-40 west to Exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.)  The drive from Spartanburg to Bryson City is approximately two hours; or 2-1/2 hours from Greenville.

From Chattanooga

Take I-75 north to US 64 (near Cleveland, TN). Drive east on US 64 (which becomes US 64/74) through Ducktown, TN and the Ocoee River Gorge into North Carolina. At Murphy, NC take US 19/74 east through Andrews, NC, the Nantahala Gorge andBryson City to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) . The drive from Chattanooga to Whittier is approximately three hours.

From Knoxville

You have a choice of four routes from Knoxville:

1. Via Interstate 40 - Take I-40 east into North Carolina to exit 27 (US 74, the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue West on US 74 past Waynesville, Sylva and Dillsboro to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) The drive from Knoxville to Whittier is approximately two hours.

2. Via US 129 - Take US 129 south through Alcoa and Maryville. After crossing into North Carolina, take US 28 south to US 74 (the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway). Continue east on US 74 approximately 15 miles to Whittier.  (See the directions below from Whittier.) . Note: the section of US 129 known as "Deal1s Gap" and "The Tail of The Dragon" is extremely curvy (318 curves in 11 miles). The drive from Knoxville to Whittier is approximately 2-1/2 to three hours

3. Via Pigeon Forge and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Take I-40 east to exit 407 and proceed south. At Sevierville, TN, take US 441 south through Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Cherokee, NC. At Cherokee, take US 19 south to Whittier. Depending on traffic, the drive from Knoxville to Whittiercan be from 2-1/2 to four hours.

4. Via Townsend and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park - Take US 129 south through Alcoa to Maryville. In Maryville, take US 321 east to Townsend, TN. From Townsend, take Little River Road east through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to US 441 (at the Park Visitors Center). Take US 441 south through the park to Cherokee, NC. At Cherokee, take US 19 south toWhittier. Depending on traffic, the drive from Knoxville to Whittier is approximately three hours.

From Whittier
From the I-74 interchange at Whittier, turn left at the hardware store, passing the Post office on your right.  Cross the river and the railroad track and turn left.  Go under the Interstate and take the first turning on the right (Old Bryson City Road.)  Take the first left (Conley Creek Road) and follow it south for about 3 miles.  The Country Club will be on your right.  Turn right at Sam Dill Road and go to the end.  Turn left, the road is unpaved after 100 yards.  About a quarter of a mile turn left again at Conley Mountain Residents Association Road.  Go through the gate and climb the mountain for about one mile.  Turn right on Bear Lake Circle.  The Lodge and Cabin are beside the lake on your left.