Norris Freeway
Norris Freeway is a National Scenic Byway in Tennessee. Within Tennessee it covers roughly 23 miles. The map below shows its route. Use “Plan a drive” to open it in the Road Sorties route planner — already routing along Norris Freeway with scenic roads turned on, ready to add your own stops.
Tennessee's Norris Freeway runs 21 miles from Rocky Top to Halls, built in 1934 for the Tennessee Valley Authority's first hydroelectric dam project. Rocky Top was once known as Coal Creek, and the road connected the rail line at Coal Creek to the Norris Dam construction site and TVA's administrative offices in Knoxville, and it's often described as the world's first limited-access road built purely for a construction and utility project rather than general travel. TVA restricted billboards and commercial development along the corridor from the start, deliberately preserving it as a scenic approach to Norris Dam. The freeway winds through Anderson, Campbell, and Knox Counties past classic stonework bridges and overlooks, alongside some of Tennessee's best trout fishing on the Clinch River. Stops along the way include Norris Dam State Park, the Museum of Appalachia, and the planned TVA town of Norris itself, along with 19 historic Civilian Conservation Corps cabins from the 1930s now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- Norris Dam
- TVA history
- 21 miles
- Museum of Appalachia
- CCC cabins
- Clinch River trout fishing
- town of Norris
Plan a drive on Norris Freeway →
What is a National Scenic Byway?
National Scenic Byways are roads recognized at the federal level for at least one outstanding quality — scenic, natural, historic, cultural, archaeological or recreational — that gives travelers a reason to seek them out rather than just pass through.
Where to Stay along Norris Freeway
No campgrounds are listed close to Norris Freeway yet, but there are rooms near the route.
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