Appalachia Powerhouse in Reliance, Tennessee

We are going to try again to take our fall color cruise into the Tennessee mountains. Instead of going to the Appalachia Powerhouse we're going to head to Gatlinburg and Sevierville. Family is coming in to take their own fall color cruise. The plan is to meet up with them at one of the restaurants in Sevier County. Our last road trip did not work out so well so I'm hoping this one will make up for it.

Hubby and I did squeeze time in to visit the Appalachia Powerhouse over the weekend. It was a pretty drive but we had to get to work that afternoon so it wasn't the most relaxing adventure. We got there by driving down US 411 into Etowah and following the signs into Reliance. The Old Webb Store (an interesting stop in its on right)  is a few miles ahead. The store has been described as half store and half area museum. I'd call it an accurate description.

From here we turned left onto Telico-Reliance road. This is probably the only left hand turn that we made. A series of right right turns put us on FS 108 and to the Appalachia Powerhouse. I'll never be able to find it again without a map.

The road...
The road winds along the edge of the river. It is close enough that you can almost reach down and touch the water from the pavement. There are several picnic areas and wayside stops along the way. All are nice places to stop and enjoy scenery. Two of them have access to the John Muir trail. In this area, it is a relatively flat hike.

The parking lot at the Appalachia Powerhouse is smaller than I had anticipated. I'm going to estimate space for about 20 cars. It's a little off the beaten path and even on Saturday, the place wasn't crowded. You need to park in the lot and take the short trail to the powerhouse.

My favorite part of the visit is the suspension bridge that goes across the river. This gives you the opportunity to take some gorgeous shots without swaying too much. It was nice and a good way to see the fall color.

Now, we're off to see how it compares to Gatlinburg in the Smokies. This trip will be less rushed so we can relax and enjoy the scenery.