Nashville to Charleston, SC.. Best Route? (Knoxville, Johnson City: alternatives, traveling to, typical)

[jrod2828]

Hi all,

I'm traveling to Charleston and I-40 is closed just east of Knoxville. I'm thinking about heading down to Atlanta and heading across. Has anyone made this trip recently? Any ideas on the best route?

Thanks!

[ExIslander]

I haven't been across I-20 from Atlanta to Augusta for a long time, but I remember it being the typical rural "you won't see anything for three hours but it's smooth sailing" stretch.

There are a couple of alternatives if you want to maintain the through-the-Carolinas path. The official detour from Knoxville is to go up I-81 instead of I-40, pick up I-26 around Johnson City and follow it back down to Asheville. They say that adds around 50 miles to the trip. If you're not pressed for time, there's also the Gatlinburg-Cherokee-Maggie Valley-Waynesville route which will put you back on I-40 just west of Asheville.