First 5 photos courtesy Lou Corsaro.


The scenery is a great way to greet travelers coming north from North Carolina, but really, change the name, or at least toss the nickname?


Well, this is just a terrible way to greet them. In Elizabethton, no matter how you get into the city, you're heading north, and as in these photos, no matter how you leave the city, you're heading south (and with a two-digit width shield if you pick correctly). Calling US 321 an east-west road (since that's really what it does), at least in Tennessee, would solve this problem. The direction change happens as US 321 leaves/joins US 19E, and at least from the two US 321 directions, it's signed without any directional banners. From US 19E SB, signage shows two US 321 shields with a straight and a right arrow.


Heading westbound (I just can't call it southbound), still in Elizabethton.


One of the side streets seen from the EB side (NB), same town.


To Johnson City and the start of my photos. TN 381 begins along US 321 at TN 67, and it shouldn't be a surprise that US 321 SB is heading north here.


US 321 SB is surprisingly multiplexed with US 11E SB in Greeneville, but then again, US 11 is a very diagonal route in general.


At this point, westbound really is southbound and the pretense appears to be at an end. Photos head from I-40 in Wilton Springs to Glade, all courtesy Lou Corsaro.


Seems the closer you get to Gatlinburg, the uglier the signs become.


Giving up on heading south once more, US 321 SB heads north with US 441 toward Pigeon Forge. The wall on the left holds the road back from Cliff Branch and the tunnel is unnamed.

Onto US 441 alone

Into North Carolina on US 321
Into Carter Co. from Elizabethton
Back to Tennessee Roads
Back to Roads