Cherokee sits at the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway, in the western corner of North Carolina, and it is the capital of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians. The people here are descended from those who hid in the mountains in the 1830s, when most of their nation was forced west on the Trail of Tears, and the community holds a long lease on a tract of land called the Qualla Boundary. The Museum of the Cherokee Indian in town tells the story with real depth, and the sound of the Cherokee language, spoken and printed on street signs, is a quiet fact of daily life.
To a rider, Cherokee is also the gateway to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, the most visited national park in the country, with its entrance a few minutes north. The Parkway ends nearby at Oconaluftee, after nearly five hundred miles of ridge-top road from Virginia, with a speed limit of fifty-five at most and lots of slower sections. The surface is excellent, the bends are long and open, and the views look across blue ridge after blue ridge. The haze that gives the Smokies their name comes from vapour released by the forests, and it hangs in the valleys on summer mornings.
Elk were reintroduced to the Cataloochee and Oconaluftee valleys in the 2000s, and they are often seen grazing in the fields near the park visitor centre, particularly at dawn and dusk. Black bears live throughout the park, and so do salamanders, more species than anywhere else in the world. Late October, when the maples and hickories turn, brings heavy traffic, while spring has wildflowers and dogwoods. The Parkway has some closures after storms or in winter, with ice a real hazard, so check the park's road status.
Cherokee is a small town and relies on tourism, with a large casino complex, motels, gift shops and a number of places serving fried trout and Southern barbecue. Fuel is available in town, but not much of the Parkway has any, so top up here and again at Sylva, Bryson City or Waynesville. There are no commercial services along the Parkway itself for long stretches.
Take your time, stay a night if you can, and walk a short trail along the Oconaluftee river. The Smokies are better felt than hurried through.