Best route from Savannah, GA to Townsend, TN

[Bowden FL]

What is the best route from Savannah, GA to Townsend, TN. Would it be better to drive I26/I40 or go through Atlanta and up I75. We will be pulling a 5th wheel and prefer to stay off the smaller 2 lane roads through the mountains.

[BombDoc]

Originally Posted by Bowden FL

What is the best route from Savannah, GA to Townsend, TN. Would it be better to drive I26/I40 or go through Atlanta and up I75. We will be pulling a 5th wheel and prefer to stay off the smaller 2 lane roads through the mountains.

I just came down I40 to I26 to Beaufort SC on my way back from Goshen, IN. I can tell you, from Knoxville down to SC it is almost all down hill. Which means from SC border to Knoxville would be almost all uphill for you. I didn't go to Goshen up 26-40 for that reason. I went up I77. I think after making both trips, up and back, if I went back up, I'd take I77 instead of 26 to 40. I think it would add to your time on the road considerably. Have you thought about I-16 to Atlanta and up I-75 to Knoxville?

[RamblerGuy]

I'd take I-95/I-25/I-40 from Savannah though Asheville, NC. Atlanta can be a nightmare. I-16 from Savannah to Macon is very good and is lightly traveled once out of the Savannah area, but all of I-75 is heavily used. I-95 and I-26 are busy, too, but you don't have to go through any major cities to get to Townsend.

Traffic near Asheville on I-16 can be slow. I-40 west out of Asheville has many lanes and moves well, but it crosses a pretty good ridge over the Tennessee/ North Carolina line.

[RamblerGuy]

Going I-77 puts you far east and you would still have to climb the same amount to get to Asheville. It was a good alternate for BombDoc's trip but not for Savannah to Townsend, TN.

There's only one major grade of about 7% for about 10 miles on I-26 between Spartanburg and Asheville.

[BombDoc]

Originally Posted by RamblerGuy

Going I-77 puts you far east and you would still have to climb the same amount to get to Asheville. It was a good alternate for BombDoc's trip but not for Savannah to Townsend, TN.

There's only one major grade of about 7% for about 10 miles on I-26 between Spartanburg and Asheville.

You are right Rambler, him taking I77 puts him too far east. It was a great alternate for me, but not going from Savannah to Townsend. You are also right about Atlanta traffic, it can be a nightmare. I was just offering my two cents. Good points you have!