In early October, 2012, we finally made time to visit an area of the park that has been steeped in controversy for decades. When the 480 foot high Fontana Dam was completed during World War II, several towns upstream were submerged under the rising water. Highway 288 from Bryson City to the old town of Fontana was also submerged. In 1943, the Department of the Interior made an agreement with Swain County to build a new road through the park from Bryson City to Fontana Dam to replace the old highway and to allow access to several cemeteries. In 2010, another agreement was signed that voided the 1943 agreement, and paid $52 million to Swain County in lieu of completing the road. Only the first six miles were ever completed, while the remaining 26 miles of the proposed road will never be built. The estimated cost to complete the road was several hundred million dollars. The road provides some great views of the Tuckasegee River embayment of Fontana Lake.
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| Fontana Lake |
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| Evaporating clouds reveal the mountains |
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| Permanent end of the road |
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| 1200 foot tunnel beyond the bollards |
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| The pavement continues beyond the tunnel |
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| The real end of the road |
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| The road becomes the aptly named Lakeshore Trail |
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| Not everyone was satisfied with the new agreement |
The park website is http://www.nps.gov/grsm/index.htm.
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