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Graham County, North Carolina

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Robbinsville, NC
Graham County, North Carolina

Official tourism page for Robbinsville, Fontana Dam, Lake Santeetlah & Stecoah Valley, North Carolina Two-thirds of Graham County is National Forest Lands.
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Graham County Travel and Tourism is your Western North Carolina Smoky Mountain Travel Guide with accommodation listings, local event calendar, and area information. Graham County, North Carolina offers a variety of Smoky Mountain adventures and is becoming better known every year. With a natural beauty still unspoiled by crowds, it is truly a rare find in today’s world. It is the home of Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, Slickrock Creek Wilderness Area, the Nantahala National Forest, and borders the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The Appalachian Trail winds through the county on its trek from Georgia to Maine. Lake Santeetlah’s shoreline is more than 75% National Forest; insurance that it will never be spoiled by development. Many visitors enjoy the solitude of the lake even on the busiest of summer weekends. Fontana Lake has some 25 miles of water to explore. The entire north shore is the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Fontana Dam is a must see for the vacationer. And there are still two other rarely visited lakes to explore. Some of our trout streams boast a national reputation. The Cheoah River has first class rapids for the white water enthusiast. Tsali Recreational Area attracts both mountain bikers and horseback riders. The county has three of the best motorcycle/sports car roads in America. The Tail of the Dragon will challenge even the best riders/drivers with its 318 curves in 11 miles. The 50 mile-long Cherohala Skyway is tamer, but offers unsurpassed views of Joyce Kilmer and the Cherokee National Forest. Moonshiner 28 might bring-up an image of the old rum-runners of the past. And there are hundreds of miles of other great roads to explore in every direction. Want to get in the woods? Forest Service roads lead to some of the most remote places in the Appalachians where you can have a mountaintop or a waterfall to yourself for an afternoon.

11/04/2026

Join the 116th Annual Junaluska Wreath Laying Ceremony on Thursday, November 5th at the Junaluska Memorial Site in Robbinsville, NC.

The ceremony brings light to Junaluska's life, his legacy, and the many contributions to the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the foundation of the United States.

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Location: Junaluska Memorial Site, Robbinsville, NC
Ceremony: 11:00 AM
Shuttle Service: Begins at 10:00 AM from the Freeman Gas parking lot. Please arrive 15 minutes early for check-in.
Lunch: Provided following the ceremony at First Baptist Church.

This tradition is an opportunity to remember and honor an important part of our region's history. The public is invited to join this special occasion!

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If you have any questions, please reach out to Cree Rockwood or Angelina Jumper with The Junaluska Museum.

We hope to see everyone there for this great tradition!

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Photos courtesy of The Junaluska Museum

10/31/2026

If you’re sitting under a roof looking at your phone today, what are you waiting for? It’s a great day to have your head in the clouds!

😶‍🌫️ 🍂

ps The Skyway is glorious! 🤫

10/29/2026

You haven’t missed out on planning your perfect fall vacation.

Patience is a virtue, and fortunately, the party’s just getting started in Graham County. Peak paradise at your elevation is just around the corner — plan your trips through November this year.

10/27/2026

Good morning from Oak K**b!

Just shy of Huckleberry K**b, the highest peak in the Unicoi Mountains, sits its quieter neighbor Oak K**b. Hikers often stroll over this unassuming knoll without realizing it's a destination of its own.

With open, 360-degree views, it makes a fantastic waypoint on your way to that mile-high summit. And it's an easy one to reach: just minutes down an old forest road from your car. Time it with sunset and you can easily catch the evening glow up here with plenty of daylight left to make it back before dark.

📸 Jordan & Will Phillips

10/16/2026

🍂 Are you ready for a fabulous fall weekend? It’s time for the annualStecoah Valley Center Harvest Festival!!

📍 121 Schoolhouse Rd

🔥 CHEROKEE CAMPFIRE STORIES
Friday 6 to 8 pm

Kick it off early Friday Night with with Cherokee Stripes by a cozy campfire and enjoy a FREE marshmallow roast.

🍁 HARVEST FESTIVAL
Saturday 10:00 am to 5:00 pm

Stroll into Saturday through lines of craft vendors, walls of quilts, and wafts of fall festival foods — don’t forget your apple crisp!

🎵Rest your feet and listen to lively mountain music at the outdoor stage — straw bale seating provided but chairs are welcome.

🎂 Head inside to tour this beautifully restored schoolhouse which turned 100 years old this year!

🎨 Be sure not to miss the Stecoah Artisan gallery which represents more than 100 regional artists. (The gallery also offers maps and visitor information.)

🚙 Not ready for the day to end? We suggest a sunset drive along the Cherohala Skyway!

🥾Or better yet, stay a bit longer and take a Sunday hike out to Huckleberry K**b, elevation 5,430 ft.

ℹ️ If you get here early and would like some help with your weekend plans, drop by and see us at the Welcome Ceneter (474 Rodney Orr Bypass)

10/14/2026

We’re sharing about Graham County in new ways with fantastic partners like Our State Magazine.

👀 Take a look and let us know which of the locations featured here is your favorite!

10/07/2026

The Cherohala Skyway turns 30 years old this month!

We’re celebrating the road that began as a joke about a wagon train and finally opened more than three decades later on October 11, 1996 — nineties style!

Grab your limited edition 90’s inspired Cherohala Skyway sticker while supplies last. (Limited to one sticker per guest.)

Only available at the Graham County Welcome Center and the Cherohala Skyway Visitor Centers:

📍 474 Rodney Orr Bypass, Robbinsville

📍 225 Cherohala Skyway, Tellico Plains

🍂 Happy Road to Fall, y’all! 🍂

10/06/2026

Foliage Update from the Cherohala Skyway!

Fall is starting to show its colors at 5,000+ feet along the Cherohala Skyway! We’re seeing those first subtle pops of gold, yellow, and deep red...and we can’t wait to watch the colors make their way down the Unicoi Mountains.

The best is still to come! As fall moves down the Skyway, the colors will only get brighter and more breathtaking.

Stay tuned…peak color is on its way!🍁

10/05/2026

We would like to highlight the Snowbird Community for their work to preserve and protect the Snowbird Matriarch Mural as a part of their Long Man cleanup efforts. A total of 58 volunteers including Vice Chief B. Ensley painted a protective sealer on the mural ensuring its vibrancy for years to come.

This mural, ‘Snowbird Cherokee Matriarchs’ is located on the side of the old VFW building on Main Street and was the first mural painted in Robbinsville. The project was completed through a partnership that included GREAT, the EBCI, and Z Smith Reynolds Foundation. The mural is a part of a larger project, The Appalachian Mural Trail led by the late Doreyl Ammons Cain. This trail includes more than 100 murals from Georgia to Virginia.

TJ Holland, then Cultural Resources Director and director of the Junaluska Museum, worked closely with GREAT and Ammons Cain on the mural concept. Cherokee society is based on a matrilineal clan system through which women have autonomy, agency and carry leadership roles. Historically, the title Beloved Women is bestowed on leaders who have made vital contributions to the tribe. Through a community nomination process led by Holland, this mural includes not only those who have been recognized with the official Beloved Woman title, but also those recognized and treasured within the Snowbird Community.

The painting was done by direct descendants who received training through four mural workshops and the completed mural was unveiled in July 2021.

For a full list of women included in the mural highlighting their contributions to the preservation of Cherokee culture visit the Cherokee Speaks website linked below. You can hear each woman’s story in both Cherokee and English.

https://cherokeespeaks.com/snowbird-matriarch-mural/

Address

474 Rodney Orr Byp
Robbinsville, NC
28771

Opening Hours

Monday	8am - 5pm
Tuesday	8am - 5pm
Wednesday	8am - 5pm
Thursday	8am - 5pm
Friday	8am - 5pm
Saturday	9am - 2pm

Website

http://www.grahamcountytravel.com/

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