Interstate 40 begins in Wilmington, NC and traverses the length of the state, entering Tennessee near the Eastern border of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in Haywood County.

I-40 provides the easiest access to much of Jackson County for travelers from Tennessee, Eastern North Carolina and much of South Carolina.

Exit I-40 at Exit 27, and follow the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway (U.S. 23/74) into Jackson County.