Road To Nowhere TunnelFollowing Lakeview Drive west from Bryson City brings you to a mountain passage that no longer carries cars. North Carolina used incarcerated laborers during construction of the Western North Carolina Railroad, placing men in tightly controlled and dangerous working conditions. Tanbark Ridge Tunnel runs for 843 feet near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 374.4, placing it among the longer tunnels on the North Carolina portion of the route. Pine Mountain Tunnel reaches 1,462 feet at milepost 399.1, making it the longest tunnel on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Big Witch Tunnel stands near Blue Ridge Parkway milepost 461.2 and runs for 353 feet beneath a ridge close to Cherokee.