Heintooga Ridge Road is a spur-road off the side of the Blue Ridge Parkway. It is mostly utilized for gaining backdoor entry into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The road is completely paved and has a handful of overlooks managed by the Park Service along the roadway, and the road turns into Balsam Mountain Road at the end of the pavement. Balsam Mountain Road is a gravel road that is perfect for gravel and hybrid bikes.