{{short description|Highway in Tennessee}} {{Use American English|date=May 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox road | state = TN | type = SR | route = 68 | map={{maplink-road|from=Tennessee State Route 68.map}} |map_custom=yes |map_notes=SR 68 mainline in red | length_mi = 106.89 | length_round = 1 | length_ref = <ref name=google>{{google maps|url=https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=Toccoa+Ave&daddr=35.4173488,-84.360617+to:TN-68+N&hl=en&ll=35.42263,-84.339294&spn=1.929272,3.56781&sll=35.402484,-84.473877&sspn=0.964894,1.783905&geocode=FczgFQIdEZ34-g%3BFQRtHAIdV8L4-inzn2rS4F1eiDG4SRRifoWUFw%3BFbXgIwIdODjv-g&mra=dpe&mrsp=1&sz=10&via=1&t=p&z=9|title=Tennessee State Route 68|accessdate=July 11, 2014}}</ref> | established = October 1, 1923<ref>{{cite book |type = Report |author1 = Highway Planning Survey Division |year = 1925 |title = Biennial Report of the Commissioner of the Department of Highways and Public Works State of Tennessee for the Years 1923 and 1924 |url = https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/tdot/documents/100years/Biennial_Report%2c_Department_of_Highways_1923%2c_1924.pdf |location = Nashville |publisher = Tennessee Department of Highways and Public Works |access-date = May 19, 2023 |pages = 39–44 |oclc = }}</ref> | direction_a = South | terminus_a = {{jct|state=GA|GA|5|GA|60}} at the [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state line in [[Copperhill, Tennessee|Copperhill]] | junction = {{plainlist|1= *{{jct|state=TN|US|64|US|74}} in [[Ducktown, Tennessee|Ducktown]] *{{jct|state=TN|Sec|165|name1=[[Cherohala Skyway]]}} in [[Tellico Plains, Tennessee|Tellico Plains]] *{{jct|state=TN|US|411}} in [[Madisonville, Tennessee|Madisonville]] *{{jct|state=TN|I|75}} in [[Sweetwater, Tennessee|Sweetwater]] *{{jct|state=TN|US|27}} near [[Spring City, Tennessee|Spring City]] }} | direction_b = North | terminus_b = {{jct|state=TN|US|127}} in [[Crossville, Tennessee|Crossville]] | previous_type = SR | previous_route = 67 | next_type = SR | next_route = 69 | counties = [[Polk County, Tennessee|Polk]], [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe]], [[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn]], [[Meigs County, Tennessee|Meigs]], [[Rhea County, Tennessee|Rhea]], [[Cumberland County, Tennessee|Cumberland]] }}

'''State Route 68''' ('''SR&nbsp;68''') is a {{convert|106.89|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} [[State highway (US)|state highway]] in the [[East Tennessee|eastern part]] of the U.S. state of [[Tennessee]].

==Route description== [[File:SR68-Farner.jpg|thumb|right|SR&nbsp;68 sign, near [[Farner, Tennessee|Farner]]]] SR 68 begins in southeastern Tennessee, at an intersection with [[Georgia State Route 5]] (SR&nbsp;5) and [[Georgia State Route 60|SR&nbsp;60]] at the Tennessee–[[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state line in [[Copperhill, Tennessee]], and [[McCaysville, Georgia]]. It then goes north to [[Ducktown, Tennessee|Ducktown]] where it junctions with [[U.S. Route 64 in Tennessee|U.S. Route 64]] (US 64) and [[U.S. Route 74 in Tennessee|US 74]]. The route continues north and enters the [[Cherokee National Forest]] and goes through a mostly rural area, then in [[Turtletown, Tennessee|Turtletown]] it turns east and junctions with [[Tennessee State Route 123|SR 123]]. SR 68 then turns back north and continues through a sparsely populated area and crosses over the [[Hiwassee River]]. The route then becomes curvy and dangerous.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}} It then enters [[Monroe County, Tennessee|Monroe County]] and goes through [[Coker Creek, Tennessee|Coker Creek]] and then [[Tellico Plains, Tennessee|Tellico Plains]] and junctions with [[Tennessee State Route 165|SR 165]] ([[Cherohala Skyway]]). In Tellico Plains, SR 68 serves as the eastern terminus for [[Tennessee State Route 39|SR 39]]; it then proceeds north to [[Madisonville, Tennessee|Madisonville]] where it meets [[U.S. Route 411 in Tennessee|US 411]]/[[Tennessee State Route 33|SR 33]]. Just north of this intersection, [[U.S. Bicycle Route 21|USBR 21]] follows SR 68 on the shoulder for just over 1.51 miles. In just over 2.23 miles, it passes [[The Lost Sea]] and the northern terminus of [[Tennessee State Route 307|SR 307]], the route then turns more northwesterly as it enters [[Sweetwater, Tennessee|Sweetwater]]. In Sweetwater, it turns west and junctions with [[U.S. Route 11 in Tennessee|US 11]] and [[Interstate 75 in Tennessee|Interstate 75]] (I-75).

Just past the I-75 junction, the route enters [[McMinn County, Tennessee|McMinn County]] where there are no highway junctions. It then enters [[Meigs County, Tennessee|Meigs County]] and [[Ten Mile, Tennessee|Ten Mile]] and junctions with [[Tennessee State Route 305|SR 305]], [[Tennessee State Route 58|SR 58]], and brief [[Concurrency (road)|runs concurrently]] with [[Tennessee State Route 304|SR 304]]. It then crosses [[Watts Bar Dam]] and the [[Tennessee River]] into [[Rhea County, Tennessee|Rhea County]] near the [[Watts Bar Nuclear Plant]] and continues west. The route then has a {{convert|1|mi|km|adj=mid|-long|spell=in}} concurrency with [[Tennessee State Route 302|SR 302]] and a {{convert|2.7|mi|km|adj=mid|-long}} concurrency with [[U.S. Route 27 in Tennessee|US 27]]/[[Tennessee State Route 29|SR 29]]. US 27 and SR 68 go north to [[Spring City, Tennessee|Spring City]] where SR 68 turns back west and US 27 goes north. Just after leaving Spring City, it turns back to north crosses over [[Waldens Ridge]] into [[Cumberland County, Tennessee|Cumberland County]] where the route ends at a Y-intersection with [[U.S. Route 127 in Tennessee|US 127]]/[[Tennessee State Route 28|SR 28]] in [[Cumberland Homesteads]] near [[Crossville, Tennessee|Crossville]] and [[Cumberland Mountain State Park]].

==Major intersections== {{Mileposts}} {{jcttop|state=TN|length_ref=}} {{TNint |county=Polk |cspan=3 |location=Copperhill |mile=0.0 |road={{jct|state=GA|SR|5|dir1=south|SR|60|dir2=south|name1=Blue Ridge Drive|name2=Toccoa Avenue|city1=McCaysville|city2=Mineral Bluff|city3=Blue Ridge}} |notes=Southern terminus; continuation beyond [[Georgia (U.S. state)|Georgia]] state line }} {{TNint |location=Ducktown |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|US|64|US|74|name2=[[Tennessee State Route 40|SR 40]]|city1=Cleveland|location2=[[Murphy, NC]]|location3=[[Ocoee River]]}} |notes=Interchange }} {{TNint |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|123|dir1=east|to2=to|NC|294|location1=[[Hiwassee Dam]]}} |notes=Western terminus of SR 123 }} {{TNint |county=Monroe |cspan=6 |location=Tellico Plains |lspan=2 |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|165|dir1=east|name1=[[Cherohala Skyway]]|city1=Tellico Plains|location2=[[Bald River Falls]]|city3=Indian Boundary|location4=[[Cherokee National Forest]]}} |notes=Western terminus of SR 165 }} {{TNint |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|SR|39|dir1=west|name1=Mecca Pike|city1=Etowah|city2=Englewood}} |notes=Eastern terminus of SR 39 }} {{TNint |location=Madisonville |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|US|411|name1=[[SR 33 (TN)|SR 33]]|city1=Englewood|city2=Vonore}} |notes=Interchange }} {{TNint |location=Christianburg |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|307|dir1=south|name1=Eastanaula Road|city1=Athens}} |notes=Northern terminus of SR 307 }} {{TNint |location=Sweetwater |lspan=2 |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|US|11|name1=Main Street/[[SR 2 (TN)|SR 2]]|location1=Downtown|city2=Philadelphia|city3=Loudon|city4=Niota|city5=Athens}} |notes= }} {{TNint |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|I|75|city1=Chattanooga|city2=Knoxville}} |notes=I-75 exit 60 }} {{TNint |county=Meigs |cspan=4 |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|305|dir1=south|city1=Athens}} |notes=Northern terminus of SR 305 }} {{TNint |location=Ten Mile |lspan=2 |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|SR|58|city1=Decatur|city2=Kingston}} |notes= }} {{TNint |type=concur |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|304|dir1=north|city1=Ten Mile|city2=Kingston}} |notes=Southern end of SR 304 concurrency }} {{TNint |type=concur |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|304|dir1=south|city1=Decatur}} |notes=Northern end of SR 304 concurrency }} {{jctbridge |river=[[Tennessee River]] |line=yes |mile= |bridge=Bridge over [[Watts Bar Dam]] }} {{TNint |type=concur |county=Rhea |cspan=4 |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|302|dir1=south|name1=Old Stage Road}} |notes=Southern end of SR 302 concurrency }} {{TNint |type=concur |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|Sec|302|dir1=north|name1=New Lake Road}} |notes=Northern end of SR 302 concurrency }} {{TNint |type=concur |location=none |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|US|27|dir1=south|name1=[[Tennessee State Route 29|SR 29]]|city1=Dayton|city2=Chattanooga}} |notes=Southern end of US 27 / SR 29 concurrency }} {{TNint |type=concur |location=Spring City |mile= |road={{jct|state=TN|US|27|dir1=north |name1=[[Tennessee State Route 29|SR 29]]|city1=Rockwood}} |notes=Interchange; northern end of US 27 / SR 29 concurrency }} {{TNint |county=Cumberland |location=Cumberland Homesteads |mile=106.89 |road={{jct|state=TN|US|127|name1=[[Tennessee State Route 28|SR 28]]|city1=Crossville|city2=Jamestown|city3=Pikeville|location4=[[Cumberland Mountain State Park]]}} |notes=Northern terminus }} {{jctbtm|keys=concur}}

==See also== * {{Portal-inline|U.S. Roads}}

==References== {{Attached KML|display=inline,title}} {{reflist}}

==External links== * {{Commons category-inline}}

[[Category:State highways in Tennessee|068]] [[Category:Transportation in Polk County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Transportation in Monroe County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Transportation in McMinn County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Transportation in Meigs County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Transportation in Rhea County, Tennessee]] [[Category:Transportation in Cumberland County, Tennessee]]