Downtown Knoxville in warm late-day light, with the glass First Horizon Plaza tower at left and the Sunsphere in the distance

McGhee Tyson Airport · Ground transportation

From TYS to downtown, UT and beyond.

The airport sits in Alcoa, south of Knoxville, and offers no shuttle into town. Here is how far everything is, where each kind of ride picks you up, and a tool to compare the quotes you get.

Compare rides Drive times

Photo: Bohao Zhao, CC BY 3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

Short answer

Downtown Knoxville is about 14.5 miles and 32 minutes from the McGhee Tyson terminal, and the UT campus (Neyland Stadium) about 15.6 miles and 31 minutes, by free-flow routing. Your choices are a rental car, Uber or Lyft, a licensed taxi or a hotel shuttle. The airport says it offers no off-property shuttle.

Drive times queried Oct 19, 2026. Ground options verified Oct 19, 2026

Knox Nonstop is an independent guide, not the airport. For live parking, flight status and official notices, use flyknoxville.com.

OSRM, no traffic

Distances from the terminal

14.5miles to Market Square, about 32 min.

15.6miles to Neyland Stadium, about 31 min.

26miles to Oak Ridge, about 35 min.

45.3miles to Gatlinburg, about 74 min.

Interactive

Rideshare, taxi or rental?

Pick where you are headed, then type the quotes you see. The tool totals each option for your group and trip.

Ride compareYou bring the quotes

Going to People traveling: 2 Trip Nights you will stay

Drive from the terminal 14.5 mi · about 32 min

Free-flow estimate with no traffic (OSRM, Oct 19, 2026).

Compare your own quotes

Open your rideshare app, call a taxi company or check a rental site, then type what you are quoted. We do not publish fares because they change by the minute.

Rideshare, one way ($) Taxi, one way ($) Rental car, whole trip with taxes ($) Parking at your stay, per night ($)

RideshareEnter a quote?

TaxiEnter a quote?

Rental carEnter a quote?

Add at least two quotes to compare.

How we add it up: rideshare and taxi quotes are multiplied by trips (and by cars needed, at 4 riders per car, our assumption); the rental quote adds your nightly parking. Fuel is left out unless you include it in your quote. A rental also covers every other drive you make on the trip.

Drive times

Every drive time

From the TYS terminal to	Area	Miles	Minutes, no traffic
Downtown Knoxville (Market Square)	Knoxville	14.5	about 32
UT campus (Neyland Stadium)	Knoxville	15.6	about 31
Old City, Knoxville	Knoxville	16.6	about 33
West Knoxville (Turkey Creek)	Knoxville	15.3	about 23
Maryville	Blount County	4.9	about 11
Oak Ridge (city center)	Oak Ridge	26	about 35
Oak Ridge National Laboratory	Oak Ridge	29.1	about 42
Townsend	Smokies	21.1	about 35
Sevierville	Smokies	32.3	about 51
Pigeon Forge	Smokies	38.4	about 60
Gatlinburg	Smokies	45.3	about 74

Routes from the terminal curb to each place's center as mapped by OpenStreetMap, computed by the public OSRM router on Oct 19, 2026. OSRM assumes free-flowing traffic, so real trips at rush hour, on game days or on Smokies weekends take longer. The airport's own directions use Alcoa Highway (US 129) between I-40 and the airport.

Pick-up points

Where each ride picks you up

Uber and Lyft

Lower level, outside: as you exit, the pick-up area is directly to the right. The airport advises booking ahead because cars may not be available off-peak.

Taxis

Outside on the north side of the terminal, reached from baggage claim. The airport lists 10 licensed taxi companies and suggests reserving ahead.

Hotel shuttles

Same north-side pick-up area. Seven hotels, including one downtown, list shuttles on the airport's page. See which run when you land.

Rental cars

Counters for eight companies on the lower level near baggage claim. Compare the true cost.

Being picked up by family? Through spring 2027 a lower-level lane is closed for garage construction and the curb is pick-up only. Pick-up guide.

Licensed taxis and charters

Taxis

1-N-Only Airport Taxi (865) 740-8026
AAA Taxi (865) 970-0016
America Cab (865) 771-8088
Benchmark Taxi (865) 310-7047
Lightning Taxi (865) 719-4330
OB's Taxi (865) 388-1582
Omega Taxi (865) 210-1490
Royal Taxi (865) 936-3356
Sunday Taxi (865) 518-1223
Tennessee Transportation (865) 242-9719

Charter companies

A Elite Limos (865) 456-0023
Chariots of Hire (865) 522-8108
Lightning Sedan Services (865) 719-4330
Olympus Car & Coach (865) 523-2796
Pinyan, Inc. (865) 318-0128
Premier Ride Service (865) 414-0865
Ride Safe With Us (865) 320-0888
VanArsale Transportation Services (865) 404-2447

The airport's alphabetical list of companies licensed to do business at TYS (page updated July 27, 2026). Listing here is not a recommendation. For wheelchair-lift transportation, the airport lists ETHRA, CAC Transit and Gold Star Transportation, with reservations required.

Roads

Heading out: two road notes

The northbound on-ramp

From May 18, 2026, the northbound US 129 on-ramp near the terminal closed for roadwork, with a detour via Hunt Road and Tyson Boulevard for drivers leaving toward Knoxville. We could not confirm whether it is still in place; follow posted signs.

Game days

Tennessee Athletics asks fans without parking passes to avoid the campus corridor, stay downtown or use KAT shuttles. Its postgame plan sends westbound traffic south on Alcoa Highway toward Pellissippi Parkway.

Layered blue ridgelines of the Great Smoky Mountains fading into haze, with dark spruce in the foreground

The Smokies

Gatlinburg is about 74 minutes away.

Most visitors pick up a rental at TYS and drive. Plan the mountains with our Smokies guides.

Gatlinburg guide Pigeon Forge

Photo: James St. John, CC BY 2.0 / Wikimedia Commons

More airport guides

Questions

How far is McGhee Tyson Airport from downtown Knoxville?

The airport describes itself as 12 miles south of downtown. OSRM routing puts the drive from the terminal to Market Square at 14.5 miles, about 32 minutes without traffic.

How do I get from the Knoxville airport to UT?

Drive, take a rideshare or call a taxi. OSRM puts the terminal to Neyland Stadium at 15.6 miles, about 31 minutes without traffic. The airport offers no off-property shuttle.

Is there a shuttle from the Knoxville airport to Gatlinburg or Pigeon Forge?

The airport says it offers no off-property shuttle service. Its ground transportation pages list rental cars, Uber and Lyft, licensed taxis, licensed charter companies and hotel shuttles for nearby hotels.

How long is the drive from TYS to Gatlinburg?

About 45.3 miles and 74 minutes to the center of Gatlinburg, and 38.4 miles and 60 minutes to Pigeon Forge, by OSRM routing with no traffic. Weekend and holiday traffic on the Parkway can add a lot.

How far is Oak Ridge from the Knoxville airport?

26 miles to central Oak Ridge (about 35 minutes) and 29.1 miles to Oak Ridge National Laboratory (about 42 minutes), by OSRM routing with no traffic. OSRM routes it via I-140.

Where do I catch an Uber or Lyft at TYS?

Outside on the lower level. As you exit the building, the pick-up is directly to the right. The airport recommends scheduling ahead because rides may not be available off-peak.

How much is an Uber from the Knoxville airport?

We do not publish fares; they change with demand. Get a quote in your app and type it into the ride compare tool on this page to compare it with a taxi or rental car.

Sources