SR 71 begins concurrent with US 441 within the Great Smoky Mountains National Park at the North Carolina state line on Newfound Gap.

SR 71 is known as Newfound Gap Road within the park, and follows along a valley carved by the West Prong of the Little Pigeon River as a narrow and curvy 2-Lane highway.

Newfound Gap Road then becomes concurrent with SR 73 Scenic (Little River Road) before having an interchange with the Gatlinburg Bypass and entering the city of Gatlinburg, where US 441/SR 71/SR 73 Scenic leaves the park and becomes Parkway, a 4-lane undivided highway as it passes through the city.

It passes through the city and has an intersection with SR 449 (Dollywood Lane/Veterans Boulevard) before US 321/SR 73 head north along Wears Valley Road.

It has an interchange with SR 168 (Governor John Sevier Highway) before passing through a business district.

SR 71 then breaks off from US 441 and follows E Moody Avenue for a few blocks before joining South Knox Boulevard (signed as James White Parkway) at an interchange with its current southern end.

It then becomes a divided highway as it crosses a ridge, where it leaves Fountain City and Knoxville to enter Halls Crossroads.

US 441/SR 71 then have an interchange with I-75 (Exit 128) and widen to an undivided 4-lane shortly before coming to an end at an intersection with US 25W/SR 9/SR 116 (N Main Street) just north of downtown.