Johnson City is in the northeastern corner of Tennessee, roughly equidistant from Asheville, North Carolina (about 80 miles) and Knoxville, Tennessee (about 100 miles). The nearest commercial airport is Tri-Cities Regional Airport (TRI) in Blountville, about 15 miles northwest of downtown, with flights to Charlotte, Atlanta, and other hubs.
By car, the main routes into Johnson City are Interstate 26 from Asheville and US-11E/US-19E from Kingsport. There is no Amtrak service to the Tri-Cities area, and intercity bus service is limited. A car is essentially required for exploring the surrounding mountains.