Good morning All. I am starting to plan My 2018 Summer ride. I have toured all 48 states over the past 5 years. Mainly super slab surfing. This Summer was the West coast to San Diego, Arizona & home to Seattle. My question is this : To the Ones that have rode both, PCH & Tail of the Dragon. How similar is CA 1 to the Dragon ? I found CA 1 challenging in spots but exciting. Planning for August.

 

That part of Tennessee/NC is fantastic. There are many roads there I enjoy more than the dragon. Research Maggie Valley rides on this forum.

 

From what I understand the tail would be a tighter road that is shaded by the woods in parts. It probably doesn't have 100 motorhomes per mile either.

 

The Tail of the Dragon is touted as "318 turns in 11 miles", though there are lots of other great bike roads in the area too.

The best of the PCH, IMHO, is from Morro Bay to Crecent City, at around 650 miles. I don't know how many turns, gotta be in the hundreds, maybe thousands. You will see a variety of terrains and landscapes, ocean views and Redwoods. Weather will likely change from hot and dry to foggy and cold and everything in between more than once, sometimes in the same day.

 

Highway 1 is shut down indefinitely due to a massive landslide north of Morro Bay. You will have to detour around that section on 101 which is a shame as 1 is an awesome road. You can go south from Monterey for quite a ways but you will run into a closure due to bridge damage before having to turn around but this stretch is still worth your time.

Anywhere on Highway 1 be prepared for idiots in oversized RV's tryingg to kill you. Good luck.

 

PCH is a much better ride, IMO. Deals gap is highly overrated, too many better roads all the way from Ohio to Georgia. I'm unaware of the current closures on PCH, that others have mentioned- so that part could suck.

There's plenty great riding out west, I'd take 550 to 92 in CO if I was looking for a place to ride, although I know you didn't ask about it.

I don't find the PCH to be as tight or technical as 129, but more fun, to answer your question.

 

Dogg ... If you're heading east to ride only the Dragon you're missing some of the better riding in the country ... I've ridden in 46 of the 50 states and the southeast is definitely worth taking the time to do it right ... America Rides offer some great maps with rides planned and suggestions for sightseers ... For a few bucks you can get some valuable information.

https://americaridesmaps.com/

 

I wouldn't ride cross country just for Deals Gap. I'd rather eat cobbler at Little River BBQ in Townsend.

Make sure to make a trip out of the other roads in the area.

 

Yes, Highway 1 on the Route between Monterey to Morro Bay is blocked South of Big Sur due to the Peiffer bridge. But, that is supposed to be opened new by the beginning of November. Then further south a rockslide blocks the road, and will for quite some time. Yet, the ride from a Monterrey to Big Sur is awesome, if you don't mind turning around to come back after about 35 miles.

The ride on Highway 1 from Cresent City to San Francisco is awesome. It has a lot if tight turns, and incredible vistas. You can't do land speed records...but it is quite exciting,

 

I've been over the Dragon's Tail twice. Once on my motorcycle and once in my Corvette. Very nice ride for sure. I've also been down the PCH but in a bus. Both are very nice and the scenery is totally different. I don't think the turns make any difference.