done both and have to disagree. rt.1 is one of the best rides I've ever done. scenery is spectacular and always changing.given the choice of riding either one again it would be cal 1 again for sure. BUT the only section of 1 that has such a concentrated number of tight blind corners is right out of s.f. and that isn't even close to the dragon. b.t.w. where are all the motorcycles on cal.1.?we rode from l.a. to elwaco wa. between june 30th and july 4th and saw only a handful of bikes, and overall very light trafficc.

 

Get inland about 20 mile and it's a whole different world in those mountains , a head crushed snake can't twist as tight as some of those roads get .

 

Did it in June '10 when the top end was still closed due to the rockslide. Rode up and back 3 times in two days, stayed at Deals Gap and enjoyed the hell out of it... Stayed in Townsend TN one night, made the trip on 441 through the park twice, hit Maggie Valley and headed home over the Cherahola Skyway... Scraped the EGlide jiffy stand a couple times, stayed in my comfort zone and had a great time, hope to do another trip up that way soon.

GW

 

Oh yeah? Leave Carmel early in the morning and ride HWY1 South when it's foggy out.....and take a roll of TP with you.

 

i don't think so. we rode the million dollar hiway going south when it was sleeting. sleet was rattling off the shields ,just warm enough to not freeze on the road. that was pucker factor. we rode through big sur and across bixby creek bridge in what was reported as record setting rains for that time of year. we didn't think it was that bad, as in mn. riding in hard rain is just unavoidable. but it was a big deal according to the news. you cal. guys got to get out more.

 

I've been fortunate enough to ride many great roads throughout the country. Some of the best were in California, West Virginia, Vermont, Ohio, Colorado, Viriginia and even Hawaii (the road to Hana is pretty cool).

Which is the best? It really depends on what you're looking for. If you're looking for a leisurely ride with great scenery, the Dragon is not your answer (although there are some spectacular scenic roads in the area).

But if you're looking for a very challenging, twisty rollercoaster ride with good pavement and beautifully banked turns, it's really hard to beat the Dragon.

I go out of my way to find the "best" twisties throughout the country and there are a lot of great roads. But the Dragon is my favorite road to ride (during off peak times). Try it!

 

For those of you that have rode both how does the TOTD compare to the 3 Sisters in TX?

 

Good hard riding road with gods scenery , take the ferry from Vancouver over to the tip of the Olympic Peninsula where US route 101 starts ( 101 makes a big loop circle well worth doing ) and head south , a couple good ones snaking through the big trees up there that just beg you to get your freak on and no traffic of any kind the times I've ridden them .

 

Heard of the 3 Sisters but never been to TX. I don't live far from the Dragon either. I live even closer to the Snake. Only about 30-40 minutes from the Bristol side. I agree that the Snake is a little more technically tough than the TOTD. The Dragon is semi flat. You are riding across the ridge of a mountain. The Snake is up one side and down another. Never really level at all. Plus the surface is not as good. The section from Shady Valley on to Mtn City is tougher than the Bristol side.

I enjoy the dragon but like most others have said, the other roads are the big benefit of the area. I think someone else said, Look for a dead end sign, if there isn't one drive down the road and it will be a good ride. That is some truth right there. Oh and Blood Mtn is a good place to hit while there.

 

I have done the road to hana twice in a jeep. That would be a cool road to ride. Gotta do it counter clockwise though so you miss most of the tourist traffic.