well its that time year again....summer trip planning!!!

need a ton help with Tn and the dragon area we are thinking staying here http://ironhorsenc.com/ just not sure if we should move around so we are not stuck in one area. What the story with all the roads in that area? moonshiner ect? can you reach all the roads and back in a day? going take 5 or 6 days there! lets hear it what roads are a must do? I hear Dragon ok but not the main attraction to the area....like to hear what you liked and did not like about your trip....I did a search and came up with a few threads but not alot good info

 

Ironhorse is a nice place, I have stayed there as a base. I also have stayed in Bryson City, NC and Maggie Valley, NC. Each day we take a section and make it a 275 to 300 mile day and back to the hotel/Ironhorse. Next day do the same in a different direction. It would take months to ride all of the good roads. In my opinion it is hard to beat western NC, eastern TN and north GA. if you like to ride very good twisty roads. Good Luck.

 

love twistys......like to see wheels thru time in Maggie valley.

thanks for the info.

 

I like the Moonshiner 28 better than the Dragon. Cherohala Skyway is great also. All the roads in the area are great, and I would say all are doable as day rides from a central location. Don't miss "Wheels Across Time" motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley.

We spent a night in Ashville, did "Wheels Across Time", the Dragon, and part of Cherohala Skyway and spent the next night in Sweetwater, Tenn.


Bill

 

thanks Bill.....wheels across time.....lol opps.


looking forward to seeing the area never been east of I-75 and always in a truck

 

Here's some resources to get you going. I've done them all and like each one for what it offers. In addition to this I would do the Cherohola, parts of the Blue Ridge Pkwy, and of course, the Dragon.

http://www.diamondbacknc.com/db_loop_route.html

http://www.421thesnake.com/

http://www.209therattler.com/

http://www.moonshiner28.com/

If you are so inclined, I can give you a pretty nice off-Interstate route from Dayton south. You would land in Huntington and run 52 south and pick up pretty much any route you want to Johnson City - all great roads. From there hit the Snake. After that head south to the BRP, the Diamondback and the Rattler. From there you would run west to the Moonshiner and Dragon and on to the Cherahola. At the end of the loop I promise, at that point you'll be thrilled to set the cruise and run interstate home.

Also, if you have a lot of time, US Hwy 52 runs from Minnesota to NC. Once you get past Cincinnati it's pretty nice. Once you get south of Huntington, it's flat out awesome.

A loose time frame would be -

Day 1 to Huntington (means hauling *** on the I for a while, might not be doable from your location. I did the reverse to MKE via Dayton 2 lane easily in a day).

Day 2 - Huntington to Johnson City and the Snake (BIG day)

Day 3 - BRP, Rattler, Diamondback, stay in Maggie Valley (medium day)

Day 4 - Wheels through Time (or whatever the heck its called - either way it's great), maybe a rest day or some light exploring. Also leaves cushion in case any of the above took more than a day. (light day)

Day 5 - BRP to Cherokee and on to the Moonshiner and Dragon. (medium day)

Day 6 - Dragon and Cherohola on to Nashville (Hit Broadway honky tonks) (medium day)

Day 7 - Head home totally worn out and hung over with a bigass smile

 

We really enjoyed riding through NewFoundland gap (goes from Gatlinburg TN to Cherokee NC) While on that road you're a mere 7 miles from the top of Clingmans Dome (highest elevation in TN).

Foothills Parkway is a nice road too. It's right off the Dragon.

Places to avoid - Do not try to ride through Sieverville, Pigeon Forge or Gatlinburg on the weekend. Traffic will be at a stand still. It took us over 3 hours to go about 20 miles and I'm not kidding.

 

Bagger, there are lots of bike friendly places to stay in the area. Iron Horse is a good choice. The Dragon can get busy at times, especially on weekends. Sometimes there are car clubs, etc. in town and they cruise the Dragon as well. On busy days there NCHP officers about, which is not such a bad thing. Having a speed freak crossing head on into your lane in a curve can be a little too much of a thrill. Sometimes there are guys stationed here and there taking photos of you and posting online for sale (KillBoy and US129 Photos). Some of them are pretty good. You can look for them when you get home by date & time. The Cherohala Skyway, as mentioned, is a great ride and less crowded. Just about any direction from there is a good ride. You can definitely go for days and not see it all. The roads, for the most part, are very good and the scenery is awesome. Be sure to gas up before leaving civilization because you can go a long way without seeing a gas stop in some areas.

 

We rode the Dragon on a Tuesday, not crowded at all and very enjoyable.

If you go the the tourism websites of the states you'll be going through you can order free road maps. The Blueridge parkway also has a site that offers maps.

 

If you have extra time or need another place to check out there is Bobarosa on the river near Del Rio, TN. Little biker bar/grill. Lots of bike only parking. I think it's around an hour or so from Sevierville/Gatlinburg area. www.bobarosasaloon.com. Only time I was able to go was middle of the week early afternoon so it wasn't busy but supposed to get busy on the weekends.

Michael