heading to dragons tail in june curios about weather and roads to avoid . getting there on a sunday and leaving on wednesday. hoping to avoid the weekend traffic jams and be able to se as much as i can in a little time . we are into musuems, interesting sites ,and good food,any recomendations are appreciated.

 

You didn't say where you are coming from but if you are west of NC and thinking about coming across I-40 check ahead of time. There was a rock slide in the fall between the Tennessee line and Asheville and it was going to take a couple of months. In the mean time they had another rock slide. I haven't heard anything except the detour is way out of the way. Maggie Valley is a good place to stay or Cherokee both about 60-90 minute ride to the dragon. You have lots of choices in both places. You want to make sure you take time to ride the Blue Ridge Parkway ( it starts in Cherokee) and the Cherohala Skyway. In fact its a nice ride to ride the dragon and then continue on about 30 miles to get on the Skyway. It will bring you back in the general direction of Cherokee and Maggie Valley. Weather is usually pretty good in June although it can get cool in the evening. You will see lots of stuff blooming especially on the Parkway. There is a nice casino in Cherokee and the Biltmore House is in Asheville.
If you want a really cool book that has all kinds of rides go to www.byways.org . I got mine through some government agency, I don't remember which, but it has the 275 best drives in the US. It covers all the states and has some really cool stuff. It is published by National Geographic. Have fun, it's a great place to just take a turn somewhere and explore.

Adlad
07 Ultra

 

The Wheels Through Time museum is in Maggie Valley, awesome collection of motorcycles. I understand he only opens certain now, but well worth the visit. Besides the Dragon's Tail, and Cherohala Skyway, the Foothills Pkwy is a nice ride into Smokey Mountains Nat. Park.

Iron Horse Resort in Stecoah NC is a great place to stay and local to all the great ride s.

 

Just about any road in that area is a good one. I've stayed in Robbinsville NC which is an ideal location for access to all of the scenic roads in western NC. One thing though. Robbinsville in in a DRY county. No liquor stores unless you leave the county. Maggie Valley would be a better place to stay as stated by others here. www.wheelsthroughtime.com. You must see Wheels Through Time Museum while you are there. Unforgettable! For anything about the Dragon, go here: www.tailofthedragon.com

 

Great ride. Been there, done that, am doing it again. Any road off of the beaten path is good. Beaten path is still good. Just be prepared to enjoy.

 

*wheels thru time
*biltmore estate (asheville)
*grandfather mountain
*bridal falls
*ride 128 from Deals Gap down to Dillard House in Georgia for lunch
*ride the Cherohala
*ride the blue ridge parkway
*ride the foothills
*clingmans dome
*blowing rock
*on and on and on.

Above all, you WILL have fun if you have a sense of adventure

 

leaving out of the land of misery (missouri) and illinois and wisconson. meeting my brothers to head down there and yea we are all adventurers and we are ready to go now (except i am not real wild about ridin in the snow ,i ve done it just not wild about it ) . have to check our route and state DOT sites and see how roads are as we get closer to day of departure .

 

I've been to the area a few times. I enjoyed the Loop as they call it. you ride the dragon along with the cherohala skyway and they have roads that connect the two for a good day of riding.
here's the link i used ot get a map of the loop
http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

I've stayed here twice and liked it. they have a small garage for your bike to be tucked away at night. I think they have affordable prices as well. It's just south of the dragon and near the cherohala skyway.
http://www.twowheelinn.com/

 

this is panheadmatmans brother route looks like 64 e to 57 s t0 24 e to tennessee 70 eto tn 30 to tn39 68. trying avoid i40 too many damn semis

 

You'll love it, here's a link to when I rode it last Summer. I messed up and crossed the center line, luckily nobody was coming when it happened. Just riding that made me a much better rider. After that I was able to handle the Smokey Mountain park like nobody's business. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HkNzwMitLgY