Riding up to Gatlinburg, TN with several friends in October. Anyone out there with great ride ideas other than the Tail of the Dragon. That ride is obviously already planned.

 

Beware of all the cages looking at leaves in October. You can leave Deals Gap and ride to Robinsville, nice ride and the skyway into tenn is great as well. You can also leave Deals Gap and head toward Fontana lake and dam, I believe it is 128 or moonshiners highway. You can follow it to Franklin. Bottom line is it is hard to go wrong anywhere in this area.

 

Thanks sh57. Looking at the map I kinda figured that would be the case. Doesn't hurt to get input from those who have been there though. I will write some of your suggestions down and look at the map.

 

Hwy 421 from Bristol to Mountain City

 

Ride the Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee to at least Ashville, NC. Then just pick a path and take off.

 

The wife & I enjoy the Cherohala Skyway better than the Dragon.
Of course the ride from Gatlinburg to Cherokee is always nice.
Stay out of Cades Cove on a bike,way to much traffic at times.
If I can be of any help PM me as I live in east TN and ride the
area all the time.Also be sure to go to Wheels Through Time in
Maggie Valley.It's a real neat place.

 

here is a ride we took out of Robbinsville,NC to Helen,Ga and back

Robbinsville, NC
1. Head east on Atoah St/County Rd 1127 toward County Rd 1106/N Main St 108 ft
2. Slight right at County Rd 1106/E Main St 0.3 mi
3. Turn right at US-129 S/Rodney Orr Bypass Continue to follow US-129 S 11.4 mi
4. Turn right at US-129 S/US-19 S/US-74 W Continue to follow US-74 W 30.4 mi
5. Turn left at N Carolina 60 S Entering Georgia 5.0 mi
6. Continue onto Georgia 60 Spur (South) 7.6 mi
7. Turn left at GA-60 S/Lakewood Hwy/Mineral Bluff Hwy Continue to follow GA-60 S 2.4 mi
8. Turn left at GA-60 S/Old Hwy 76 1.3 mi
9. Turn left at GA-60 S 0.1 mi
10. Take the 2nd right onto GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy 1.9 mi
11. Turn right to stay on GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy 1.9 mi
12. Turn right to stay on GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy 0.5 mi
13. Turn right at GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy/Old Hwy 76 Continue to follow GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy 6.0 mi
14. Turn left at GA-60 S/Co Rd 5/Dial Rd Continue to follow GA-60 S 0.5 mi
15. Turn left at GA-60 S/Doublehead Gap Rd Continue to follow GA-60 S 3.4 mi
16. Turn left at GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy/Old Hwy 76 1.3 mi
17. Turn right to stay on GA-60 S/Morganton Hwy/Old Hwy 76 Continue to follow GA-60 S 8.2 mi
18. Turn left to stay on GA-60 S 2.6 mi
19. Turn left at State Route 180/Wolf Pen Gap Rd 2.1 mi
20. Turn left to stay on State Route 180/Wolf Pen Gap Rd 9.0 mi
21. Turn left at GA-11 N/US-129 N/US-19 N/State Route 180 2.4 mi
22. Turn right at State Route 180 0.9 mi
23. Take the 2nd right onto GA-348 E/Richard B Russell Scenic Hwy 14.0 mi
24. Slight left at GA-75 Alt S 2.3 mi
25. Turn right at GA-17 S/GA-75 S/Unicoi Turnpike 1.3 mi

Helen, GA
26. Head west on GA-17 N/GA-75 N/N Main St/Unicoi Turnpike toward White St Continue to follow GA-17 N/GA-75 N/Unicoi Turnpike 2.1 mi
27. Turn left to stay on GA-17 N/GA-75 N/Unicoi Turnpike 9.6 mi
28. Turn left at State Route 180 12.6 mi
29. Turn right at GA-11 N/US-129 N/US-19 N/Gainesville Hwy Continue to follow GA-11 N/US-129 N/US-19 N 7.5 mi
30. At the traffic circle, take the 5th exit onto Blue Ridge St 0.5 mi
31. Turn right at GA-11 N/US-129 N/US-19 N Continue to follow US-129 N/US-19 N Entering North Carolina 14.5 mi
32. Turn right at US-129 N/US-19 N/US-64 E/US-74 E Continue to follow US-129 N/US-19 N/US-74 E 29.7 mi
33. Turn left at US-129 N/Tallulah Rd Continue to follow US-129 N 11.4 mi
34. Turn left at County Rd 1106/E Main St 0.3 mi
35. Continue straight onto Atoah St/County Rd 1127 108 ft

Robbinsville, NC

 

Its all good. Local consensus's I found while riding that area was there were a whole lot more, and better, roads to ride than the Dragon. After riding it I have to agree. Cherohala Highway is one. Next time I'm going down to Maggie Valley, checking out the museum 'Wheels thru time', then riding the BRP on up into Virginia. The Dragon is far too dangerous with all the crotch rockets zooming through at breakneck speeds.

Wherever you go make sure you have some very good raingear because you can be on one side of a mt side and its sunny and go 'round it and run into the damndest rainstorm, some real gullywashers.

 

Check your map.. hwy 321 out of Gatlinburg to Cosby.. just past Cosby is a restaurant Carvers Apple Barn.. can't see it from the road but should be on your right after you pass thru Cosby... Go early for breakfast..continue on 321 to hwy 72 to by pass Newport... lots of redlights in Newport.. turn right on hwy 25w to Hot Springs NC.. in community of Del Rio there is a biker hangout Barbarosa.. on the river.. you will see lots of bikes there and on a weekend and good weather there has been 700 bikes.. They have good steaks also.. continue into Hot Springs, small arts and crafts town with a good restaurant Iron Horse?? I believe thats the name.. continure to Ashville NC and pickup Blue Ridge Parkway and ride south to hwy 19 exit.. that will take you into Maggie Valley.. Cherokee, Waynesville , in Waynesville look for restaurant Bogarts... take road thru Smoky mts. back to Gatlinburg from Cherokee.. Find the Peddler Steak House in G'burg.. pricey but worth it.. They open at 04:00p and you need to call for call ahead seating or just wait until about 08:30p and the crowd will have thinned.. anywhere is good riding.. you will have fun where ever you decide

 

Don't pick one spot to stay if here to ride. Change stopping points as you get tired of rideing. Most all the towns have motels or B&B's to stay at and pick up a western north carolina map as it will show every small road there is and plan your riders. Way to many great roads and as some others are finding out, the dragon ain't all that. If a road looks like it might be a challenge on the WNC map it will be. But with much less traffic and darn few bikes,lots of curves with elevation changes. Watch out for the leaves and the leaf watchers.