I want to ride there this spring/summer. Anyone been there, places to stay/see? I plan to ride from Wisconsin to Tennessee then to North Carolina. I want to have fun but don't want to take a "dirt nap"getting run over by some retard on a crotch rocket. Any tips?

 

You'll most likely get a lot of feedback,no doubt it's a popular spot...

Unless you time it right it's hard to get on it and rip without police intervention or having cars or bikes in your way.

There's roads down south and around the US as good or better with less exotic sounding names,but The Dragon's worth hitting at least once just to see for youself.

It's a really scenic area and overall there's lot of crooked roads in that region to ride besides the popular ones.We were fortunate in having some local riding friends show us around.

 

Been there many times, a lot of beautiful rides all over that area, the Blue Ridge Pkwy, Dragon's Tail, NC215, Cherohala Skyway.
The Iron Horse MC resort in Stecoah (near Deals Gap) is a great place to stay and reasonably priced. Also, Maggie Valley is a nice town to visit, one must see is the "Wheels Through Time" museum in Maggie Valley. Holiday Motel in Maggie Valley is another great place to stay, it is a 1960s style motel, and Rob and Gabi, the owners are the best, and they ride too.
I recommend getting the "Smokey Mountains" MadMap www.madmaps.com, or www.americaridesmaps.com (more detailed maps), use these to plan your trip.

 

Thanks for the info. Very helpful.

 

+1 I just went there last month and the WTT is a must see. I stayed in a cabin just north of Maggie Valley. Go to the tail on a sunday or monday and most the street bikes are not there. To be honest the ride on 28 and 19 were just as good as the dragon. Not quite as sharp of turns but more long sloping ones better suited for a cruiser. no to mention no cops.
Be carful lots of cops on the dragon. there were 5 on it the sunday I went.

 

And if you ever venture out west you'll want to ride the Devil's Highway (old US 666), which was renamed US 191 back in '92. It's also known as the Coronado Trail Scenic Byway.

Details here: http://www.cyclerides.com/rides/dayr...ronadoride.htm

 

Cherohala Skyway is a much more pleasant ride to me than the Dragon.
I guess everyone should ride the Dragon at least once.I live less than 2
hours from both,and never get tired of riding the Skyway.

 

I live within a couple hours of the Dragon and because of all the "press" didn't actually ride it til a couple months ago. Thought it might be beyond my ability. Turns out it is less technical and challenging than several other routes nearby (226A - aka the Diamondback is a BLAST up or down, 181 is always a favorite). Cherohala is beautiful but it's so very tempting to look at the amazing scenery rather than the road, the Blue Ridge is great but the roads are showing some serious wear in spots that look to be future washouts so be careful...the list goes on...Definitely do the Dragon and visit the Tree of Shame (& after your adventure don't forget to look for your photos on Killboy).

 

We did the dragon in aug of 2010,as others have said it is not nearly as difficult as you may have thought.it is less crowded during midweek, Robbinsville,NC has plenty of options for places to stay I highly recommend the tree tops,make your reservations early.Helen,Ga is a day ride from there and is a great little town for lunch.If you time it right they have a rally in august.note if you like to have an adult beverage after riding all day bring it with you.

Brian

 

There's a group from "The Wild Ride" webb site that are planning another group ride to the Dragon in May. You might go on the site and be able to go with a group that are a fun bunch to be around.