The wife and I are planning on going to Deals Gap to ride the Tail of the Dragon in August. I was reading in another thread about some of the dangers in the area so I will be using extreme caution. My little brother and his new bride went and rode it just a few weeks ago and had a really good time. We are starting to get our plans together but find that there are tons of places to stay as well as tons of other things to go and do. My question is does anyone have a line on a place that we can rent that won't cost a freakin arm? We are planning on flying in and renting a bike for the drive what is the best place to rent from? Where is the best place to fly into?

 

i think that your wife will enjoy visiting ashville and the castle . you can google it.
and from there there are great roads to gatlinberg .

i am going there on my way from florida to connecticut on june 17th and staying at the econo ;odge inn and suites because it is 100 yards from main street in what i was told is a quiet street, and i like the downtown location which allows me to walk in at nite and so some exercise after riding all day.

i have no idea where to fly into but i would look into maybe charleston s.c. a great city and maybe there are rentals there ,and from there you can ride to ashville etc.....

my two cents.

but also, there is knoxville tenn. which is close by also.

have a good trip

ffb

 

i'm not sure if the local HD shop rents. The name of the dealership closest to deal's gap is Gene Lummus Harley Davidson. It's located on I 40 about 50 miles form the tennesee border. There are some nice places to stay in Cherokee and Maggie Valley, NC. Also check out the Cherohala Skyway. I don't know about the airports though. Hope you enjoy your ride.

 

I can't helpon where to stay but smoky mountain harley davidson is located on the south side of maryville tn. www.smh-d.com

 

For a place to stay try www.vrbo.com. Rent yourself a cabin in the mountains. You will have to dig for a good deal but they are there. Suggest you DO NOT ride the Dragon on a weekend.

 

http://www.dealsgap.com/

 

Fly into Knoxville, Tn. The airport is actually in Maryville, Tn. Smoky Mountain HD is a pretty good size dealership and they are not far from the Dragon or Cherohala. Search Cabin rentals in the Maryville or Townsend area. They are everywhere.

 

Try the Three Pines Motel in Maggie Valley. We haven't been there since June 2005, but have stayed there on every trip to the area. Rates were around $35 for a double, IIRC, which is low for that tourist-trap area.

Don't miss the Cherahala Skyway that goes between Tellico Plains, TN and Robbinsville, NC--a beautiful 35-mile ride (one way). Take the Parkway as far as you want, as it goes about 400 miles up into VA. Our plan was usually to stay in Maggie Valley and do day rides from that location, as there are plenty of good riding opportunities in that area.

We stumbled across the Cherahala Skyway by accident in 1998 just after it was constructed, as it wasn't on most maps. There was a blurb about it in the back of the HOG road atlas of that year, described as one of the top-10 scenic highways in the country. It was a surreal experience, as we saw maybe two cars on the entire 35-mile stretch, and it was as if we were the only souls left in the world. Total quiet, but it isn't like that today, as everybody has discovered it by now. Don't miss it.

 

Close dealership would be Ghost Town HD (gene Lumus other place) Not sure if they rent but you could go to their website and see. Asheville NC airport is pretty close. Look at www.dealsgap.com or www.tailofthedragon.com

For cool pics, check out www.Killboy.com

Ride your ride....you will not be the fastest, the baddest or the anything except the most road rash if you ride over your head. Watch for cars, bikes, trucks, wildlife in your lane and NEVER EVER go across the yelllow line

Ride safe

Bubba

 

Try Volunteer cabins in Wears Valley too. Thers a back door into the park
right there if you don't feel like going through Gatlinberg. There's to many
rides to mention Blue Ridge, Foot hills, Cherahola, etc. Have a blast!