• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Riding the Dragon and Other Paths

hoss01

hoss
Dear Friends...This summer I am hoping to ride the Tail of the Dragon (N.C.) , and throughout the Bryson City area and the Blue Ridge Parkway if time permits
Could any of you offer advise and/ recommend good maps of these areas and/or
offer advice for riding this series:bikes of roads. I am 76 years young, have ridden for
about seven years and ride a 2006 GS 1200.
Would really appreciate your input.

Thank you.
 
Several companies make maps of Western NC, which are much more detailed than the entire state maps. If you want more detail, get a DeLorme NC gazetteer and atlas, they show every cow path and hiking trail.

Best time to hit the gap is midweek early in the day, to avoid the circus LEOS, and cruiser riders that should be on Mopeds.
 
You get all the information on : www.tailofthedragon.com
Riding tips, weather, maps, etc.
Definitely ride through the Dragon and the the Cherohala Skyway - the Skyway is one of the best roads I have found here in the US. 60 mls up the mountain to 6000 ft and down on the other side - no cars on the road and only a few motorcycles - wide roads. Sweeping corners up you can go 80/90/100 mls per hr - pure fun (no cops around here!) but be careful on the Dragon - Cops are everywhere especially on weekends.
And don't forget the Foothill Parkway ......
I was up there 6 x whenever I am going crazy here in FL.
The Devils Triangle on the other side of I-75 is fantastic too - discovering old coal mines.

All the info with maps and directions you find on this side.:beer:german

PSI
 
oh, and if you run the Cherahola from the southern end, watch out for the decreasing radius right hander. at speed, it can be dangerous.
 
The roads you are interested in are great riding, but don't forget that between you and The Dragons tail there is some fantastic riding also. Southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky offer some great roads also. No sense being bored between Mi. and NC.
 
The roads you are interested in are great riding, but don't forget that between you and The Dragons tail there is some fantastic riding also. Southeastern Ohio, West Virginia, and eastern Kentucky offer some great roads also. No sense being bored between Mi. and NC.

What he said too. Personally I can leave the Cherohala Skyway, it is a nice scenic road, but I prefer scraping pegs at 20-40 mph, not 80-100. If you are into high speed sweepers go for it, but if you want technical, lots of roads as good or better than the GAP without the circus clowns that gravitate there.

Look at 28 S of rt/19-74, heading into Franklin, NC, good stuff around spruce pine too.
 
Last edited:
I love the Cherohala, but yes, Pffog is correct, it like the Blue Ridge entices you to high speeds. But for a great view, you can't beat it. There is also a fantastic waterfall you should visit that if off the road 5-10 miles near the TN end. Can't recall the name.

I'd recommend "Mad Maps". They have a good map with descriptions, routes, etc. Order one and you should have just about all you need for a fine trip.

The area is full of nice roads, far too many to list. I ride it all the time and never get bored. I still say it is the best area for technical peg scraping fun. And great scenery is a plus.

You really can't go wrong.

HWY 28, from the Dragon to Fontana Dam and on is newly paved and a nice forest and river views and twisty ride. Stop at the dam visitor center for a nice break and views of the dam, lake, and powerstation.
 

Attachments

  • 2010-05-20 08.16.43.jpg
    2010-05-20 08.16.43.jpg
    94.2 KB · Views: 247
I live about 60 miles southeast of Deal's Gap, aka "Tail of the Dragon" and as close as I live to it I find myself there only about once a year. It is an excellent motorcycle road and usually in great condition. If you have never been on it, it is a must in my opinion. As others have mentioned, I also recommend going on a weekday and as early in the morning as you can. It is well patrolled during peak hours by the police and it is very common to meet oncoming "hotshots" in your lane.

The last couple of times I was there I saw the Lifeforce helicopter at the dam airlifting another motorcycle accident victim out of the area. In my opinion the Gap is better suited for a 500cc Fastassembeechie than a BMW. It seems that every time I go through it I still manage to overcook one or two of the curves. There is a store at the southeastern end where you can get a meal and buy souvenirs etc. and the food is surprisingly good IMO. I'm posting a couple of pictures I took a few years ago while riding the Gap, occasionally you can run across a large truck attempting to drive through there, so be very careful.

Just a few miles northwest of the Gap is the Foothills Parkway and I find it a real joy to ride. It is only about twenty miles long, not much traffic, and a very relaxing ride. Hwy 28 from the Gap through the Fontana dam area heading toward Bryson City is a rather pretty ride. If you head south on 129 instead of east on 28, you will find a damn just a few miles from there. It is where they filmed the scene from the movie "The Fugitive" where Harrison Ford's character dives off the dam.

My personal favorite is the Cherohala Skyway and in my opinion is a must to ride if you are in the area, it just seems to suit my riding style better than most other nearby roads. Though it is true that I rarely see any police activity on the Skyway, I received my last motorcycle ticket on that road about eight or nine years ago. It was on a weekday morning with almost no traffic, so you will still need to be aware.

If you find that Deal's Gap is your cup of tea, then you would also like Wolf Pen Gap Rd. (Hwy 180) near Suches Georgia. It is also a very tight technical road, but doesn't have nearly as much traffic as the Gap. TWO (Two Wheels Only) campground is also located there in Suches.

You should have a great time in the area if the heat doesn't get to you. Good luck, keep us posted, and feel free to ask any more questions.


DSCN1202Custom.jpg


DSCN1207Custom.jpg
 
What everyone else said.

I spent a few days in that area last summer and there are fantastic roads everywhere. Get your Dragon run in, ride the Cherohala then go exploring. Talk to the locals when you're there and they'll point you in the right direction, but there are great roads in every direction. It's a big area and in the few days I was there I rode all day every day and I felt like I barely saw a tiny fraction of it.

As others mentioned, don't overlook what's on the way there and back. I rode thru the mountains of Eastern KY then meandered all the way across KY on back roads after leaving NC and that was a really nice ride too. The Blue Ridge Parkway is very nice, but it's slow going so be prepared to take your time - I rode a few hundred miles of it on the way down.

You're going to have a great time!
 
Sorry, I live southwest of the Dragon not southeast. I hadn't had my second cup of coffee yet. :doh
 
Mad Maps

I did the Blue Ridge Parkway along with "The Tail of the Dragon" , "The Snake" and Cherahola Skyway for the first time last fall. My favorite by far was the Cherahola Skyway and the roads in Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I tend to like the long sweeping curves and I'm not so much into the insane twisties on the Dragon or the Snake. To each their own I guess, that's why they make ice cream in more than one flavor. Do the Dragon and the Snake so you can say you did it, but save plenty of time for other roads in the region. There are a lot of nice places to ride down there other than those high profile roads. I purchased some Mad Maps of the area and they are the best. They lay out specific rides throughout the region and give you lots of information about places to stay and places to eat, interesting attractions, etc. I highly recommend the the Smoky Mountains Mad Map, it's great. If you are camping I'd also recommend The Blue Ridge Motorcycle Campground in North Carolina and Willville in Fields of Dan, Virginia. Have a great trip.........Don
 
People from flat country and cities don't know where the good riding is so they have to depend on what they can find out. A good marketing campaign brings a lot of business. A better ride about 60 miles from the Parkway is Rt 16 between Marion, Va and Tazewell, Va. We have hundreds of roads around here and almost all are a great ride. I was the most disappointed person in the world when I finally rode the Dragon aafter a lifetime here in the mountains. Other opinions of our little bit of heaven are here- http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/va_appalachian.html Click in Rt 16

A good guide for motorcycle roads is http://www.motorcycleroads.us/index.html

Ken
 
+1 on what osbornk said. I live in southern Ohio and ride West Virginia, Kentucky, and of course SE Ohio pretty much every weekend. Rt 16 in W.V. is great. The Dragon, The Snake, and the other roads that get all the press are nice rides, but I can do just as well closer to home and without the traffic or LEO attention that these roads tend to get.
 
I was just down there in August. Trust me, there are NO bad roads in or around the area. If you get a chance, find Wayah Road, near Franklin, NC. Ride it from beginning to end (from Franklin to Topton-about 27 miles), and you'll be grinning so much, your face will hurt. Foothills Parkway is also very nice with about 17 miles of very enjoyable high speed sweepers. Also, while you're there, stop by to visit Dry Falls, in Highland, NC (think its on Route 28). Wicked cool waterfall which you can walk under and behind. We stayed at the Fontana Resort at Fontana Dam, NC which is right in the heart of the most twistelicious roads I have ever seen. We did the Dragon, I think, 7 times. It was different each time, and got progressively more fun each time. I'm getting all giggly just remembering all the fun we had. Hope you have safe fun there too.

P.S. There are loads of great maps with routes at this link: http://www.tailofthedragonmaps.com/. Any or all will provide hours of entertaining cruising.
 
if you are looking for a place to stay I can recommend http://www.twowheelinn.com/ especially if you go when it's cold since you get a garage to put your bike in at night. It's in a dry county though so plan accordingly if libations are desired.
 
We were there in September and rode through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Cherohala Skyway and Dragon. I think we did part of the moonshiner and others but it gets confusing after seeing all this curves. I see the Dragon as a yeah I was there thing as it is really not much fun as it is so technical. Did I mention low speeds and the threat of a rocket taking you out? The park and Cherohala are a must do. We took the Blue Ridge from there all the way into the Virginias. Quite frankly I could skip ever doing any of them again except the Blue Ridge Parkway. Whatever you choose you really can't go wrong. Enjoy the journey no matter your destination.
 
Back
Top