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Blue Ridge Parkway Suggestions

greggsnider

G Spot
I'm leading a small group on a two week trip this September. Skyline Drive to the Blue Ridge Parkway, down to Charleston, then home via the Outer Banks. I did this ride solo several years ago, and I'm pumped to hit it again.

We'll definitely hit the usual suspects - Deal's Gap, Cherahola Skyway, etc.

I assume quite a few MOA folks have chewed up some miles around the southern end of Parkway and NC/TN, and I'd love to pick your brains. I'm wide open to suggestions for awesome riding and funky roads, tasty restaurants, scenic photo ops, romantic make-out spots (yes, it's that kind of group...well, it is in my head) and other noteworthy stuff that only people who've been there/done that can recommend.

Thanks in advance.
 
I assume you like curvy roads, good food and good scenery.

I would get off the Parkway at Fancy Gap, Va, go to the bottom of the mountain on Rt 52 and have lunch at the Hungry Farmer (http://www.blueridgehost.com/The_Hungry_Farmer_Restaurant_-_Cana_Virginia.aspx). After lunch, ask someone there to direct you to Lambsburg,Va. You can ride through there to get back on the Parkway (it will make the Tail of the Dragon look Interstate straight).

From there, I would wander over to Marion, Va to ride the Back of the Dragon( http://backofthedragon.com/ ) and spend the night camping at Hungry Mother Park (http://www.dcr.virginia.gov/state_parks/hun.shtml).

I would go from there to Breaks Interstate Park on the Virginia/Kentucky line (http://www.breakspark.com/) and spend a couple of days wandering the mountains. There is not a straight road to get there.

I would go from there to ride the Snake (http://www.421thesnake.com/). Look at the three day trips on the website.

These are all places I ride all the time and there are dozens more in the area.
 
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I rode it north from Asheville NC 3 days ago intending to go into Virginia on it. The northern end of the Parkway in NC was closed for road repairs from MM 218 to MM 237 and there was a long detour around it.

http://www.nps.gov/blri/planyourvisit/upload/GUARDWALLPHASE3DETOUR.PDF

You might enjoy riding Rt 16 from Marion to Tazewell and back. Maybe as good as the Dragon. One of our group low sided his GS, but little damage was done to bike or rider, so it only held us up for about ten minutes. :)
 
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Thanks for the heads up about the detour. I'll keep an eye on the NPS site before we leave to see if construction is still active.

Glad your friend wasn't hurt. 16 sounds awesome...think I may try to nab it.
 
Thanks for the heads up about the detour. I'll keep an eye on the NPS site before we leave to see if construction is still active.

Glad your friend wasn't hurt. 16 sounds awesome...think I may try to nab it.

I worked insurance claims for many years and rode across Rt 16 three or four times per week in a car. I cursed that road almost every day in a car and loved every minute of it on a bike. Virginia renamed the road Back of the Dragon this year and it will be dedicated in July.

http://backofthedragon.com/
 
Wheels through Time is a nice break at southern end. ( if you guys are into history of motorcycling)
 
Thank you for the terrific recommendations: - I'm also planning a trip back to the BRP. I did The Snake a few years ago but am looking forward to the other suggestions offered here.
 
If you want a great place to stay overnight near the Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Hellbender 28, I have just the place. The Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, NC. www.ironhorsenc.com will direct you to the website. The owner rides an LT. Great food, nice quiet cabins and campground. I'm a member of the bmwlt.com touring community and the southeast group is there twice a year, April and October.

Disclaimer: I'm not connected in any way with the Ironhorse Lodge. They have been great with the LT group and I promote them every chance I get.
 
A nice lunch stop in the Blowing Rock area is a place called Canyons. Great views from the outside deck.

Another is the Rock House in Linneville Falls.

A nice side road is NC. 276 either up or down.

For some old hippy funkyness try the coffee in Hotsprings.

Man the list just goes on and on. Take almost any road off the BRP and there are some cool twisties, and fun places to see.
 
For an exciting riding diversion off of the parkway, turn left @ MM 330 onto North Carolna 226 going to Marion. After about 5 miles when you get down to where the road flattens out, turn right onto 226a, and go back up the mountain. it's about 10 miles back up the mountain before it brings you back to the parkway about 3 miles farther south than the 226 turnoff. This brings you out right by the Switzerland Inn at Little Switzerland, which is pretty nice place to stay if it happens to be the end of the day when you come thru. Plus there are several other places to stay nearby.
 
If you want a great place to stay overnight near the Tail of the Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, Hellbender 28, I have just the place. The Ironhorse Motorcycle Lodge in Stecoah, NC. www.ironhorsenc.com will direct you to the website. The owner rides an LT. Great food, nice quiet cabins and campground. I'm a member of the bmwlt.com touring community and the southeast group is there twice a year, April and October.

Disclaimer: I'm not connected in any way with the Ironhorse Lodge. They have been great with the LT group and I promote them every chance I get.

:thumb
 
For an exciting riding diversion off of the parkway, turn left @ MM 330 onto North Carolna 226 going to Marion. After about 5 miles when you get down to where the road flattens out, turn right onto 226a, and go back up the mountain. it's about 10 miles back up the mountain before it brings you back to the parkway about 3 miles farther south than the 226 turnoff. This brings you out right by the Switzerland Inn at Little Switzerland, which is pretty nice place to stay if it happens to be the end of the day when you come thru. Plus there are several other places to stay nearby.

The Big Lynn Lodge in Little Switzerland is nice too. Your room rate gets you breakfast and dinner for two in the restaurant. I'm sure they have a similar deal for cabin rentals too.
 
If you would be starting at the north end of Skyline Drive I would suggest skipping it and most of the BRP all together, in fact skip Virginia and come down into the Smokey Mountains through West Virginia. Unless your idea of the perfect motorcycle road is one with a 35 mph speed limit and infested with LEOs there's way better routes to take than Skyline and BRP. It's beautiful up there on that road but getting a ticket for going 46 mph on a perfect, wide, sweeping road isn't my idea of hospitable.
 
West VA could be possible for me. What suggestions would you have? I'll be driving south from Ottawa, Canada. Last time I blasted straight through to Deals Gap in a single shot using I81, spent two days in the Deals Gap area, then took the next 10 days (The Snake / BRP / DC etc) to make my way back to Canada. What would be some great West VA roads to do on my way south this summer?
 
West VA could be possible for me. What suggestions would you have? I'll be driving south from Ottawa, Canada. Last time I blasted straight through to Deals Gap in a single shot using I81, spent two days in the Deals Gap area, then took the next 10 days (The Snake / BRP / DC etc) to make my way back to Canada. What would be some great West VA roads to do on my way south this summer?


http://wvcommerce.org/travel/thingstodo/outdoorrecreation/motorcycles/default.aspx

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/wv_mountains.html

There's a ton of good roads there but for starters, 219 south to 250 to 28 south through green bank, right on 66 back over to 219 south. After all that you'll wonder why you're going any farther south.
 
http://wvcommerce.org/travel/thingstodo/outdoorrecreation/motorcycles/default.aspx

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/regions/wv_mountains.html

There's a ton of good roads there but for starters, 219 south to 250 to 28 south through green bank, right on 66 back over to 219 south. After all that you'll wonder why you're going any farther south.

Stop in Green Bank to tour the radio telescope facility. Largest land based moveable structure on earth.

gbt.jpg
 
If you got a day at Deals Gap to kill (except a Sunday or Monday, Cafe REL is closed), do this:

From the Deals Gap, take 28 to Franklin, NC. Stop at the hot spot gas station, each lunch at Cafe REL (MUST!) at the hot spot gas station either before you go to Highlands or coming back, depending on time you get there. Take 64 to Highlands, NC. Take 28 out of Highland until it straightens up around Walhalla, SC, turn around. Take 28/64 back to Franklin, NC. From Franklin, stay on 64 til you get to Wayah Rd on the right. Go on Wayah Rd to 19, take 19 to 129, follow 129 back to the gap. Send me many thanks when you get back.

You could also go to the Dilliard, GA from Highlands and go back to Franklin to Wayah Rd. In Dilliard, they have a hotel/restaurant called The Dilliard House. It's a Southern Buffet style restaurant. They just put everything on the menu on your table and you eat what you want and ask for more of anything you want. It's a lot of local fresh vegetables and stuff. It's real good. Hotel is really dated though.
 
When you get down here in the mountains where NC,VA, TN and WV meet, you can do like many of us who live here. We don't pick a road as much as a direction. We almost always enjoy a good ride on good roads. If you don't care where you are, you are not lost and almost every road comes out somewhere. We have a lot of great rides we can't duplicate.
 
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