tail of the dragon: worth it?
 

im trying to plan a little driving roadtrip for myself - i live in middle TN so the tail of the dragon is about a 3 hour drive or so away. i've always been curious to see it but a few things make me hesitant. if you've made the drive before, id love some input.

1: cops. i read that the speed limit is 30. is it the kind of road thats enjoyable by a slightly modded twin at 30-40 or is it basically that fun speeds = watch your back for tickets the whole drive?

2: crowds: nothing is greater than being on a great driver's road. nothing is worse than being stuck behind a slow car on a great driver's road. every trip that i've made to blue ridge parkway, for example - i find myself stuck following someone for a large portion of the drive. would i be better off finding some random empty country road around that way that has fewer twisties but also less people around?

3: idiots: a short second behind being stuck behind a slowpoke is being stuck in and around a bunch of brain deprived asshat drivers. is this a thing there?

thanks.

My wife and I went on a Monday at about 10 am. It was not busy at all - watch your speed, though! Oh, and write down the date and time that you were there - professional photographers are set up along the way. They take pictures of all the cars that go by. You just write down the information on the side of their truck, and look up their postings on their website when you get home. You can then search for your car, pay a minimal fee, and download a nice picture of your adventure!
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As Win said if you go during the morning or early afternoon on a weekday it isn't bad. I badly abused a rental Corrola when down there on business a couple of years ago. Even in that thing it was a blast. Just stay away in the evenings as there are all sorts of nut cases running it then.

Since I live near the Blue Ridge Parkway, I can feel your pain about slowpoke drivers from the flatlands who are terrified of the edge of the road going around curves. Geez, the speed limit is only 45 and even that would be fun on that wonderful road.

There are lots of twisty country roads north of Asheville that are godsends. My latest favorite is US 19W which cuts across the mountains from near Burnsville, NC to near Flag Pond, TN. You can use I-26 W or E to reach it at either end. Glorious, intimate scenery, curves made for our cars, and very little traffic. And no cops.

Have fun wandering around -- gotta say, I prefer deserted roads like US 19W far better than an infamous rollercoaster choked with speed demons, wrecks and cops.
:cheers:

I should have thought to mention this. My meeting was in Rogersville Tn which was about 2 hours away. The drive to the Tail was probably more fun than the actual end results. Some of those small mountain roads were a blast and I can't wait till I can get down there in the FRS sometime.
Some were scary as hell though. Hill, turn turn turn, hill hill, turn turn turn, SHIT, STOP SIGN!

I try to do at least 4 or 5 Dragon runs a year since I live only ~25 miles away from it. Best time I have found for the least amount of traffic is in the morning between 8-10 AM and around sunset.

I did the Cherohala Skyway/Dragon loop on the 7th. I didn't get to the Dragon until ~11:30 AM and got stuck behind 2 slow cruisers. Not a good ride that day, but I've had runs where there was no traffic. Is it worth it? Hell yes!!
http://tailofthedragonmaps.com/tail-of-the-dragon-loop/

NC28, aka Moonshiner 28, is also a great driving road. Catch it on the NC side of the Dragon at Deal's Gap, stop at Fontana Dam.
http://tailofthedragon.com/maps/

Yeah, and watch out for the cops. A radar detector is a must.

I drove it on st Patrick's day last year. About mid morning. Not much traffic and the few slowpokes I encountered pulled over and waved me through. I didn't see any law enforcement officials.

35mph speed limit seems low but there are curves you wouldn't take at that speed even in our cars. Hard to believe the limit was 50 mph a few years ago. There are some turns with rock wall on one side and several hundred feet drop off on the other. 110% focus needed. Second gear is optimal for lots of the drive.

Although I was on a trip to Maryland with a sort of deadline, I turned around and ran it again. I stuck my smartphone between the seat and headrest and amazingly it stayed put the entire time. Great video on the big screen.

At the head of the road there is the "Tree of Shame" that is garnished with the parts of various vehicles that wrecked on the road. Lots of motorcycle pieces.

Speed limit is 30 mph. http://tailofthedragon.com/details/

Tree of Shame at Deals Gap
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Killboy's Store Dragon at Deals Gap
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Deals Gap
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there are many fun mailbox free roads in east tn

I've went down there a few times a year for the past 10 years probably. This past spring was the first time I took the BRZ. It was decent but the skyway and surrounding roads was more fun in our cars IMO. Then again I may be tainted as I've been in MR2s with decent suspension and sticky tires for the past 5ish years I've been going.

Edit: Go on a weekday unless it's fall or spring. Also during the fall, don't go when the leaves are changing, there's a bunch of scenic lookers that clog the roads.

Agree 10000% with the above statement... I went when it was threatening snow the last time I was out and it was GREAT until leaving. I got stuck behind a car from Alaska that was out sight seeing. I tried pulling over multiple times to let him get up the road and would always catch up! Did he ever pull over to let me around? Nope.

Does anyone organize an 86 dragon meet?

It's worth it, you should go. Plus you live close, so it's not even that far. I travel there from MD every year, I love it down there. Not just the dragon, there are tons of roads around there that are amazing to drive.

There are lots of pull offs, slow drivers will sometimes use them, or you can use them to add some space. As others have said weekdays and evenings are usually low traffic. Saturdays are a s-show, I would avoid the weekends.

For as close as you are, it's absolutely worth it. As long as you don't drive like an idiot, you won't have to worry about the police and if you don't go on a weekend, traffic won't be too bad either. You may want to Google the day (or days) you're thinking about going + Tail of the Dragon to see if any big groups are planning an event, so you can avoid them.

If you get stuck behind a slower driver, there are various places to pull off, so you can wait, or just turn around and go back through it again.

Make sure to keep your car in your lane - don't cross the double yellow.

The speed limit is 30 mph for a reason, people die on the dragon. Two just recently, and the driver was a regular on the road. Not only rock cliffs, drop offs, blind corners, but look thru killboy.com's weekly highlights, and you'll see many wannabe race car drivers crossing the centerline too.

Yes, it's fun. I've been there on holiday weekends when it was packed, and fall monday mornings essentially alone on the road. But it's not the holy grail that many make it out to be, there are a lot of other less traveled roads in the area. Go, because it's a bucket list destination for car guys, but respect the road, and the others on it.

http://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/l...eet/369340001/

It's definitely worth the trip, but you need to time it well! I went up there last August. It's about 4 1/2 hours west of Raleigh and I was making a trip to visit a friend in Louisville, KY so I made a one day detour:) I arrived at Deal's Gap around 10pm Thursday night and jumped on the TotD around 730am Friday - nice and early before most anyone else (except for a few bikes). The speed limit is 30 mph the entire way and almost all of the route is located within Tennessee. However it's my understanding that if you respect the double yellow and don't drive like a jackass that the cops won't bother you. After all, they are aware of how this road helps boost the local economy.

I made 4 runs (down and back twice) and probably took the road at around 7/10ths and then 8/10ths. Nothing crazy and stayed in second gear the whole way. At most on some of the short straights I topped 70 mph. And all the locals are VERY courteous about pulling over and letting you by.

Had my GoPro with me, and also bought a few photos from Killboy. After making the 4 runs I drove some other "local" roads of the area for another 200 miles or so, then made my way to Louisville.

I'll post a pic or two if I can find them later...

Second all the comments above. If you're coming in on I40, a worthy sidetrack is Devil's Triangle. It's a brilliant road that is generally wide open on weekend mornings (I know bc it's just a few miles from my home). It's worth the trip from middle tn by itself. Prepare to spend an hour as 116 is the only road through that section of mountains and there are no shortcuts to get out. http://devilstriangletn.com

P.S. although there are rarely any cops, be careful to not anger the locals. This is Appalachia...

the dragon was part of a blount county traffic alert today with a bike down.




on 209 rolling down from hot springs, the locals dump gravel in the corners.

I live in SW Florida and I have made at least one trip up there every year since 2005. (Had a 350Z back then) If you love driving, the Tail of the dragon is bucket-list material.

It's a roller-coaster with a steering wheel.....but a lot more dangerous. The Dragon is to driving, what Bourbon street is to partying. People go to both public roads to do things that they wouldn't normally do elsewhere. That being said, I recommend staying withing your lane and within your limits.

All the turns crammed into such a tight stretch of road make for a lot of fun, but each of the 318 curves allow multiple opportunities to make a mistake -and there's almost no space or time to make a correction.

Early-mornings usually have very little traffic.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=118804

I drove the Devil's Triangle about 6ish years ago and some of the roads were rough, it was a day or two after a storm and there was quite a bit of debris in the road as well as running water over a few parts. Is it still like that?

I lived 25min from the Dragon for several years. Love the road. Plenty of runs on bikes and in cars. I don't treat it like a racetrack. As others said: weekdays are best. Do 28 and the Cherohala Skyway (NC side repaved last year and is amazing) for sure. Devil's Triangle on the weekends if you want to avoid other busier roads.

The road has been repaired, but yes, after a storm, this is the last place to get cleaned up. I've been up there a couple times after bad storms and there are always limbs and debris, and the runoff you mentioned. Now I just give it a week or so after heavy rains and it's fine.

The skyway took over ten years to complete. The reflectors make it a fabulous night run but watch for vermin. You can rent cabins from the Forrest service for cheap and the swan cabin is my favorite.

One should visit the Joyce Kikmer Memorial Forrest as the trees take 5-6 people holding hands around the circumference. There is also an overlook of Santeetla on a spur road on the back side of Horse Cove, which is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. Watch for panthers if your stealthy. Thunderhead and Bluebird are also on the back side coming out of Robinsville. (Lynn's has great food in Robinsville)

On the TN side, Bald River falls is also picturesque.

I need to watch the weather and run it again as I think it would be fun when it's clean.

I've ridden the Dragon dozens of times on motorcycles. I honestly don't think it would be much fun in a lower powered car where you won't be able to pass quickly on the very few places you can see far enough to pass. On a motorcycle, I can zip around slow traffic, but in a car one pack of Harley's will ruin your run.

If I wanted to do a good road in a car, there are several I'd pick over the Dragon. Someone mentioned Hwy 28, which is still pretty heavily traveled. Here are my suggestions for East TN, West NC, and North GA:

1) Road to nowhere - Hwy 32 coming out of Crosby runs along the northern border of the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. The road turns to gravel that's not going to be passable by a BRZ/86, so turn around and enjoy the road again.

2) Richard B. Russell highway in North Georgia between Helen and Suches

3) Run The Suches, GA loop - Highway 60, Highway 180 (Wolfpen Gap), and Hwy 129

4) Hwy 68 from Ducktown, TN to Tellico Plains, TN

5) Do Hwy 30 around Fall Creek Falls State Park

I agree with the above mentioned roads.
The wife and I have been riding the north Georgia, NC and Tennessee mountain area each fall for nearly 20 years. Here’s a map I was given the very first year we went. It covers more of the south region.
Don’t get too upset if you get slowed down some by locals or lookers. It’s fun even at a slow pace plus, you get to use it as a reccy (reconnaissance) run. Just turn around and go back the way came.
I’ll do Richard Russell several times in both directions during our week long stays. It was newly paved from the top down to 75A two years ago. As was 180 over to 75.
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j2...trepid_Map.jpg

Anyone ever see any E-85 at any of the gas stations around Deals Gap??

I made my first trip up to the deals gap area a couple of weeks ago. We ran the dragon on a Tuesday mid-afternoon. Before that we did the run up from Ducktown to Telico Plains to the Skyway around to 129. All were fabulous roads, none offer a lot of room for error - either on your part or on the part of a driver going the other direction. Either can complicate your day.

Personally, I drove 1600 miles to get there and it (along with the rest of the things we did) was worth the trip. I rode motorcycles for 50 years and for the last 20 Deal's Gap has been a pilgrimage I've wanted to make. I'm really glad I did. We ran it from the stores to the start and back. Advice? Drive the road at your pace. The runs are not timed and you're not going to earn points for a fast time. Watch the centerline. DON'T cross it. Give yourself all the "outs" you can in case you encounter some Joey Dunlop wannabe going the other way. On corners where the centerline represents the 'inside' of the turn, some sportbike guys will have the wheels almost kissing the paint at their apex which puts their head a foot or more into your lane. As dumb as that is on their part, don't play a part in helping them select themselves out of the gene pool.

If you take a passenger make sure they are not prone to car sickness. My wife turned an ominous shade of green about 8 miles into the out bound run. To avoid decorating the interior with her lunch, I had to ***** foot the return run watching the mirror for and using the turnouts to evade rabid apex strafers on bikes.

It is a FUN road. Avoid the teeth and enjoy it (and the other great roads in the region).

I'm fortunate to live less than 200 miles from these great roads. I make a trip twice a year to spend the weekend riding these roads. Sometimes with friends, and sometimes alone. On my motorcycle I also have the option of doing dirt/gravel roads which opens up an entire new world. You think it's remote and desolate on a paved road....get off the beaten path. It's almost eerie when you're out in the boonies, no cell signal, and you either figure out a way to make it through or you walk a long way.

Parson's Branch Road from Cade's Cove to Deal's Gap is quite an experience. Don't attempt it in a BRZ. :) LOL!

yep...there is one hill on parsons with a extremely deep rut,midway up, that requires about 5.5"-6" of clearance. some good times on that road. pre park, it was brothels and stills.

Very fun road, as long as the traffic is low and you don't run into a convoy of harleys. Wish I could have took my motorcycle for the trip as well, but the BRZ was just as fun. You do have to be careful navigating turns though because often people will cross over into your lane.

Yep. One a bike it's pretty dicey, but motorcycles have two advantages over all but exotic cars. They accelerate, and change directions more quickly. Saved my bacon several times when some moron decided he had a right to my lane or some lookie loo wants to do 10mph under the speed limit.

It a car, the Dragon would be less than fun unless it was early morning on a weekday and there was no traffic. There simply isn't any place to pass unless you can do so very quickly. On weekends during the busy season, forghedaboudit

The closest that I know of is just south of 75/40 at the Northshore exit of Pellissippi Pkwy.
Pilot, 9550 Northshore Dr., Knoxville, TN 37922

A bit sad I had to move further away from here. Got to take a run through while visiting friends for the 4th. I'll be back as often as I can!

Nothing that I know of closer than the one noted above, but there's a couple of stations off I75 exits that you'd take to go to the Cherohala Skyway.

I've gone twice. Unfortunately the second trip coinciding with ZDayZ's? Some huge 350z/370z meet, probably hundreds of them. Some of them tried to ride my ass super hard at times, that wasn't fun as I'm not trying to crash there.
I like Cherohala Skyway alot more than the actual Dragon tho, the roads that you can get a much higher speed going. The Dragon is pretty low speed, and is more of like a tourist attraction in itself.

The Cherohala has a lot of big high speed sweepers, but just when you get in a rhythm and you and in your happy place, that road will toss a hairpin at you. You have to be on your toes. Thankfully, motorcyclists have painted warnings on the road before most of the dangerous curves. Gotta watch those pull outs too....folks tend to not look very well when they pull back out on the road.

Oct 10 my wife and I are heading up to the Tail and the Blue Ridge parkway for a trip. I can't wait

We will be there October 6-8 for the Slaying the Dragon hill climb. There will be a 2 mile section of Maple Gap Rd closed off for the racing.

Maple Gap Rd? Where is that? (Can't get google to find it.)