tail of the dragon: worth it?

[perryair]

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.

[winstonscifi]

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!

[Tcoat]

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.

[pfaffendorn]

Originally Posted by perryair

. . . would i be better off finding some random empty country road around that way that has fewer twisties but also less people around?

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.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by pfaffendorn

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.

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!

[RickyBobby]

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.

[g e]

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.

[RickyBobby]

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

Tree of Shame at Deals Gap


Killboy's Store Dragon at Deals Gap


Deals Gap

[thomasmryan]

there are many fun mailbox free roads in east tn

[nocoolname]

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.

[Kimsey47]

Originally Posted by nocoolname

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.

[nocoolname]

Does anyone organize an 86 dragon meet?

[goldenfri]

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.

[pinski]

Originally Posted by perryair

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.

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.