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Think the Tail of the Dragon is cool?

9K views 24 replies 19 participants last post by  JohnnyIce 
#1 · (Edited)
Yes, I know there are plenty of fantastic roads in the area, but most people have heard about the TotD. Wife and I are on vacation, in Tennessee. We're staying in a time-share condo, at "The Summit of Gatlinburg". The road to it is a friggin' goat trail! Sure, it's not 11 miles long or have 318 curves, but, damn!

Shaky, but you get the point

Gatlinburg is circled in yellow. We came in from the north on the Parkway Bypass, in orange. Video is on the blue line.
 
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#2 ·
Yes, I know there are plenty of fantastic roads in the area, but most people have heard about the TotD. Wife and I are on vacation, in Tennessee. We're staying in a time-share condo, at "The Summit of Gatlinburg". The road to it is a friggin' goat trail! Sure, it's not 11 miles long or have 318 curves, but, damn!

Shaky, but you get the point

Gatlinburg is circled in yellow. We came in from the north on the Parkway Bypass, in orange. Video is on the blue line.
Looks like some of the highways in southeast Missouri.

If it is a fun ride, post it on MotorcycleRoads.us so more people can enjoy it.
 
#11 ·
Yes, GoPro Hero 2. I'm impressed with the clarity, but I need to find a way to get a good video without the vibration. I did a run with it mounted on my helmet, but being that high up, it's not as exciting because the camera doesn't "lean" like it does mounted on the bike.
 
#10 ·
We stayed there last year. The driveway to our condo was really steep, rutted on one side and it had a cliff on the other side. It was a fun riding road up to the condo but the real challenge was driving it in my Excursion pulling a 19' trailer (on the first and last day).

Gatlinburg rocks!

-G
 
#16 ·
Try roaring Forks road in Gatlinburg 5-10 mph max and you better be able to handle that 880 pound ride.
One lane for a reason.
Right in town I think it is traffic light number 6 .
 
#17 ·
Wayah Rd

Just got back from the Smoky Mountains, rode the Dragon and Cherohala of course but was turned on to Wayah Rd from a fellow HOG member and all I can say is OMG, it is incredible! Makes the Dragon look like a gekko :).

Its mostly shaded, very little traffic and a variety of curves and elevation changes, this is truly a gem of a ride!

http://www.wayahroad.com/

http://goo.gl/maps/hPY2
 
#21 ·
I rode that road a couple of years ago. You're right, great ride, not much traffic and very enjoyable.

Just got back from the Smoky Mountains, rode the Dragon and Cherohala of course but was turned on to Wayah Rd from a fellow HOG member and all I can say is OMG, it is incredible! Makes the Dragon look like a gekko :).

Its mostly shaded, very little traffic and a variety of curves and elevation changes, this is truly a gem of a ride!

http://www.wayahroad.com/

http://goo.gl/maps/hPY2
 
#19 ·
Done the Tail of the Dragon and wasn't impressed at all!! The road is full of inexperienced riders that pay too much attention to photo guys trying to sell you a pic. IMO the TOD is a joke and there is a lot better places to wear out your tires then at the TOD. I will never go back to TOD but the rest of the roads in the area are very enjoyable to ride. Glad you enjoy it though.
 
#20 ·
Great roads

I did the TOD. Just the experience of being on that famous road was good enough for me. There was plenty of other traffic, including cars, and the gathering at Deals Gap was an interesting collection of bikes and people. The photographers were at select corners, but it made it easy to get a souvenir of my ride.
However, there are plenty of great roads all the over country. I was in Idaho a couple of months ago and had rented a SG in Boise. I just wandered over into Oregon looking for back roads and found route 245, Dooley Mountain Hwy, just west of Baker City. An isolated road over a couple of mountains with twists and turns that rival any other roads I have been on. The views overlooking the valleys and mountains as I climbed up and down were great.
Other roads in both Oregon and Idaho were fantastic.
Just look for the little traveled back roads on a paper map in your travels, sometimes you'll find a gem.
 
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