Im going to ride the Dragon in May.....any suggestions???? Staying at the Dragon Pitt

 

Enjoy yourself. Many will tell you it not the best ride around . Ignore them it is still interesting. If your are riding north to south at the end keep going any direction great rides no madder where you go.
Food at Deals gap is good and priced fair so are the shirts and stuff . Ride your own ride , let the hot rods go around but stay in your lane. In the pull off areas watch footing lose gravel at times. Try to go early in the day. Ride it both ways if time allows.
Been there many times never gets boring. From the south end your are not far from
Highlands, North Carolina, BRIDAL VEIL FALLS. Nice ride there run your bike behind the water fall.
Going back the there end of May. To much to do in that area for 1 trip. Been going there for years still more to ride. May is a great time to be there.

 

Be sure to ride the Cherohala Skyway, its close by - runs from Robbinsville to Telico Plains. I like it better than the Dragon. Also I would recommend the Blue Ridge Parkway. Lots of Great riding around that area.

 

Can't go wrong in that area. I was also going to mention the cherohala. If heading north could hit the foothills parkway then right hand turn and follow little gorge road to gatlinburg. Then a right on 441 up over the mountains and more or less make a loop of it I'd avoid Cade's cove myself. While very pretty is a traffic jam in there and you will sit in standstill traffic for hours

 

The Tail of the Dragon is an OK ride.
Done it a few times.
Rather technical and really not scenic.
More of a challenge then scenic.
Mixing it with other rides makes it more enjoyable.
The burgers at the Tail of the Dragon store are of good quality.
The Kill Boy shop across the street from The tail of the Dragon gas station (Deals Gap "resort" ) and store has a larger selection of small souvenir items.
The Deals Gap "resort" is the main stop..eat burger, gas, see store, walk across street to Kill Boy shop.
Do the run up and back..then you are done.
Read-up on Moonshiner 28 and the several water falls which is a much nicer ride and also about Fontana Dam (rather neat to ride across).
Read about the Cherohala which is an excellent traffic free ride with another very hidden waterfall.
There is ONE eating place at the Tellico, TN end of Cherohala and it is on a river (Tellico Kats). There is a Harley T-shirt store just down the road from that one stop..No other commercial stuff in that area from beginning to end of Cherohala.
If you make it to the Cherohala then consider going down to the Largest 10 commandments display in the world (rather unexpected FREE stop) then maybe making it to Helen, Georgia for lunch.
I would suggest that you purchase a map of that area like Mad Maps or America Rides.
It will detail the best scenic roads.
If using a GPS make sure to mark numerous waypoints and divide ride in segments to avoid mishaps and reroutes for time , distance.
Signage is sometimes week so a map, notes and a GPS help.
If you plan ahead then you can design some very nice rides that mix curves, rides in the clouds, scenic rides, waterfalls, movie trivia(Cheoah Dam/ fugitive Dam) in that area.
Plan on cold weather and rain for all rides just in case.
It can easily be 46 F to 76 F with some rain which can make it feel colder.
Always have at minimum a fleece top and rain gear available and wear both to take off the chill if needed.
Consider starting early and being home by 5 or 6 pm due to potential animal encounters on the road.

 

Ill look for the falls, we are going at the end of May as well. We will arrive on Friday from the south and are unsure of what we are going to do, on Sat, we are doing the full loop, and I am coming home on Sunday, picking what I want to do as I will not arrive home until Monday....Thinking of riding around lookout mountain.


GPS??????? I will be on a bike.

 

Stay in touch we may be in the area at the same time. When we go there we stay out side edge of Gatlinburg , the just get up and ride everyday. Stay a week or two. We have never had what I would call bad weather. Little rain heading home. Yes make sure you have gear for cooler riding. We live in Wisconsin so what we find great riding may be cold to some. Have a great time easy to meet some great people along the way.
The Smoky Mountain State park is free to get in out of so you can ride all you want well worth it. Lot to see there also Avoid Pigeon Forge in rush hour.

 

Done the forge and gatlinburg.....thats why we are staying south

 

When I came through the dragon we were headed south to north. We caught it on a Thursday morning and had zero traffic/issues. There were tons of roadside photographers that are occupying every decent pulloff. Being aware you won't easily be able to stop on a shoulder. The HD clothing store on the TN side has the business cards for each of the photo companies if you want prints. Also, keep an eye on the weather. When we left the NC side the sky was clear. As we rounded the mountain a bit more the TN side was about to open up. Rained cats and dogs about 10 minutes after we stopped. Aside from that it was an amazing road to ride.

 

I too recommend the Skyway over the Dragon . It's a much more scenic , laid
back ride . It's mine & mama's favorite ride . We make it 2 or 3 times a year .
Be careful on the Dragon the State is heavily enforcing the 30 mph speed limit .
Friend of mine just got a ticket & they are stepping up enforcement .