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Awesome!! No I haven't, but my wife and I are trying to plan a ride later this summer or early Fall through the Smokies. My dad has ridden it several (3+) times and loves the ride, but he warns me to 'watch those damn trucks on the blind corners!'
p.s. Say hello to Dolly for me and post pics!!
I have ridden all over the Smokies and the warning about the trucks cannot be stated enough,That is a real danger
ORIGINAL: TxMoores
Awesome!! No I haven't, but my wife and I are trying to plan a ride later this summer or early Fall through the Smokies. My dad has ridden it several (3+) times and loves the ride, but he warns me to 'watch those damn trucks on the blind corners!'
p.s. Say hello to Dolly for me and post pics!!
Ive been through there, very nice scenic riding. You could also stretch it out and go to Deals Gap, and ride the dragons tail in North Carolina, also riding into Cherokee is very nice.
Whatever you do, do it before Memorial Day unless you like to ride behind cars doing 10mph in the Park. It's very touristy as is Gatlinburg.
A better ride would be up on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Rode it this week from Front Royal, Va. to the end of the Parkway at Cherokee, NC. Then rode the Tail of the Dragon, then the Cherohola Pkwy, then to N. Georgia. N. Georgia has some super mountain riding. It is frequently overlooked and has a gazillion neat roads. FWIW...
Use to ride up there every September but haven't been in about 5 years. I'm looking forward to going back and taking my son this June.
Deal's Gap is a hoot, at least it use to be on my sport tourer. If Gatlinburg is your destination, go up through Deals and take a right on the Foothills Parkway; go through Townsend then on to Gatlinburg. 441 between Gatlinburg and Cherokee can be a pain in the summer. It is a great ride if you can do it without getting behind the perpetual 10mph RV. Seems like there is even one place where you make a 360 degree curve and ride over the road you just came up.
When you're up around Deal's, ride the Cherohola Skyway. I had the chance to ride that road before it offically opened and it was beautiful (and cold at the time.)
North Georgia has some great roads on the way up to the Carolinas. Start at Cleveland or Dahlonega as they both go though Neal's Gap. For a quick side trip, take a left at Vogel State Park and ride GA180 over to Suches and back. When you get back to Vogel, continue north a few miles and take a right and ride over to Helen for the night. Touristy, but great food. Any road north from Helen to the Carolinas is a good one.
The national park is just one of the great rides in the area. Check out the Blue Ridge Parkway, The Dragon, Foothills Parkway, Cherohala, hell just about any road you go on up there is a motorcyclists dream. You will have a ball.
I'm here now at The Dragon. Actually I'm in my room at the Microtel hotel. Just got in and am a little damp. Rained like hell today but I rode the Dragon anyway. Wet leaves made it very special. Very foggy too so the views weren't that great either. going to give it and the Cherahala Parkway another chance tomorrow.
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