Day 3 Roundtrip Great Smoky Mountains The Tail of the Dragon south to north
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 14-04-2021
Route Summary America is pre-eminently a country to explore on a motorcycle. There are many travel organizations that offer organized tours, but the charm is also to map out routes and drive on your own.
Good motorbike rental companies can be found throughout the country and the bikes are often of the latest model and well maintained.
We drive on the beautiful roads in the states of Nashville and North Carolina and this area is characterized by the beautiful idyllic landscape with provincial two-lane roads that wind through the landscape with many curves, you can visit beautiful towns, villages and places of interest.
Be careful though, because the roads are sometimes of very poor quality and hardly or not lit up in the dark.
For each route there is a more detailed description in the review.
The route is suitable for TomTom, Garmin, Harley-Davidson BoomBox 2 (2019 model) and MyRoute-app Navigation.
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
5h 27m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
292.42 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review This is a day with many beautiful winding roads including the world-famous Tail of the Dragon (U129) an 11-mile (17.7 km) road with 318 turns! We drive from south to north. On day 4 we drive it from north to south. We also drive a lot along rivers, mountain lakes and we see a number of dams.
We leave early and the first point where we stop is the Fontana dam (RP2), a hydroelectric dam in the Little Tennessee River and the largest dam in the eastern United States, and at the time of construction it was the fourth largest dam in the world.
We drive along Lake Cheoh to the southern starting point of the Tail of the Dragon (RP3). This road is a pleasure for motorcyclists. Note that it can also be busy with cars and other motorcyclists, so watch out for oncoming traffic. There is a catch-up ban and you are not allowed to drive on the other side of the road, checks are often made and the fines are substantial. More information about this great road can be found in the link at the bottom of this review.
En route on the Tail you should definitely stop at RP5 where you have a beautiful view of Calderwood Lake and the Dam of the same name in the distance.
At RP6 we are at the northern starting point (today the end point) of the Tail. We continue along Chilhowee Lake and the Foothills Parkway (RP7), a national Parkway that traverses the foothills of the northern Great Smoky Mountains, offering spectacular views of the Great Smoky Mountains on one side and the Tennessee Valley on the other side. On clear days one can look all the way to the Cumberland Mountains, 50 miles to the west.
Lunch is scheduled in Pigeon Force at Iron Boar Saloon (RP9) alongside Hog Shed opposite the Rocky Top Harley-Davidson dealer.
After lunch we drive via Cosby to Gatlinburg, optionally a short (faster route can be chosen from Pigeon Force to follow the 321 to Pigeon Force, this saves about 70 kilometers and 40 to 50 minutes.
There is much to see and do in Gatlinburg (RP13), this city that played an important role during the civil war is a tourist attraction in both summer and winter. There are many hotels, bars, restaurants and other places of interest. More information about Gatlinburg can be found in the link at the bottom of the review. Gatlinburg is a nice city to also plan an extra night, which we do on day 5 of this 6 day trip.
From Gatlinburg it is still a 100 km drive through the Great Smokey Mountains so pay attention to the time, on the way to Stecoah we pass a number of beautiful places such as the stone-built tunnel at RP15 and New Found Gap lookout at RP16.
At RP18 we refuel the engine for the next day.
This route is worth 5 ***** stars, because of the beautiful roads, beautiful panoramas and a multitude of sights along the way.
Links 
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Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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