Roads to/from Deals Gap!

[shanekingsley]

Waiting for the deep freeze to pass.... I'm hoping to do a 10 day ride there this spring - 4 days riding down, 3 days ripping around the Smoky's and 3 days riding home. On previous trips I've camped and ridden a bunch of fun gravel and forest roads, but this trip will be all paved stuff and I'll be staying in motels.

I know a bunch of folks here have been down many times, so I'm looking for any hidden gems that anyone here may have been on before, especially in WV, VA, NC and TN.
The twistier the better

I've already ridden the entire lengths of the 219 & BRP/Skyline and the best parts of these roads below:
WV: 250, 33, 72, 220, Smoke Hole, Spruce Knob
VA: 33, 250, 311, 16, 58
TN: Denton Valley, 421, 133, 32, 143, 441, Foothills, Little River
NC: 221, 197, 261, 226, 226A, 80, 209, 212, 151, 215, 276

Any other super fun ones I should check out?
Thanks!!

 

[PrivatePilot]

I think you have Back of the Dragon in your list, but if not, don't miss it. Highly underrated and I enjoyed it waaaay more than the dragon itself.

 

[shanekingsley]

I think you have Back of the Dragon in your list, but if not, don't miss it. Highly underrated and I enjoyed it waaaay more than the dragon itself.

Thanks - I've done that one every trip down there and will do it as an out n back on my way down. I'm going to check out a couple other roads nearby as well, including Burke's Garden just north of it and then the #80, which is a bit south.

 

[matthew]

Waiting for the deep freeze to pass.... I'm hoping to do a 10 day ride there this spring - 4 days riding down, 3 days ripping around the Smoky's and 3 days riding home. On previous trips I've camped and ridden a bunch of fun gravel and forest roads, but this trip will be all paved stuff and I'll be staying in motels.

I know a bunch of folks here have been down many times, so I'm looking for any hidden gems that anyone here may have been on before, especially in WV, VA, NC and TN.
The twistier the better

I've already ridden the entire lengths of the 219 & BRP/Skyline and the best parts of these roads below:
WV: 250, 33, 72, 220, Smoke Hole, Spruce Knob
VA: 33, 250, 311, 16, 58
TN: Denton Valley, 421, 133, 32, 143, 441, Foothills, Little River
NC: 221, 197, 261, 226, 226A, 80, 209, 212, 151, 215, 276

Any other super fun ones I should check out?
Thanks!!

Where is this located?

 

[MacDoc]

Can't add much but did Back of the Dragon twice and both times found patches of pebbly rockfall in blind corners...sort of takes away from the fun.
Never did get to the Smokies...had it planned for the Eclipse, had a really nice place booked but saw the crowds that were descending and realized the riding would suck with all that traffic and bailed. Planned a 7 day loop a couple of times...just could not make it happen.
An early spring run down to greenery was always a fav event even at 9c going over the Skyway and also through ski country.
One run was at 9 through there and then hit 30C at Coudersport.
Always nice to take a break at the Timmies with the outdoor gas fire at Ellicotville. Next stop PA144.

Loved the change in vegetation heading south as the spring greenery emerged

Have fun Shane.

 

[shanekingsley]

Where is this located?

That photo is Backbone Rock, very close to the Shady Valley Country Store & US 421 'The Snake'. That spot is on the TN133 that intersects the US421. In the past I used to skip those intersecting roads because they are in the valleys and don't have the crazy elevation changes. But they are really beautiful in their own way and more twisty than they appear on the maps, so I've started including them more and more.

It's known as the world's shortest tunnel and used to be a rail line, so there is a notch cut out at the top of the arch for trains to pass through. There's also a waterfall nearby and some short trails to check out.

Shady Valley Country Store to Backbone Rock

goo.gl

 

[timtune]

As you know I'm sure lots of roads from the Skyline/BRP down into the valley are good. Too many to list.

 

[justride]

Interested in the 4 days going down to the dragon and the 3 days coming back home.
The 4 days going down, roughly how many hours on the bike and how many hours off resting in a day and also your what's your riding pace. Same questions for the ride back home.

 

[shanekingsley]

Interested in the 4 days going down to the dragon and the 3 days coming back home.
The 4 days going down, roughly how many hours on the bike and how many hours off resting in a day and also your what's your riding pace. Same questions for the ride back home.

The 4 days down are really indirect and focused on exploring areas I have not been to before. Taking the highway there is around 1300km straight, but I'm doing 2800km of back roads instead. The ride back to Ontario might be with a bunch of other guys from here who are also going down to Deals Gap and if so, then we will be riding the more popular twisty roads I've done year after year. That's about 2000km return.

So I figure these are still 10-12hrs each day on the way down and then 9-10hrs each day on the way back. I stop whenever I see something interesting to stop at. Sometimes it might be just a for a quick picture or other times get off and do a walk. Anytime I need a stop, I just stop and take a break and if I have to cut out twisty roads from the route, then no big deal - there's always next time.

For pace, I ride pretty quick and with minimal breaks when I'm by myself, but when with others, I slow it down a bit, because now there are people to enjoy things with and also keep safe. The key to remember is that these are really twisty roads, so 500km takes quite a while to do. And maintaining focus is important to be mindful of.

For timing - wake up early, have breakfast and then head out. Lunch I typically grab something light like a 6" Sub and eat at rivers or lakes or something nice and scenic, instead of a longer sit down meal. When I'm with others, we're usually on the bikes by 8am latest and then done for the day around 5-6pm. Take many short breaks to stretch our legs and have a quick snack. Have a nice dinner and relax at night. When I'm by myself though, I am on the bike by 7am latest and done closer to 7pm and I'm also taking less breaks and riding quicker, so I cover a lot more distance.

 

[Hardwrkr13]

The 4 days down are really indirect and focused on exploring areas I have not been to before. Taking the highway there is around 1300km straight, but I'm doing 2800km of back roads instead. The ride back to Ontario might be with a bunch of other guys from here who are also going down to Deals Gap and if so, then it we will be riding the more popular twisty roads I've done year after year. That's about 2000km return.

So I figure these are still 10-12hrs each day on the way down and then 9-10hrs each day on the way back. I stop whenever I see something interesting to stop at. Sometimes it might be just a for a quick picture or other times get off and do a walk. Anytime I need a stop, I just stop and take a break and if I have to cut out twisty roads from the route, then no big deal - there's always next time.

For pace, I ride pretty quick and with minimal breaks when I'm by myself, but when with others, I slow it down a bit, because now there are people to enjoy things with and also keep safe. The key to remember is that these are really twisty roads, so 500km takes quite a while to do. And maintaining focus is important to be mindful of.

For timing - wake up early, have breakfast and then head out. Lunch I typically grab something light like a 6" Sub and eat at rivers or lakes or something nice and scenic, instead of a longer sit down meal. When I'm with others, we're usually on the bikes by 8am latest and then done for the day around 5-6pm. Take many short breaks to stretch our legs and have a quick snack. Have a nice dinner and relax at night. When I'm by myself though, I am on the bike by 7am latest and done closer to 7pm and I'm also taking less breaks and riding quicker, so I cover a lot more distance.

Sounds like you do rides like I do. 2 under 2 right now unfortunately keeps me from joining this year.

 

[MacDoc]

One of the few times in the modern era I've had the bike in the air was coming down from those cross ridge roads roads at speed and hit a hump back bridge. Much fun if a bit white knucke on a street bike ...I do like them but they can be treacherous and often too short. I will miss the long daylight and lovely plant life in North America spring.

 

[xfactor]

Waiting for the deep freeze to pass.... I'm hoping to do a 10 day ride there this spring - 4 days riding down, 3 days ripping around the Smoky's and 3 days riding home. On previous trips I've camped and ridden a bunch of fun gravel and forest roads, but this trip will be all paved stuff and I'll be staying in motels.

I know a bunch of folks here have been down many times, so I'm looking for any hidden gems that anyone here may have been on before, especially in WV, VA, NC and TN.
The twistier the better

I've already ridden the entire lengths of the 219 & BRP/Skyline and the best parts of these roads below:
WV: 250, 33, 72, 220, Smoke Hole, Spruce Knob
VA: 33, 250, 311, 16, 58
TN: Denton Valley, 421, 133, 32, 143, 441, Foothills, Little River
NC: 221, 197, 261, 226, 226A, 80, 209, 212, 151, 215, 276

Any other super fun ones I should check out?
Thanks!!

Maryville, TN to Ashville, NC have tons and tons of cool options if you haven't checked it out. I did two different routes between both cities and they were super fun roads.

 

[shanekingsley]

Maryville, TN to Ashville, NC have tons and tons of cool options if you haven't checked it out. I did two different routes between both cities and they were super fun roads.

Thanks. I got some pretty good suggestions from some locals, so I have 3 days of new to me roads to check out. And I think I've done most of the roads between Maryville & Asheville.

I also just bought these maps, which should do the trick for the rest of my life!

Full Southeast Package - All 9 Maps

Full Southeast Package, motorcycle maps, motorcycle touring, touring the blue ridge, ride the Blue Ridge Parkway, best motorcycle rides

americaridesmaps.com

 

[RonnieRev]

I like the area around Suches Georgia, it is about 1.5 hours south of Deals Gap, great roads and few police.

 

[shanekingsley]

I like the area around Suches Georgia, it is about 1.5 hours south of Deals Gap, great roads and few police.

Totally agree. A few years ago I was riding down there and quickly came upon a GA police officer who seemed to be driving the speed limit. He waved me to pass him and I thought it was a trap. But it wasn't... he didn't seem to mind my pace at all, which was pretty awesome.

I was thinking I would do something like this route below for one of my loops, but this is all roads I've been on before, so if you know any others in the North GA mountains to check out, I'm all ears

 

[RonnieRev]

A few of my favs in the Suchs are, Wolf Pen Gap rd,
Blood mountain and
Richard Russel scenic hwy

 

[kiley]

The only place you haven't mentioned in this Shane is Ohio.
If you haven't considered it I think you're missing out.
A nice Amish meal in Berlin...#26 and the #555 and #550 and #145 and Hocking Hills and #78 to name a few.
You could easily spend four days just playing around this area.
Oh and don't forget to hit up hillbilly hotdog

 

[STARSHIP]

Shane, you have quite the menu and only thing I can add is HWY 160 that runs from Cumberland KY and Appalachia. They haw recently been promoting this as the “Dragon Slayer”.

It is a bit out of the way but can be linked with Breaks state park on your way back.

US 160 Kentucky (Copy)

Twisty Mountain Pass.

scenicapp.space

 

[shanekingsley]

The only place you haven't mentioned in this Shane is Ohio.
If you haven't considered it I think you're missing out.
A nice Amish meal in Berlin...#26 and the #555 and #550 and #145 and Hocking Hills and #78 to name a few.
You could easily spend four days just playing around this area.
Oh and don't forget to hit up hillbilly hotdog

Nice pic - that's so awesome

And I really like Ohio too. For me that's a separate trip on it's own - maybe better suited to a long weekend. Last time I was there I stayed in Marietta and used that as a base to explore the squiggly lines around it and loved it. I've been on the 26, 145 & 550, but didn't ride the triple nickel. Next time!

 

[shanekingsley]

Shane, you have quite the menu and only thing I can add is HWY 160 that runs from Cumberland KY and Appalachia. They haw recently been promoting this as the “Dragon Slayer”.

It is a bit out of the way but can be linked with Breaks state park on your way back.

US 160 Kentucky (Copy)

Twisty Mountain Pass.

scenicapp.space

Thanks - I did not know about that one. Looks awesome.
It is a bit out of the way, but I'm going to try and figure out a way to check it out.