tail of the dragon north carolina tennessee

More information about Gatlinburg can be found in the link at the bottom of the review. There are many hotels, bars, restaurants and other places of interest. 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. Lunch is scheduled in Pigeon Force at Iron Boar Saloon (RP9) alongside Hog Shed opposite the Rocky Top Harley-Davidson dealer.Īfter 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. On clear days one can look all the way to the Cumberland Mountains, 50 miles to the west. 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. More information about this great road can be found in the link at the bottom of this review.Įn 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.Īt RP6 we are at the northern starting point (today the end point) of the Tail. 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. Note that it can also be busy with cars and other motorcyclists, so watch out for oncoming traffic. This road is a pleasure for motorcyclists. We drive along Lake Cheoh to the southern starting point of the Tail of the Dragon (RP3). 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 also drive a lot along rivers, mountain lakes and we see a number of dams. On day 4 we drive it from north to south. 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. Day 3 is a tour of approximately 293 kilometers through the beautiful Great Smoky Mountain National Park.

Tail of the dragon north carolina tennessee