Riding the Dragon and Other Paths

[NavyDad]

+1 on what osbornk said. I live in southern Ohio and ride West Virginia, Kentucky, and of course SE Ohio pretty much every weekend. Rt 16 in W.V. is great. The Dragon, The Snake, and the other roads that get all the press are nice rides, but I can do just as well closer to home and without the traffic or LEO attention that these roads tend to get.

[rocketmanli]

I was just down there in August. Trust me, there are NO bad roads in or around the area. If you get a chance, find Wayah Road, near Franklin, NC. Ride it from beginning to end (from Franklin to Topton-about 27 miles), and you'll be grinning so much, your face will hurt. Foothills Parkway is also very nice with about 17 miles of very enjoyable high speed sweepers. Also, while you're there, stop by to visit Dry Falls, in Highland, NC (think its on Route 28). Wicked cool waterfall which you can walk under and behind. We stayed at the Fontana Resort at Fontana Dam, NC which is right in the heart of the most twistelicious roads I have ever seen. We did the Dragon, I think, 7 times. It was different each time, and got progressively more fun each time. I'm getting all giggly just remembering all the fun we had. Hope you have safe fun there too.

P.S. There are loads of great maps with routes at this link: http://www.tailofthedragonmaps.com/. Any or all will provide hours of entertaining cruising.

[damons]

if you are looking for a place to stay I can recommend http://www.twowheelinn.com/ especially if you go when it's cold since you get a garage to put your bike in at night. It's in a dry county though so plan accordingly if libations are desired.

[Jogitu]

We were there in September and rode through the Great Smokey Mountain National Park, Cherohala Skyway and Dragon. I think we did part of the moonshiner and others but it gets confusing after seeing all this curves. I see the Dragon as a yeah I was there thing as it is really not much fun as it is so technical. Did I mention low speeds and the threat of a rocket taking you out? The park and Cherohala are a must do. We took the Blue Ridge from there all the way into the Virginias. Quite frankly I could skip ever doing any of them again except the Blue Ridge Parkway. Whatever you choose you really can't go wrong. Enjoy the journey no matter your destination.