Imagine if we had a Nürburgring in America. Tail of the dragon could be it, but it would have to be closed to the public and one way only. And it would also have to have safety features, soft barriers, run off areas etc.
My advice after running that tail is SLOW DOWN. Myself I love that mountain, I love going fast, but there's spots that will literally make you respect that blacktop. If it's your first time on the tail, take it slow and easy. I have been on the tail a few times ( I live very close) and I still take it easy
We never even heard of this till GPS took us down a few years ago. We was in a mini van. We didn’t know what we got into. Lol we would like to go back but definitely prepare next time. It was definitely beautiful!!
Great job on the video! You hit the main important stuff someone who has never been needs to know. You provided good info considering you've only been once and live so far away. There are so many great roads, restaurants, and tidbits that a lot of the fun comes from exploring and learning it as you go.
My brother and I rode this road early morning (7:30 AM) on 9/11/21 (a Saturday) on our motorcycles in the midst of a trip across the U.S. That was the absolute tail-end (no pun intended) of the ideal time to ride it. Heading north-to-south, we ran the whole length unimpeded. Once we arrived at Deals Gap, we noticed the traffic picking up. After hanging out for about an hour and a half at Deals Gap, we returned back south-to-north and were met with numerous vehicles holding us up considerably. The moral of the story: if you want to minimize your chances of running into congestion, go early, particularly during a weekend.
If people would just ride, or drive, within their comfort and skill zone the Dragon would be fun for everyone. And people should ride their own ride! Do not ever try to keep up or hurry because someone is behind you. Or try to impress or keep pace with others.
The most important thing to know is it is a mecca for racer want to be's, both bike and car. Sometimes they lose it and hopefully your not in the way! It's one of the few routes thru the area and is traveled by all sorts of vehicles from bicycles to semi's and is extremely room restricted so sharing lanes is a probability. It's very fun to ride but its being used as something its not intended for. There are many such roads in the area and provide enjoyment for carving curves, recommend finding MadMaps and use those routes to have fun with the dragon is too busy but worth enjoying at times, used to ride it decades before it became known but now I'll leave it for the Hellhound's, ride on and enjoy
Great video, with some sound advice. First rode the Dragon before it was the dragon, in the eariy 60's. '52 Chevy, with my parents, on way to a Fontana vacation. Next time was in 1975 while breaking in my first bike, a Kawasaki Z1. Probably good that they since removed all the concrete picnic tables that used to be on the roadside.
Thanks for shooting this. I'm heading to the Tail for the first time tomorrow, and your tips definitely changed my approach. I'm sure you've kept tons of other drivers safe this year!
Ok - First you forgot to mention Tapoco Lodge for lunch. Go past Deals Gap, keep right, go past the Fugitive Dam and Tapoco Lodge will be on the right. The photographers are 129photo; Killboy and occasionally Moonshiners if he wakes up on time. If you don't want to sit for hours looking thru pics, remember the time you passed them. They're all within a mile of each other. They start posting pics on their website around 8 pm. NO TRACTOR TRAILERS.
On the dragon many, many times. Go during the week, avoid the weekends. Go earlier in the day, less traffic. Try to be somewhat mature and drive like you do not have a death wish. Lunch at the Tapoco Lodge just down Rt 129 on the way to Robbinsville is a fantastic lunch spot also. Spend a bit more $$$ and stay at the Fontana Village Resort. Just down Rt 28 From Deals Gap Resort. Very nice accommodations. Stayed at Deals Gap Resort several times and it has a really nice evening fire pit to sit around and swap lies. Enjoy!
For those who are unaware. This is a public road used by many to commute back and forth to work. Due to the number of vacationers in the area, there are many who are unaware and just taking it to get over to Tenn from NC and vise versa as you don't have too many other options. Weekends are the worse and the amount of traffic is unbearable at times. The motorcycle riders who go stupid fast on this road are usually very experienced riders and know it like the back of their hand. Don't try to be like them. Pull over and accept your ticket if you get caught. Many, many people have been killed or mangled on this road. Don't cross the double yellow is the golden rule of thumb as he points out. The Snake is a much better road to enjoy but don't tell anyone.
Just be cautious, did this today and I was too apprehensive going up which make it suck actually. I had to go back through again to get back where I came from and I gotta say after loosening up I had a good time. Being too apprehensive can hurt you, and not a knock on the information in these videos but if you’re already a decent rider you should be able to get through this no problem. On the way back I trusted my skills and did a phenomenal job. Did it on my 2021 Harley fat bob btw. Follow the signs and you can’t fail. They tell you every single piece of information you need to know. If it says to do a certain speed on a upcoming curve, DO IT, the speed limits on this road are accurate, especially the yellow ones. Ride safe, be courteous, let faster riders through and you’ll be good!
I drove the dragon this past may in my Camaro and had a blast! Can’t wait to go back in the spring. I’m from WV so this road reminds me of tighter longer version of hawks nest here in WV. Great video! And hope everyone has a safe fun experience on the dragon in the future!
Watch out for the Harley riders. Many are inexperienced and riding a heavy bike as their first. I had one in front of me that never went above 30 mph and crossed that double yellow more than once. Also, this is not the place to be sightseeing.
Okay so I just drove the Dragon yesterday...Nothing can prepare you. 1) You better be a driver 2) The turns are nearly all hairpin and intense 3) Street bikes will pass you on double yellow so pull over on the pull offs if not be prepared to get passed 4) There is hella peer pressure to go fast so unless you want to pull off bring your A game 5) Be sure you have good brakes because they are going to get hot! 6) Do not under estimate the apex 7) You will be constantly making turns 8) If you want someone to pull off flash your headlights....they know 9) Run the road slow first to get a feel for what you've gotten yourself into. 10) At some point on that road you'll think "wtf have I gotten myself into" at this point just remain calm and slow down a bit.
I was not an experienced rider when I did the tail…we rode from Sacramento ca to Tennessee….anyways made it to deals ga p store…was tired all the hyper focusing.. Had to turn around there & go back down (318 more curves) my husband was ahead of me ..I’m good … then a string of ninja bikes were jetting up on me…..got a little anxiety lost my focus slightly…..& i wasn’t going to make turn…..it was into the mountain or take it down b4 I hit the mountain-- so I dumped it on purpose…got slightly banged up& bike was fine….. 1 of the guys who was riding up my ass pulled over….stopped traffic til I got on my bike safely…..then he told me Never take your eyes off what’s ahead… quit riding peoples tail I wanted to say
Or, and hear me out. You could go to a track. This is literally a public roadway. He said “treat it like a road course”. How about treat it like a ROAD! No one deserves to have to deal with your fast and furious farty cars or biker boyz lifestyle. Just go, ride the speed limit, and enjoy life. Isn’t life short enough?
"Unwritten law, dont cross the double yellow".... actually it is written and it is a law! Its illegal to pass on double yellow. It in itself means NO PASSING ZONE... duh...
This video should be required for anyone riding here---i have been up and down the blue ridge parkway twice, through smoky mtn park, some day i would like to ride the dragon
I ride The Dragon several times each year. It was and is a dangerous road and frankly over the past few years as car clubs run The Dragon the road has become even more dangerous. Drivers in car clubs routinely drive across center line and are a big threat to bikers and other vehicles. You can preach all you want about drivers not crossing center line but I've personally had cars cross over center line in very sharp curves where there is virtually no escape route. I had a Subaru rally car want-to-be cross center line in front of me not 1/4-mile from DG on Hwy-28 and that driver lost control in a curve, I literally stopped in the road and watched that idiot miss the apex, go off the road, head-on into the mountain and flip his car three times. If I had been down the road another 2-seconds, I would have been caught by that Subaru. Frankly, car clubs are not welcome on The Dragon. Until you learn to drive , stay off 129.
Me and some people that I ride with have been talking about planning a trip to ride the "Tail of the Dragon," but we live about 4 hours ride from there. So, we're gonna have to make it an overnight run. Get down there and stay in a hotel and ride the "Tail of the Dragon" the next day. A few weeks ago, we took a ride on a stretch of road called "The Best of the Snake" that runs from Johnson County TN up Hwy 421 into Washington County VA. And I talked to several people that day when we stopped at the end of the ride, at "The 421 Country Store" that told me that "The Best of the Snake" was a much better ride than "The Tail of the Dragon." I suppose that's just "their opinion!" I've driven "The Snake" and it was an awesome ride, but you gotta take it easy if you want to get home alive, because it's not the Indianapolis Raceway, and I'm still waiting on making a trip to "The Tail of the Dragon!" So, I'll have to let you know what "my opinion" is after I run the Tail of the Dragon. The "Tail of the Dragon" has 318 curves in an 11 mile stretch of road. "The Best of the Snake" has 489 curves in 37 miles that crosses over 3 mountains and through 1 valley! You can look it up online and get all the information you need if you would like to ride "The Snake." Whereever you ride... BE CAREFUL!
Appreciate the thoughtful feedback here. I would love to head back and ride The Snake, there are so many other roads besides the dragon that are just as, if not more, exhilarating than the dragon.
Great tips, but I think you confused the Dragon Pitt Inn, which claims it's 9 miles away from ToD (they must be referring to the Tabcat Bridge end), with the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, which is a few hundred yards down the hill from the NC/TN border and start of ToD. The resort does have a grill, but I thought the food was bland and overpriced, but what you gonna do when the next nearest reasonably-priced restaurants are in Robbinsville, NC, 25 minutes away.
Where do people gather with their nice cars? I'm really interested in meeting new people from far away as I'm from NJ, I'm specifically looking for car enthusiasts as opposed to motorcycle enthusiasts. Either would be fine, but I don't ride motorcycles yet
Tail of The Dragon is highly overrated and a great place to go if you want some careless/reckless idiot to take you out. Or if your skill set is lacking, a great place to wreck. And remember kids, loud pipes don't save lives on the Dragon
Thanks for the 'respect the locals' thing. I live up here and was driving the Dragon before most of you were born. Remember; it's our highway. Not your race track. Disclaimer: I drive it pretty hard out of familiarity but never expect anyone to get out of my way, nor do I feel obligated to get out of yours.. Other great drives in our area? Ga Hwy 17/75 from Hiawassee, GA to Helen, GA, a true blast with some seriously enjoyable banked turns... Going south after crossing the mountain you can turn right at 75Alt, go a couple of miles and turn right on Highway 348, the Richard B. Russell Scenic Highway. 23 miles of wickedness there. Takes you to US 29 south of Blairsville. Turn right (north) to go to the Dragon, or turn left for more fun going south.. Hwy 76 from Hiawassee, GA to Clayton, Ga. Turn left (north) in Clayton on 441 up to North Carolina and you are headed back to the Smokies. From Franklin, NC take 28 up to 74, turn west (left) through the Nantahala Gorge, takes you to Topton. Turn Right on US 29 to Robinsville and the Tail. Stay safe! The life you take may not be your own.
Appreciate you contributing here, very helpful post and thank you checking out the video. I do plan to head back down to the tail later in October and will definitely check out the other roads you recommended!
MANY of the deaths in the past, have been because of SEMI's and very large RV's that could not make many of the curves without "Using the entire road" at very slow speeds... and other drivers/riders would come into a curve -- especially downhill approaches -- with not room for a safe stop, and nowhere else to go... so they either hit the blocking vehicle or ran off the road and off into the clear blue yonder... So they have recently restricted the road to vehicles of 26 feet or less, per component... so you could have a 26' vehicle towing a 26' trailer... but they determined that the shorter wheelbase of each component will allow it to remain on one side of the road. BUT... with special pre-arrangement, the Police will ESCORT a SEMI or other "over-sized vehicle" thru the Dragon...
Incredible feedback and clarification. For these larger vehicles, is there no other route they can detour? Thanks for checking out the video and providing constructive feedback.
Huh? Not as many from semi trucks and large rv's as you are trying to claim. More deaths happen from wrecking into the trees and falling down the hill.
@@BoostedMPLS Luke everything else it depends upon the driver. A good experienced driver can navigate the dragon. A bad new driver gets stuck and or wrecked. The map and GPS both show US route 129 as a shortcut, it doesnt show up as a very narrow two lane twisty road. So semi trucks often come through it
The dragon never appealed to me because i assumed it was mobbed with other groups of cars and bikes. This doesnt look bad though! Seems like you can find some space.
Cool. Just curious, we had a buddy that posted this pic and was like “yeah I’m going here”. And we all said, you going to Japan, that sounds like fun. He was then very argumentative, so we let him enjoy. Do you live near the totd?
Don't cut the mustard and use the pull offs..Locals are alot faster.It sucks so bad getting behind someone creeping and pass 2 or 3 pulloffs.Great video!!!
I went on a weekday at the end of season…so all the touristy things were closed. I had it almost entirely to myself. Fun, but I would have liked a sticker or T-shirt 😂 I’ll have to go back sometime next year.
Back in 1993 I was driving from my home in Louisiana to the Norfolk Navy Base. While in Tennessee I decided to take a state highway in the mountains (don’t remember which one). At the time I was in a new 1993 Chevy Cavalier coupe with manual transmission. Though I obeyed the posted speed limits I had a blast driving that winding mountain road shifting through gears and taking those turns. Wish I knew the name of the road because it had a turn that was almost a full circle. Though my current car is automatic I would still love to make such a drive again.
What a bunch of noise about this road!Jezus Christ,just a twisty road guys.The whole of Europe is FULL with these roads😟Just corners guys.The Alps,Dolomites,Luxemburg.... .......that'ss were the fun is.....
The best thing a driver can do before getting on a road like this with their sports car? Take the BMW Performance Center high performance driving course. A one-day course is only a grand and you will be taught by skilled racing drivers. Too many of us Men believe we have been born with Mario Andretti's driving ability at birth, like it's in our DNA and we just have to tap into it. I've done the BMW course several times and it's worth every penny.
I'll be driving this this early June , coming from Bryson city towards the foothills parkway , then back towards Gatlinburg. Gonna be a lot or corners. A LOT of corners!
We used to frequent it often years ago. It's so dangerous I've seen so much bad stuff I'm done. Everyone thinks it's their personal racetrack. Beautiful area to visit just make sure your life insurance is paid up first.
People that I know that have been on both, say Cherohala is a better ride than TOTD. By better I mean more enjoyable. This is coming from cruiser type motorcyclists not crotch rocket and car pilots. I haven't been yet, but I plan on taking my Springfield that way this spring. Maybe try the Snake too.
20 years ago I would go do the Dragon 1 or 2 times a year, back in those day's it was a lot of fun....then the Motorcycle IDIOTs found out about it!! Now it is a Big Sh!t Show!! I avoid it like the Plague! Since I know the area I found some mountain roads like the Dragon, except they are SAFER!!
Great video! Very insightful. It’s hilarious that you duplicated several of the tips… 3&4, 6&7, and 8&9 I believe. I experienced TOTD this last weekend…. I am NOT a car enthusiast…. And I did utilize the pull outs…
Well said, better to go there with these ideas. Tip #5 is one I like to do on a lonely road. It’s easy to speed from apex to apex, but to keep a reasonable speed and maintain dead center in one lane is a fun challenge too. Great racing is handling the weight of your vehicle and being in total control. Thanks for your knowledge.
I've lived in nc for 12 years never been out there since I got a bike lol my brother is riding up tomorrow and we are gonna ride up and hit the dragon 🐉
The road that runs from Gatlinburg tn to Cherokee NC is pretty awesome also. It runs up and down a mt pass, great views and fun turns. I plan on going to Gatlinburg later this year and making a day trip going from Cherokee, around through the tail and back around to Gatlinburg then back to Cherokee. Will definitely be making sure my brakes and cooling system will be up for a full day of mountain carving.
@@BoostedMPLS it runs right out of Gatlinburg going south, turns into the national park and comes out the south side of smokey mountain national park, near the start/ end of the blue ridge parkway which is just east of Cherokee . There is one really cool curve on 441 that goes nearly 360 degrees and passes under itself.
There is literally a law that says you can't not pass on double yellow. That's why it's a double solid yellow line. It means so not cross, do not pass. To pass on double yellow is illegal anywhere in the USA
Thanks for putting together such great info. I learned of Tail of the Dragon from Rich Cooper from Entrepreneurs In Cars, and am making this a destination!
Another great road to explore in this area is called Canda Rd. If you go towards cashiers from Sylva there’s a dollar general on your left and from there turn left onto Canda Rd it will take you up to wolf lake where there’s a dam it’s beautiful if you keep driving past the dam it takes you almost into SC
