Driving The Tail of The Dragon

[Carlitos_92]

+1 it is a blast on two wheels! Definitely not a place to push the limits of your skill set or your machine's abilities.

I am not sure how much fun it would be in a vehicle with no real ability to control the gearing. On the VFR I don't think I ever got out of second gear.

Lots of great roads in the NC mountains, the "Dragon" gets a lot of attention and I've found that there are many other roads that are nowhere near as crowded, and therefore more fun to ride/drive.

It's a bucket list item but there are far more enjoyable roads in the Smokies than US129.

I agree with these assessments. The Dragon is cool to say you survived, and (at least on a bike) it's nice to meet up with the larger community, who generally turn out to be pretty decent folks with a common interest. But personally I think I prefer the Cherohala Skyway, though it used to be that you had watch your speed more carefully there.

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[Tony Pandy]

Would like to drive it with the Maverick this fall . Have done it many times in various vehicles (Attached 1 pic years ago in our CR-V). Easy to overdrive if not on top of your wheel. The Dragon has become a lot more enforced than it use to be due to accidents. My problem....... No one in the family will ride with me any longer as they get car sick (Wimps). So harder to do the Dragon on Vacation trips, Last time I surprised the passengers as I said were going to Cades Cove and take Parsons Branch Road (1-way dirt back country road) out of the cove and then do Foothills parkway from Chihlowee to Wears valley. They were all sounds great...... Well ya got to tame the Tail of the Dragon to get to Chilowee. AFter a few minutes on the Tail I got the "Where are we". They now want to maps of our destination / travel. Foothills Parkway is a great easy drive with lots of stops at overlooks and not a lot of traffic. Fall is spectacular. (attached Picture fall from Foothills Parkway)

 

[Glen Baker LLC]

If you can get over the guys excitement. Here's a video of what the dragon is like, without a whole lot of traffic in front of you.

 

[Randorita]

I never rode it when I had my Fat Boy, but I drove it in my F-150. My wife said once was enough!

 

[Ponyprez]

Has anyone tested their Mav out in the Smoky Mountains? I forgot I camped out there last spring. Screenshots are from the professional photographer's website. I loved getting in line behind a group that was moving and seeing if I could keep up. I did it, but it's much easier to follow. AND I don't get the ticket!

Anyone else?

I've driven it 3 times in my 08 GT500 Shelby and it was a blast in a car designed for twisties. I can't imagen it being as much fun in my Mav but I know it would be a competent ride. I could drift the Shelby around the corners but I just don't see that happening in my Hybrid.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

I should have visited it when I actually lived in the region. Of course, with all the cyclists racing down the road, it'd be hard to stay out of their way.

 

[Tom 71 Maverick 24]

I've driven it 3 times in my 08 GT500 Shelby and it was a blast in a car designed for twisties. I can't imagen it being as much fun in my Mav but I know it would be a competent ride. I could drift the Shelby around the corners but I just don't see that happening in my Hybrid.

While the Mav is no race vehicle, compare to some of the vehicles I've owned over the years, it is down right sporting. Handles quite well compared to, say, a 1979 Dodge D-20 pickup or a 1970 Pontiac Catalina, or even a 1999 Explorer, 3 of my previous vehicles.

 

[Silentsam]

My buddy and I rode out there from Kalifornia specifically to ride the Dragon. He on his BMW 1200GS and me on my Triumph 1200 Tiger. It was everything we could hope for. It was a little intimidating at first but after a couple of passes we were all grins. Like others have said there are all kinds of nice roads in the area and the quality of the tarmac is fantastic, far better than the most taxed state in the nation.

 

[BlueOval1954]

https://tailofthedragon.com/

https://tailofthedragon.com/

WOW, I think I have been on that road years ago and didn't realize it was called the dragon, although I should have known. Thanks for the link.

 

[Brian_J]

yea! TOTD is good, but 28 and the skyway are much more fun to me. the new section of the foothills parkway is nice too. and if you are adventurous, head down into georgia and hit some of those roads too!

 

[yank283]

I drove through it and didn't know about it's reputation until afterwards. Went through on a Friday evening, me and my daughter, an old Toyota sub-compact truck and three supped up race cars screaming up and down the mountain passing us each time. Scared the $hit out of my 10 year old daughter.

 

[ABTremor]

My buddy and I rode out there from Kalifornia specifically to ride the Dragon. He on his BMW 1200GS and me on my Triumph 1200 Tiger. It was everything we could hope for. It was a little intimidating at first but after a couple of passes we were all grins. Like others have said there are all kinds of nice roads in the area and the quality of the tarmac is fantastic, far better than the most taxed state in the nation.

Give Ebbets pass out there in Cali a try, or any of the other roads through the mountains from Tahoe down to the Stockton or Modesto area. A few of those make the "Dragon" look more like a salamander

To this day I swear on a few of those corners I could look my wife in the eye as she sat behind me on our Harley !

 

[Ray_B]

My buddies and I consider the Dragon a "technical" road. A couple of the "fun" roads have been mentioned but there's so many others in them thar hills! Rattler, Snake, BRP, Moonshiner, are a few to the east. Lots more in all directions. It's a biker's playground.

 

[Silentsam]

Give Ebbets pass out there in Cali a try, or any of the other roads through the mountains from Tahoe down to the Stockton or Modesto area. A few of those make the "Dragon" look more like a salamander

To this day I swear on a few of those corners I could look my wife in the eye as she sat behind me on our Harley !

Been there, done that. They are great roads but not in as pristine conditions.

 

[CaliMav68]

OP here. I started this thread to share an experience. I'm from Northern California. Now living in Ohio. New roads. New experiences. We all have our favorites.

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