Gatlinburg, TN

We're going to be trailering up to Gatlinburg early in June and was curious if anyone had been up there lately and what roads we shouldn't miss?

I just got back form a week in Western North Carolina and there are plenty of good roads up there. I can't recommend any directly from Gatlinburg but you might want to look at Mad Maps as they have suggested routes for the area. That said, you can hardly go wrong with any of the roads in that area.

Link to MadMaps

Have fun!

Jeff

Thanks Jeff!

Bought the map. Looks like a great resource for other trips too - I'll have to check it when we're travelling.

Gatlinburg = tourist trap. I was expecting a rural type town, some older buildings and such. Nope, not happening, Gaudy comes to mind though! Tennessee does have some well maintained roads.

My last trip we spent a lot of time north of I 40 , best riding I have had in that part of the country , seems like every time we went south of 40 we set in traffic . My only trip to Gatlinburg was getting three blocks into town and that took 20 miniuts . We U turned and went back over the mountian , I didn't forget anything so I dont have to go back . SEYA

Yeah, I have no particular hankering to visit Dollyworld so we'll probably skip Gatlinburg for the most part. We're actually staying closer to Sevierville anyway.

Most of the rides I've seen have been south of the park.

Anyone know if the Blue Ridge Parkway has re-opened or is there still a close section north of Asheville ?

http://americaridesmaps.com/Local_info_parkway_detours.htm

Look there , last summer we took a dirt road off the BRP from the camp grounds at the detour , that was some awsome riding . The NC back country is hard to beat and every little country cafe we stopped at beat anything Maggie Vally had to offer . SEYA

US 441 is an RV nightmare unless you get REAL lucky... It is a shame too because the road is really nice. Clingman's Dome is kind of a cool place to visit as well. US 321 has lots of traffic as well with few places to pass. Again, great road made lame because of traffic. Cades Cove is kind of touristy and also has lots of traffic. If you happen to be riding dual sport though... Old Cades Cove Road is a real hoot!!

TN 32 between US 321 and I-40 is good. It skirts right along the National Park boundary, and then you can hop on I-40 and scoot South a few miles down to Fines Creek Rd. (Exit 15). Head East to NC 209 and then head NE to Hot Springs. This stretch of road is motorcycle heaven... It rarely has any traffic and the pavement has been consistently good in the four times I have been out there. If pressed for time, you can hit US 70 and start heading back West towards Gatlinburg. If you hit US 321 at Newport and run that back to Gatlinburg, the whole route would be about 140 miles. If you REALLY want to have some fun, then there is a nice little loop just East of Hot Springs you can do that brings you right back to Hot Springs.

Head East out of Hot Springs on US 25 to NC 208. Head North on 208 a short way and look for NC 212 on your right. Take this to the border and it becomes TN 352. Run that NE to TN 81 (Flag Pond Rd.) and turn South. At the border, this becomes US 23 in North Carolina and roughly follows I-26 South. Right before you reach the on ramp at Exit 3, there is a road called Big Laurel Rd. It may also show as NC 1318 on the signs. Take this under I-26 and head back West to NC 208, back track to US 25 into Hot Springs. Big Laurel road is perhaps one of my all time favorite roads. VERY twisty and fun. There are a few places in Hot Springs to eat, and also over where Big Laurel runs under I-26 there is a little cafe that is pretty good. It is about the only thing there so you can't miss it. This side loop is 64 miles, which would bring your total mileage up to just over 200 miles for the day. On these roads, that is a full day of riding! If you wanted to, you could just run Big Laurel road East, then backtrack it West and leave out the 212/352/81 section, which makes the out/back distance about 36 miles instead of the 64 for the whole loop. It is still an awesome ride!

If you want to head West towards Deal's Gap, then I would start out heading South on US 441 to Little River Rd. (TN 73) Run that West to US 321. Take 321 West to the start of the Foothills Pkwy. Run this SW to US 129. Head South on 129 through Deal's Gap. Stop at the Crossroads of Time on the NC side of the gap. Head South on NC 28 to US 74. Head East on US 74 to US 441. Run 441 North to Gatlinburg. If you have time (hour and a half or so) the side trip to Clingman's Dome on US 441 is neat. 148 miles for the loop.

You can change up that route by heading South on US 129 to Robbinsville, and then down to US 74. Head East on 74 a few miles to the start of Wayah Bald Rd. (NC 1310), on the right. This is a fantastic road! Just before US 64, it hits Old Murphy Rd., hang a left and run on into Franklin and pick up NC 28. Run 28 North back up to US 74. This is another fantastic road. Wayah Bald and this section of 28 usually have very little traffic. 28 south of Deal's Gap is a great ride but often has a lot of traffic and LEO patrolling. Once back on US 74, finish the route as described in the preceding paragraph. Total miles is about 200. You can get something to eat at the CRoT at the Gap, Robinsville, Franklin, or Cherokee.

Another option would be to head South on US 129 to NC 143 and go West. This becomes the Cherohala Skyway and runs over into Tennessee, becoming TN 165, and ending in Tellico Plains. There are several places to eat on the West end of the Skyway. Then, backtrack the entire route through Deal's Gap, Foothills Pkwy, US 321, and TN 73 to Gatlinburg. Total miles somewhere in the range of 260, but you can keep a nice pace for most of it (except Deal's Gap maybe).

You can also make a loop out of the above route by heading North out of Tellico Plains on TN 360 to US 411. Run 411 North a bit to TN 72. Run 72 East to US 129, then 129 over to the Foothills Pkwy and backtrack to Gatlinburg. Total miles 216.

I've never really explored North of Gatlinburg so I can't help much for that area. It looks pretty heavily populated though so I would expect that most roads will have a good bit of traffic unless they are tiny little back roads that happen to be paved. When I go out to this area, I really like to stay in Franklin at the intersection of NC 28 and US 64. It is centrally located to some absolutely fantastic roads and makes it easy to create multiple loops out and back for up to five days or more of riding. This is especially true if you are riding dual sport!

Speaking of Franklin... Here is a good Southern route out of Gatlinburg. South on US 441 to US 74, then West to NC 28. Run 28 South through Highlands ( 28 and US 64 run together between Franklin and Highlands). Check on the Cullasaja Falls and Bridal Veil falls along the way. If you are hungry, you might want to go ahead and eat in Highlands and get gas for the bikes. Run 28 all the way down into South Carolina and hit SC 107, then turn back North. Run 107 up almost to the NC border and look for SC 37/413 on the right. Run that East to SC 130 and go North. Start looking for signs for Whitewater Falls. It will be on the right. This is a park, walk about half a mile, check out the huge falls, walk back, keep riding kind of stop. You might spend 45 minutes here. Once done, head back over to SC 107 and keep going North. It becomes NC 107 and runs up through Cashiers all the way up to US 74. Hop on US 74 and head West to US 441 and run back up to Gatlinburg. 225 miles of bliss...

Another Southern route would be to head down US 441 to the start of the Blue Ridge Parkway just before Cherokee. You might want to gas up in Cherokee just so you are topped off. Head East on the BRP. Enjoy the BRP at close to the 45 mph speed limit. Rangers will ticket and it is pricey! If there is not much traffic, you can usually get away with about 55 mph, especially if you are not on a sportbike. Run the BRP to NC 215 and head North down off the ridge to US 276. Turn right on 276 and go South right back up onto the ridge. Both roads are excellent! When you get back on the BRP, keep heading East. You will soon see the Pisgah Inn on your right. Stop and have lunch here and get gas. Good food with a GREAT view! I've stayed here several times. Anyway, keep going East on the BRP a few more miles and look for NC 151, it runs North down off the ridge. This is a VERY tight road and can get the heart pumping even at slow speeds! Once you reach the point where it kind of levels and straightens, turn around and run it back up to the BRP. It is a very different experience compared to coming down. Once back on the BRP, head West and look for NC 276 again. This time though, head South on 276 down to US 64. You will hit some traffic here because 64 is a main through fare. However, you won't be on it long. Look for NC 215 and run this North back up to the BRP again. Hop on the BRP and run in all the way back to Cherokee, then up 441 to Gatlinburg. Again, 253 miles of bliss. When you enter the tunnels on the BRP, watch for water on the road. Also, be aware that your eyes will not adjust real quick so if you are wearing a tinted visor, you may need to slow and lift it so you can see.

Dang... now I am REALLY wanting to head back out there again! I have not been out there since 2005 when Rita came tearing through the Gulf Coast and we HAD to spend an extra day out there riding because we could not get back

By the way, if you have Garmin Mapsource, let me know. I have these routes saved and can email you the GPS file.

lrenaud said:

Yeah, I have no particular hankering to visit Dollyworld so we'll probably skip Gatlinburg for the most part.

Click to expand...

DollyWood is in Pigeon Forge - another tourist trap to avoid...

Thanks for all the info! No Garmin - we have a rider with us who has a TomTom but **** we're on a motorcycle, getting lost is half the fun!

We're heading down to Charleston for a couple of days afterwards and will do our shopping there. In the mountains we'll be riding every day - weather permitting. Lately seems like there's been a lot of rain but things should calm down by early June. I'm hoping anyway!

Don't let the rain scare you away! Some of the most memorable (good memories ) rides I have done out there have been in rain. Just slow down and focus on smooooth... I don't think I have ever been out there without getting rained on at least one day out of the 5-6 of riding. So long as it is not cold, it is not bad. Although, rain at night kind of sucks... especially coming down off a mountain on a massively rutted dirt road in the dark...