Trail #5:
The Dragon/Hellbender Trail
   

Route 1:   (Starting thru the national park) Gatlinburg-GSM National Park- Wears Valley- Townsend, TN- Foothills Parkway-, Deals Gap, NC- Hogback Mountain, NC- Almond, NC- Lauada, NC- Bryson City, NC- Cherokee, NC- GSM National Park- back to Gatlinburg.

Trail Highlights:  Great Smoky Mountains National Park, mountain streams, rivers and lakes in the valleys along with quaint mountain towns are the fare when riders are not enjoying some of the most challenging switch backs, steepest (up to 9%) grades along two-lane roads with little to no shoulders. Spectacular views at roadside overlooks, picnic areas and quiet trails are abundant along this trail. Just like some of the high-ridge hiking trails, Smoky classifies this run as “maximum difficulty”. If you’ve got titanium kneepads this is the trail for you. A final ride over the high range of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park helps riders wind down after a day to remember.

 

Start the trail at traffic light #10 in Gatlinburg, in front of Smoky’s Pub & Grub, and take Hwy. 441 South thru the main entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. At 1.6 miles into the park turn right onto Little River Road (Hwy.73 S) at the Sugarlands Visitors Center.
Take this park road 9.6 miles to the Metcalf Bottoms Picnic Area. Turn right and enter the picnic area, riding thru and across the bridge that crosses the Little River. The road takes a sharp turn to the left just across the bridge. Follow the road 2.5 miles around and out of the park and down the mountain (where it is called Lyon Springs Road) into Wears Valley. It will dead end at Wears Valley Road.
Turn left onto Wears Valley Rd. and ride on 5.9 miles to where it dead ends at a “T” intersection. Turn right at the “T” and follow Hwy. 321 S thru Townsend, TN some 7.4 miles to the entrance to the Foothills Parkway. Turn left onto the parkway.
Ride the Foothills Parkway 17 miles to its end. (Notice: there is no gas, food or other services on the Foothills Pkwy.) Riders pass the Look Rock lookout tower 9.8 miles up the parkway.
At the end of the parkway turn left onto Hwy. 129 South. Three miles south of the parkway on 129 riders start their way along the infamous Tail Of The Dragon, an 11-mile stretch of highway with some 318 unique and challenging curves. At the end of the 11 mile run, riders will cross the Tennessee/North Carolina state line to find Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, along with its famous Tree Of Shame shrine to those who have fallen victim to the perils of The Dragon.
After paying respects at the shrine, and visiting with the fine folks at the motorcycle resort, riders continue on the trail by taking Hwy. 28 South from Deals Gap toward Fontana Dam. This stretch of Hwy. 28, with its nickname of Hellbender, is also famous for its many one-of-a-kind, radical curves and steep grades.  Staying on Hwy. 28 S some 32.5 miles across Hogback Mountain, thru Almond and on until it intersects with Hwy. 19/74. Turn left onto 19/74 toward Bryson City.
Take Hwy. 19/74 some 18.5 miles into Bryson City. Riders can take the Hwy. 19 exit off of 74 (the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway) or can ride on to the Bryson City exit. From that exit it is a short six tenths of a mile back over to Hwy. 19. At the traffic light at Hwy. 19, turn right.
From the downtown Bryson City intersection ride Hwy. 19 East about 9.7 miles, along the Oconaluftee River to Cherokee, NC.  In Cherokee, turn left onto Hwy. 441 North and enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Stay on Hwy. 441 17 miles to Newfound Gap at the top of the park ridgeline then 15 miles back down the mountains into Gatlinburg. The first traffic light in Gatlinburg is Traffic Light #10 in front of Smoky’s Pub & Grub, the biker, hiker and family friendly sports pub where this trail started. Stop by and say hello!

Trail #5:   The Dragon/Hellbender Trail

Route 2:  (Starting thru Pigeon Forge) Gatlinburg-Pigeon Forge, TN - Wears Valley-Townsend, TN- Foothills Parkway-, Deals Gap, NC- Hogback Mountain, NC- Almond, NC- Lauada, NC- Bryson City, NC- Cherokee, NC- GSM National Park- back to Gatlinburg.

Trail Highlights:  Pigeon Forge, TN, mountain streams, rivers and lakes in the valleys along with quaint mountain towns are the fare when riders are not enjoying some of the most challenging switch backs, steepest (up to 9%) grades along two-lane roads with little to no shoulders. Spectacular views at roadside overlooks, picnic areas and quiet trails are abundant along this trail. Just like some of the high-ridge hiking trails, Smoky classifies this run as “maximum difficulty”. If you’ve got titanium kneepads this is the trail for you. A final ride over the high range of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park helps riders wind down after a day to remember.

This route of the Dragon Trail starts at traffic light #10 in Gatlinburg, in front of Smoky’s Pub & Grub, and takes Hwy. 441 North thru downtown Gatlinburg and to the left at traffic light #3 then out of town on the same road. After leaving town, riders run about 5 miles down the Great Smoky Mountain Parkway, fondly known to locals as “the spur”, to Pigeon Forge, TN.  Once in Pigeon Forge, ride 3 miles on to traffic light #3 at the intersection of Wears Valley Road.
Turn right onto Wears Valley Road and ride on about 15 miles, thru Wears Valley, until it dead ends on Hwy. 321. Turn right at the “T” and follow Hwy. 321 S thru Townsend, TN some 7.4 miles to the entrance to the Foothills Parkway. Turn left onto the parkway.
Ride the Foothills Parkway 17 miles to its end. (Notice: there is no gas, food or other services on the Foothills Pkwy.) Riders pass the Look Rock lookout tower 9.8 miles up the parkway.
At the end of the parkway turn left onto Hwy. 129 South. Three miles south of the parkway on 129 riders start their way along the infamous Tail Of The Dragon, an 11-mile stretch of highway with some 318 unique and challenging curves. At the end of the 11 mile run, riders will cross the Tennessee/North Carolina state line to find Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, along with its famous Tree Of Shame shrine to those who have fallen victim to the perils of The Dragon.
After paying respects at the shrine, and visiting with the fine folks at the motorcycle resort, riders continue on the trail by taking Hwy. 28 South from Deals Gap toward Fontana Dam. This stretch of Hwy. 28, with its nickname of Hellbender, is also famous for its many one-of-a-kind, radical curves and steep grades.  Staying on Hwy. 28 S some 32.5 miles across Hogback Mountain, thru Almond and on until it intersects with Hwy. 19/74. Turn left onto 19/74 toward Bryson City.
Take Hwy. 19/74 some 18.5 miles into Bryson City. Riders can take the Hwy. 19 exit off of 74 (the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway) or can ride on to the Bryson City exit. From that exit it is a short six tenths of a mile back over to Hwy. 19. At the traffic light at Hwy. 19, turn right.
From the downtown Bryson City intersection ride Hwy. 19 East about 9.7 miles, along the Oconaluftee River to Cherokee, NC.  In Cherokee, turn left onto Hwy. 441 North and enter the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Stay on Hwy. 441 17 miles to Newfound Gap at the top of the park ridgeline then 15 miles back down the mountains into Gatlinburg. The first traffic light in Gatlinburg is Traffic Light #10 in front of Smoky’s Pub & Grub, the biker, hiker and family friendly sports pub where this trail started. Stop by and say hello!