BEST RIDES IN THE STATE

Tail of the Dragon - Deals Gap - US129  Crossing Deals Gap at the Tennessee / North Carolina state line, the Dragon (US129) is considered as one of the worlds best twistie motorcycling roads, with 318 curves in 11 miles.

Blue Ridge Parkway The Blue Ridge Parkways is the longest rural parkway in the United States. It runs 469 miles, connecting the Great Smoky Mountains in southern North Carolina to Shenandoah National Park in northern Virginia, and stretches across the southern Appalachian Mountains.

Cherohala Skyway The Cherohala Skyway is a beautiful 36-mile national scenic byway. The highway runs between Santeetlah Gap 11 near Robbinsville, North Carolina, and Tellico Plains in Tennessee. Officially the Cherohala Skyway is State Route 143 in North Carolina and State Route 165 in Tennessee.

The Diamondback Loop The Diamondback is located in the area of Little Switzerland and the Blue Ridge Parkway about 50 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina. This 38 mile diamond shaped loop includes NC 226A, US 221, Toms Creek Road, NC 80 and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Hellbender 28 North Carolina Highway 28 North. Starting at Johnson Gap ride 22 miles of motorcycle heaven bordering Fontana Lake in the Great Smoky Mountains and intersecting The Dragon at Deals Gap.

Moonshiner 28 North Carolina Highway 28 from Deals Gap to Wahalla South Carolina. Stretching from US 129 at the Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap, Moonshiner 28 winds its way southeastward through Franklin and Highlands North Carolina before turning southward into Georgia and South Carolina at Walhalla.

The Rattler  State Road 209   Located just outside of Hot Springs, NC, it twists and turns all the way to Lake Junaluska , NC.   There are over 234 twists, turns and curves from Lake Junaluska to Hot Springs and another 30 from Hot Springs down to the Bobarosa Saloon.

Thunder Road (wayah road) North Carolina SR1310. Catch this road on US19 just a few miles north of the 129/19 intersection. The road travels over the mountain and into Franklin. It's 28 miles of twisting fun.

Great North Carolina Loop This ride includes Tail of the Dragon, Maggie Valley & Blue Ridge Parkway it is about 218 miles and plan on it taking 7 hours (not including stops)

 Forest Heritage Scenic Byway  Ride through the beautiful Pisgah National Forest. Start at the intersection of HWY 64 and  State Highway 215, near Rosman. Travel north up 215 to Woodrow. From Woodrow take State Rt. 276 South. This is a wonderful road that goes by Looking Glass Falls. At the end you can head towards Brevard and onto Hwy 64, which is a great ride throught the Sapphire Valley Ski Area to Highlands, then up to Franklin and then on to Murphy.

The Winding Stair is a steep zig-zagging climb from Morganton in the foothills up to the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountains. It's known as highway 181.  With approximately 25 miles of many challenging curves and a rise in elevation of 2800 feet, the Winding Stairs give you awesome views of the gigantic granite profiles of Table Rock and Hawksbill mountains as it passes by one of the three popular overlooks for viewing the mysterious Brown Mountain Lights. Traveling north, Grandfather Mountain will appear in the distance. There are handy mile markers and passing lanes on this stretch for speed or leisure riding.  Cresting the mountain you pass through an area known as Ripshin Ridge, notorious for its fierce winds yet acclaimed for it's sweeping panoramas. North of Ripshin Ridge you can enter on to the Blue Ridge Parkway from highway 181 at Pineola.