Smoky Mountains in Sept

MacDoc

MacDoc

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Want to take a few days - get down there relatively fast then work my way back tho I suspect I will be doing PA 125 on the way down :D.
I'd likely leave very early Friday or afternoon on Thursday straight south

A) best slab route to a base

B) worthwhile roads to cover off....on this trip I'm mainly looking scenery instead of twists but I won't turn down some must do.
http://s106.photobucket.com/user/ma...4-09-01atSep1201454338PM_zps0a71b1b7.jpg.html

http://www.motorcycleroads.us/roads/pa125.html

Bucket list for sure

Now I know I can get into the area in 5-6 hours - more to explore

Look like 400 out of Buffalo to 20 to 390 then 220 straight south.

Piece of cake with icing on the bottom


https://goo.gl/maps/wcRTu

Now where??
 
I don't know if you've been to WV but the higher elevations are all east of Elkins and you don't even have them mapped. The Old Clark Inn is a popular motorcyclist accomodation in Marlinton. Cheap as dirt and the owners are riders. There is a clean Super 8 in Elkins on 219. Whats more there is an excellent buffet restaurant across the street that charges only $10 or 12 dollars. I would take WV over the over- hyped Tail of the Dragon any day. Great roads and scenery and mostly undiscovered by the masses.
 
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WV is great ... but the Smoky Mountains is a specific area in NC - TN which is well south of there!

No matter ... the mountainous area goes from PA all the way to Arkansas, but the best part in general is on either side of Skyline Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway then extending southwest through the Smoky Mountains, into northwest corner of Georgia, extending west of Little Rock AK. In any of that area, if you're bored with the interstate, just turn off.

If you haven't been to the area before, you will not go wrong by getting yourself to the north end of Skyline Drive in Front Royal, VA, and just following that. The other end of Skyline Drive is near Waynesboro, VA, near the junction of interstates 64 and 81. Skyline Drive becomes the Blue Ridge Parkway when it crosses interstate 64. Follow that for another 459 miles and *then* you are in the Smoky Mountains!

You will also not go too far wrong by following any of the local roads that run generally parallel to either Skyline Drive or Blue Ridge Parkway, as the case may be. You will go very right by taking any of the local roads that cross either Skyline or Blue Ridge, because in order to cross it, they have to go up one side of the ridge line and down the other, and in many cases that involves steep grades and hairpins.

The only trouble with Skyline Drive is the 35 mph speed limit and, if you are there at the wrong time, the hordes of slow RVs. Most of the Blue Ridge has a 45 mph speed limit and it's reasonable entertainment if you go 55 and don't slow down for the corners. September is after summer holidays but before leaf-lookers, so it isn't the worst time for being crowded with tourists ... that's why I'll be down there for a week as well.

Here is Little Switzerland, have a look around ... https://maps.google.ca/maps?q=Littl...oid=Nx8Nyzx7lnRABc-NqZKwyw&cbp=12,259.01,,0,0
 
Brian P said:
WV is great ... but the Smoky Mountains is a specific area in NC - TN which is well south of there!
Click to expand...

And I'd say from that location that you posted heading South West into Tennessee is the best part. I did that back in May... had a marathon first day where I slabbed it down to Pigeon Forge TN and then slowly came back via the mountains. I started early in the morning -- a mid-week 7am start down in the Smokies in TN and you'll find you are probably the only one on the road. I didn't bother with the skyline drive though, as 35 seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I didn't bother with the Dragon, but I did the Devil's Whip and not a single other bike and only a few cars were on it. Great!
 
I should add that the times that I rode down, I aimed a bit west of your route, generally following 219 south give or take. 219 ends at 460 just inside Virginia. There are all sorts of gnarly little local roads near Rocky Gap VA - just look on the map. At that point you will be about 30 - 40 miles north of the Blue Ridge Parkway as the crow flies, but that's nowhere near how the local roads go ...
 
Yeah this is just rough. Will look at the suggested riding roads for the area.
Idea is to get down pretty quick then meander around the area and back.

I just wanted an idea of distance. As the days shorten using daylight becomes an issue. Worked out well last weekend leaving at 5.30 am
....sun was just coming up as I crossed the Hamilton skyway so had an enjoyable day with even a 1/2 hour nap at Cherry Creek park. :D

Rip Van Winkle style. Saturday was lovely.
ripvan.jpg



Was a long day tho and missing a turn in the Danville area didn't help - turned on the wrong side of a cloverleaf and had a 32 km loop to get back. Pulled in around 7.30 to the Super8.

Nice Cobb salad at a Brew Pub made things better ;)
 
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Diesel said:
I didn't bother with the skyline drive though, as 35 seems a bit ridiculous to me.

I didn't bother with the Dragon, but I did the Devil's Whip and not a single other bike and only a few cars were on it. Great!
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The only time I have been on Skyline Drive was during 1st week of October, on a weekday, with zero traffic. The 35 limit is very slow compared to the area, so I was thankful to be able to ride it at my own pace.

As Diesel said, The Devils Whip (NC80) is also a fantastic road. The "Back of the Dragon" (VA16) is also an awesome road, as is "The Snake" (US421). Adding in Little Switzerland as Brian pointed out, here's a sample route that connects them all and can be easily done in one day. I will be headed back down that way as well hopefully in the 1st week of October yet again. If I am to head down there again, I would ride each of these roads about 3-4 times, because they are that enjoyable.
 
Carmen said:
I don't know if you've been to WV but the higher elevations are all east of Elkins and you don't even have them mapped. The Old Clark Inn is a popular motorcyclist accomodation in Marlinton. Cheap as dirt and the owners are riders. There is a clean Super 8 in Elkins on 219. Whats more there is an excellent buffet restaurant across the street that charges only $10 or 12 dollars. I would take WV over the over- hyped Tail of the Dragon any day. Great roads and scenery and mostly undiscovered by the masses.
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I would agree, the 219 is a relaxing ride, and becomes quite scenic south of Dubois with some twisties throw into the mix. I'd push all the way to Elkins. As stated the Super8 is clean and cheap and the steakhouse across the road is a buffet style for a reasonable price (fyi... they don't serve alcohol) just incase your looking to have a cold one after your day of riding. Hit a gas station on the way in and grab your beverage of choice.
 
As you go further south the twists are unavoidable. I bypassed some chunks of the BRP on the 219 and it seems more up your alley. The brp is scenic all the way through but I found the NC part better than VA since it was twistier. The locals are friendly wherever you go. My favorite road down there was the snake (421) and there's an amazing bbq hut in mountain city owned by a rider who's pretty friendly as well.
 
shanekingsley's sample route looks spectacularly good.

219 out of Buffalo all the way to the end ... short hop south on 460 ... west on 61 then do shanekingsley's route. The route back home won't matter becase you won't want to ...
 
Oh I won't mind the twists once I'm in the area and that looks like a great third day route



I've done the northern part of the BRP several times as a kid in a car with parents and as a rider - if there is little traffic it's fine but often it's just chock a block and some of the "roads less travelled" are preferred.

Want some new stuff this time.
 
I forgot to mention the 221, I took it from roanoke to Boone and wasn't disappointed, scenic route when not going through cities with some twists and moves faster than the brp. Saw tons of animals on this route, including a baby bear.
 
Didn't realize this thread was dated. I wanted to suggest 125 south from Shamokin - you will not be dissapointed. I would have also suggested going a little east of Shamokin to take in the ghost town of Centrailia - be sure to find the remains of the abandoned interstate. You can feel the heat in the cracks of the road from the burning coal seam underneath it.

If you take 219 north thru PA on the way home take a short detour to view the Kinzua bridge collapse - It's a cool state park with a walk way built on the remaining bit of the bridge. The end has a good observation platform to view the collapsed remains and there was no charge to enter the park both times we visited.
 
Not sure what you mean by dated but it has not happened yet.

Bring on the suggestions as I'll pull the trigger on this anytime I can get a stretch of decent weather.
Brakes all good now....oil change, fresh enough tires and happy with the new helmet.
 
Sorry - thought you were already travelling. My comments are still relevant I guess.
 
Yup - might be confusing me with BrownElvis who IS travelling in the area now.

This sucks tho...have to wait I guess. :(

 
Well this is a bit too hard to resist
I need to go down and retrieve some stuff I left at the Super8. Any good reason for a ride ( shipping it up is far too mundane ).


That is a tempting stretch of fine weather to head to the Smokies....hmmm...stop by State College....ride a bit further...



New tip is Moose Run Road...aka 4007 north out of Milesburg ....lotsa grins.

https://goo.gl/maps/Quyof

Runs parallel to 144.



Definitely need to spend some more time in that area and south.....south ...

We did hit Shamokin and 125 tho the Maximum Winding Roads took us on a rather fraught tour of some of the back allies of this rather steep town. ( some bug - when you put in Travel Via it seems insistent on taking you on a tour of the town. )

Whacked it a couple of times and ran 125 from one end a long ways then looped up as part of the Condensed America loop.

I could likely be convinced to include it again. :D

We went down on 219 then 144 to Renovo - much fun for the new kid - fortunately the rain left us for a while and the roads were dry.
Went over and did Wykoff and then picked up 144 S of Renovo back into town.
We were still a bit wet from the ride down and drying off when kid said....look at that....gray current about 2 blocks north.....

Rain jackets he says....naw lets out run it and we mainly did :D
 
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