Hello all, long time lurker and admirer of your board and your MINIs here! Would love it if you could help me with a little advice!

First off, I apologize in advance if this is the wrong section of the forum - I debated on where to put it. If it needs to be shutdown or moved, no worries.

Ok so on to the point, I'm not the best trip planner in the world; I've never planned a trip where a drive itself is the 'destination', and I'm also totally unfamiliar with the region around the Tail of the Dragon. But, for years and through various vehicles I've always wanted to drive it but have always found reasons not to go or never had the time. Well I have a week off the last week of July this summer and I finally want to make this happen!

I know July is probably not going to be the best Dragon experience between the heat itself, and the summer months will provide more crowded lodging and roadways, but alas my job tells me when I can take off so it's the best I can do.

I'm coming from Louisville, KY and I honestly have no idea from which direction would be the best way to approach the Dragon as I'm not sure how to GPS just a certain stretch of road lol! As in, where to head to reach the Dragon at it's beginning and it's end. I'm sorry if this makes me sound stupid - I'm directionally challenged. So if anyone could help me plan around that I would greatly appreciate it!

I'm pretty well read on the road itself - the police, the accidents, the trucks etc. as well as a lot of general opinions being that the Dragon itself is a little overrated while the surrounding roads offer sweeping curves with breathtaking sights. Honestly those roads (like the Skyway etc) sound more appealing to me, but I have to slay the Dragon at least once just to say I did it. I would like to note I have no intentions of pushing the cars limits there, and I don't feel the need to make multiple passes at it. I'm going there for the drive itself, so the speed limit will be plenty for me on a road that curvy that I have no familiarity with. This is more of a bucket list thing for me and a chance to get away with the wife for a couple days and enjoy her company, the driving experience and the car. Are there any particular 'must drive' roads to hit while there to complete the experience?

Lastly, can anyone recommend where to stay? We would actually prefer a camp ground if possible. I'm the athletic/outdoorsy type so a nice campground where we could pitch a tent and relax would be fantastic - bonus points if there's hiking to be had as well. We plan to leave out on a Wednesday afternoon after she gets off work, and overnight a couple nights at a camp ground before coming back home. Also, we don't have to have electricity on site at the camp, but we do have to have access to showers/restrooms for the wife. In addition, I'm hoping that a weekday will at least provide a slightly less crowded drive. Is there any particular time of day that is best to avoid traffic or has less Semi's?

I'm really sorry the post got so long, I feel like I'm rambling my thoughts both to help me organize as well as ask questions lol. Cliff notes;
- Best route for a trip from Louisville, KY centered around driving the Dragon and it's surrounding must-see roads.
- What other surrounding roads are 'must drives'
-Where to stay (tent camping preferred)? Particular sights to see, shops to visit, food to eat etc?
- Going on a weekday, best time of day to drive the dragon?

Thanks all! I really appreciate any help!

Roman

 

Hey Roman, welcome to NAM! The Dragon is a fantastic driving destination in the midst of beautiful country.

The best I can do for questions on camping, and overall Dragon knowledge, is to give a link to the MINIs on The Dragon website: http://minisonthedragon.com

You'll find lots of info on where to stay (inc. campgrounds, I'm sure) things to do, places to see, the roads, and some maps. The site is put together by the MOTD organizers, and is invaluable!!

As for roads to drive, you should run the Hellbender, and the Cherohala Skyway. I drove both a couple weeks ago at MOTD 12. I also heard good things about the Foothills Parkway, which would be worth Googling and an in-person visit.

You'll find this on the MOTD website too, but the best time to drive the Dragon would be before 11am or after 5pm. The Dragon is a public road so you have passenger cars, vans, trucks hauling fishing boats, and some smaller commercial vehicles. The site has some valuable info on safety -- well worth the read.

BTW, don't let the Dragon intimidate you. Make sure your car is in good shape before you take the trip, and once there, drive to your abilities. The speed limit is 30, which in many sections feels plenty fast. There are some pull-offs along the way, so if faster traffic is behind you, you can briefly pull off to let them pass.

Hope you find the MOTD website useful; it's the best resource I could think off, and was highly valuable to me in planning my first trip this year.

 

We're looking to make that trip too and have researched quite a bit as well. Don't just drive the Dragon, put the Charohala Skyway on the agenda as well. From what I've seen on line the Dragon is down in the woods mostly so scenery is not the objective but rather the 'drive'. The Skyway is where you'll find the vistas or so I am told. Also, visit the official Dragon web site and go over the event calendar. I'm looking for a time when no car clubs are scheduled and early in the week so there'll be less traffic or so the theory goes and accommodations may be more accommodating.

 

My husband and I did MOTD just a few weekends ago. It was awesome!

I am not a camper so I cannot give any advice there, but I would like to suggest a restaurant: Pop and Nana's Kitchen in Robbinsville, NC. The place is really small, definately a Mom & Pop place, but the food was good.

Besides driving all the roads listed above, we also did a side trip to Wheels Through Time. It is a motorcycle museum in Maggie Valley. He has a show on Velocity named "What's in the Barn". It is labelled as the museum that runs because all the motorcycles do, in fact, run. He rode several through the place while we were there. Not sure if you are interested in such things, but it was fun anyhow.

When driving the Dragon watch for oncoming traffic. Interestingly, only a few cars crossed the centerline, but there were a lot of motorcyclists who did. You never know what is on the other side of the curve. Weekends looked the worse.

Have a great time!

 

http://www.tailofthedragon.com/

most people stay at Fontana

http://www.fontanavillage.com/

 

I was there a couple of years ago on my motorcycle and I agree with the posters above. Cherohala Skyway shouldn't be missed. The truth is, driving/riding anywhere in the area is fun.

In addition to the Dragon, I really enjoyed the Blue Ridge Parkway. I only rode about 30 miles of it, but the scenery and lack of traffic are spectacular. Also check out the Road to Nowhere (north out of Bryson City). It's an abandoned highway project that dead ends at a cool tunnel that you can walk through that leads to some good hiking trails. I would also recommend driving through the Smokey Mountain National Park. Again, amazing views with many pull offs and side roads that lead to even better views! If you do visit the Park, drive up to Clingmans Dome where you can hike a short distance to the highest point in Tennessee. The trail to the top also intersects the Appalachian Trail, so if you're the outdoorsy type you can take a short jaunt on the AT.

As for lodging, I stayed in Gatlinburg, which is about 45 mins from the Dragon via the Foothills Pkwy. There are plenty of camping and hotel options in the area.

Sent from my iPhone using NAMotoring

 

Good intelligence gathering here.