MotoRevRoute Twisty Staff Pick
Tail of the Dragon
Tabcat Creek Bridge to Deals Gap
- Distance
- 12 mi
- Riding Time
- 26 min
- Climb
- 2,562 ft
- Difficulty
- Hard
- Surface
- Paved
- Character
- Twisty
- Saves
- 0
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Road Guide
- Best Season
- April through October is best. Spring and fall bring cooler air and color, while summer weekends are the busiest of the year.
- Fuel
- There is no fuel on the Dragon itself. Fill up in Maryville or Robbinsville, or at Fontana Village on NC 28.
- Watch For
- Blind, tightly linked curves, vehicles drifting over the center line, heavy weekend traffic, frequent law enforcement and a 30 mph limit. Expect gravel, wet leaves and other riders stopped in pullouts.
Weather Along the Route
Forecast at the hour you reach each point, from the riding time. Leave Departure empty to leave now. Forecast from Open-Meteo.
US 129 through Deals Gap is the most famous motorcycle road in the country, advertised as 318 curves in 11 miles. The road winds along the edge of Great Smoky Mountains National Park with no towns along the way, only forest and the occasional glimpse of Calderwood Lake. It is short, technical and busy, and most riders run it more than once.
Stops
- StartTabcat Creek Bridge
- FinishDeals Gap
