Tail of the Dragon, US-129

Driving

by Plot Along: Appalachia

Eleven miles of US-129 at Deals Gap, on the North Carolina / Tennessee line, with 318 curves and not a single intersection, driveway, or town to break the rhythm. Motorcyclists and sports-car drivers come from all over to run "the Dragon" between the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort and the Tabcat Creek bridge, and it has a fair claim to the best-known driving road in the eastern US.

The road threads the gap between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cheoah Mountains, hugging Calderwood Lake and the Little Tennessee River gorge. Many of the curves carry names, like Gravity Cavity, Copperhead Corner, and Hog Pen Bend, and on busy weekends photographers stake out the apexes to sell shots to the riders. At the south end, the Tree of Shame is hung with the broken parts of bikes that didn't make it.

Open year-round, best in late spring and fall. Winter brings ice and fallen leaves to the shaded corners. The posted limit is 30 mph and it is enforced, because the appeal here is the cornering, not the speed. Watch for motorcycles crossing the centerline.

Learn more: tailofthedragon.com

Tree of Shame, Deals Gap
The southern start at the Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort, where US-129 meets NC-28. The Tree of Shame is hung with the snapped fairings, mirrors, and footpegs of bikes that came off in the curves, and it is the route's signature photo.
Calderwood Dam Overlook
A pull-off looking down to Calderwood Dam on the Little Tennessee River, about midway through the 11 miles. One of the few places to stop and take in the gorge the road has been carving through.
Tabcat Creek Bridge (North End)
The Calderwood Highway bridge over Tabcat Creek, by the junction with the Foothills Parkway. This is the recognized north end of the Dragon, and the 318-curve count is measured from here back to Deals Gap.

Tree of Shame, Deals Gap

Calderwood Dam Overlook

Tabcat Creek Bridge (North End)