The Tail of the Dragon is a fairly well known route in North Carolina and Tennessee.
Location:
TN Highway 129 connecting TN highway 74 and TN highway 411. Located south of the Great Smokey Mountains National Park. Part of the route is in North Carolina and part of it is in Tennessee.
Description:
VERY curvy. 318 curves in 11 miles! This route is best enjoyed by motorcycles or cars with excellent handling. I hope you don’t get car sick! The speed limit is technically 30 MPH and the entire route is paved blacktop.
Moderate elevation gains and falls. This is located in the Appalachian mountains so the road matches that description.
Traffic is pretty heavy in the summer months, however in the winter months traffic can be as light as ~50 cars per day. I prefer the route in the winter/fall for this reason. If you drive the route in the summer, you will need to be patient as you will constantly get stuck behind slow drivers. Summer would be the time to enjoy the scenery rather than practice your cornering.
Scenery is very pretty, with occasional views of the mountains. I have driven it in the summer and fall and both were extremely scenic.
Caution: there are fatalities on this road nearly every year due to “enthusiastic” driving. Be aware of this and drive cautiously for yourself and for others.
GOOD NEWS! 18 wheelers were recently banned from this road. That doesn’t mean you won’t occasionally see one though.
Its definitely worth a drive if you’re in the area!
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Tim Rabideau 8 years, 7 months ago.