Three States in 30 Miles - Highway 28 from Highlands North Carolina to Walhalla South Carolina is a Motorcycle Back Road Sampler Treat

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Ride Sponsors


The Perfect Place to Ride, Dine and Sleep on Your Next North Carolina Motorcycle Trip
Prime Location
Located on picturesque Main Street in Highlands you're at the epicenter of some of the finest riding North Carolina has to offer!
When you're done riding for the day enjoy Highlands' charming downtown business district. Shops, restaurants and entertainment are all within easy walking distance.
Unpack Once then Ride and Explore
Our comfortable rooms, restaurant and lounge make your motorcycle vacation exactly that - a vacation.
No need to unpack, pack and hunt for a place to eat and have a drink. We have everything you need at a price that will have you smiling on every ride!
2UpTouring Readers get Exclusive Disounts!
Mention 2UpTouring.com and receive exclusive discounts on lodging and meals!
Click Here to read 2UpTouring's review of The Main Street Inn

The Main Street Inn and Bistro in Highlands NC - Perfect Lodging for the Perfect Motorcycle Ride

The Perfect Place to Ride, Dine and Sleep on Your Next North Carolina Motorcycle Trip

Prime Location

Located on picturesque Main Street in Highlands you're at the epicenter of some of the finest riding North Carolina has to offer!

When you're done riding for the day enjoy Highlands' charming downtown business district. Shops, restaurants and entertainment are all within easy walking distance.

Unpack Once then Ride and Explore

Our comfortable rooms, restaurant and lounge make your motorcycle vacation exactly that - a vacation.

No need to unpack, pack and hunt for a place to eat and have a drink. We have everything you need at a price that will have you smiling on every ride!

2UpTouring Readers get Exclusive Disounts!

2UpTouring.com Readers receive an exclusive discounts Mention 2UpTouring.com and receive exclusive discounts on lodging and meals!

Click Here to read 2UpTouring's review of The Main Street Inn

Highway 28 is one of our favorite motorcycle roads, running from Walhalla South Carolina through Georgia to Highlands North Carolina. Past Highlands you can follow 28 all the way to the famous Tail of the Dragon at Deals Gap.

Somehow the DOT in all three states used the same route number on this great motorcycle road from Walhlla to Deals Gap, making it easy to enjoy this incredible motorcycle road. We've ridden the entire route several times and highly recommend it. The road is technically challenging, features beautiful scenery and plenty of small towns to cater to you travel needs.

This short ride on the southern portion of the road provides some great motorcycle riding opportunities, especially when riding from or around Highlands NC.

On a recent stay in Highlands, we took the opportunity to ride this lightly traveled motorcycle back road and found it an exciting and refreshing ride. You can easily do the down and back to Walhalla before breakfast and have the road and the restaurant almost to yourself. There aren't many better ways to start a great day in our book.

Another Great Motorcycle Road on this Ride

The detail map on the right shows other how to incorporate Warwoman Road into this great little ride, making a little bit longer ride that includes the fun and challenging uphill run at the eastern end of Warwoman Road.

The Main Street Inn has Helped Sponsor This Ride

The Main Street Inn in Highlands, NC has contributed to making this ride and others in the North Carolina area possible. We strongly recommend that you check them out (read more here) and consider them as a place to both dine and stay.

Cautions and Warnings When Riding Highway 28

Like virtually all the best motorcycle roads, the features of Highway 28 that make it so much fun also present some serious hazards to the inattentive or careless rider. Below are a few things I do to enjoy the ride and avoid unexpected surprises.

Make sure your bike is ready to go. Check tires, tire pressure and make sure you have plenty of fuel before starting out. Do a pre-ride inspection each day and do a quick check of the bike each time you get on.
Ride well within you and your bike's limits. Leave the 10/10ths riding to the pro's at the track.
Always enter a turn at a speed that will safely allow you to stop within your sight distance, then accelerate smoothly through the turn as your sight distance increases. There are many blind and diminishing radius turns on this ride that can easily bite you if you aren't careful.
Look as far through every corner as you can. It is much easier avoid the gravel on the road if you can see it and slow down before you enter the corner.
Always be on the lookout for road hazards. Debris, lane crossers, vehicles entering the highway, animals and other hazards can totally ruin your day.

Southern Highway 28 NC/GA/SC Ride Review	Click any Picture to Enlarge
Highway 28 heading south out of Highlands North Carolina is the epitome of a motorcycle backroad. Smooth blacktop sweepers and hairpins wind their way up and down the hills with glimpses of the mountains and the valleys throughout the ride.
Speed limits range from 35 to 55 with plenty of twisties to liven up the ride.
While the road has been improved over the years much of the older road alignment survives with the tighter curves and narrow bridges that add character to the road.
A spirited ride on cool morning is one fine way to start the day.
Parts of the road show some wear since the last repaving, but the surface is rarely rough enough to cause the pace to slow too much.
Rides early and late in the day can cause problems with glare for both you and other motorists. Is there anything of concern just around the bend?
My mid-week early morning motorcycle ride found the NC-DOT cutting the grass and clearing brush. Another good reason to never enter a corner and faster than you can stop within the available sight distance.
Lots of clearing and cutting debris in the road along with the attendant gravel and sand could make for a nasty surprise for the inattentive rider.
I'm so glad I don't have to work today!
Plenty of fun technical corners prevent boredom and demand your attention. By the time you get to this corner you are no longer thinking about anything but having a great ride.
Plenty of long sweepers run through the Sumter National forest.
Whenever someone has taken their own time to warn you it's a wise decision to take their advice!
Entering the turn on the outside close to the yellow line, the diminishing radius of the turn starts to become visible. This is why I'm such a fan of 'late apexing' on the street.
It tightens up in a hurry. Note the guard rail damage - be sure not to add to it! Those paying close attention to detail will see that even though I thought I was planning my apex properly, I've really apexed a little too soon. I needed to push harder at the apex to follow the best line. Another lesson on why you should always leave some reserve entering a corner like this.
Traveling north from the Georgia state line from North Carolina the mountains become taller and the scenery more rugged.
Twists and turns to delight the rider on the great motorcycle roads throughout North Carolina. Several sets of back to back curves make for an outstanding ride heading north on highway 28.
It just too much fun slicing a fast line through a set of curves like this. In fall this should be an exquisite motorcycle ride.
These are the roads that make riding in North Carolina a world-class motorcycle riding experience.
Highlands has unique parking in the center of the divided boulevard downtown. Anna really enjoyed checking out the town and its shops while I did the photo run on Hwy 28 and Warwoman Road.