North Carolina is Home to Some of the Best Motorcycle Roads You'll Ever Ride!

Are you looking for motorcycle roads to challenge your skills and overload your senses?

Do you love lightly twisty mountain roads with amazing scenery and reasonable speed limits?

Are you looking for small country towns and magnificent state and national parks?

If you've never been to North Carolina you're in for a treat!

North Carolina has More Twisty Motorcycle Roads than you Can Find time to Ride!

Are You Tired of Endless No Passing Zones and 30 MPH Speed Limits on the Best Motorcycle Roads?

Here's a List of Some Famous and Not so Famous Motorcycle Roads You'll find in North Carolina

Cherohala Skyway

Forty-three miles of some of the most beautiful riding you'll ever do! The Cherohala Skyway runs from near Robbinsville, NC to Tellico Plains TN. It and twists and turns and runs through over 4000 feet of elevation change.

Speed limits on the Cherohala are unfortunately 45mph (or less on the TN side) and enforced often enough to make spirited riding an exercise in stealth or very expensive.

While most of the road is easily manuevered at he posted speed limits, some turns have will be marked SLOW by locals with spray cans. These tend to be tricky, downhill, diminishing radius turns that catch a faster rider unaware until deep into the corner with too much speed and not enough skill or cornering clearance. Be careful! Many years more riders are hurt or injured here than on Tail of the Dragon.

None of this should be taken as discouragng this ride. It is one of the most enjoyable and beautiful rides you'll ever do. Keep your eyes open, always ride within your sight/stopping distance and enjoy one of the best motorcycle rides in the country.

The Cherohala tops out above 5,000 feet and can get quite cold at the higher elevations. Be prepared for large temperature swings and be sure to pack a lunch or snack to enjoy at one of the many superb vistas and overlooks.

Learn more about the Cherohala Skyway

Tail of the Dragon

Once posted at 55mph, US-129 from Robbinsville north through Deals Gap towards Maryville, TN is home to 11 miles and 318 curves in one of the twistiest motorcycle roads in the world.

I first rode The Dragon in the early eighties before it had become famous. In fact, I remember taking the road as the most direct route on a map when riding backroads from Florida to Michigan on my 1982 Yamaha Seca 650. I remember coming on the stretch now know as The Tail of the Dragon after a full day of riding backroads and having the time of my life scraping pegs and wearing down the soles of my boots while losing count of the turns and number of shifts it required (back then the speed limit was 55).

Unfortunately the Dragon's fame has resulted in speed limits reduced to parade speed (30 MPH). However even with this speed limit many riders find it possible to carefully modulate their speed ad enjoy a quite enjoyable run on the Dragon.

Tail of the Dragon Closure Information

All the information indicates the Dragon has re-opened after the rockslide that closed the road and prevented through traffic a large part of this year.

Learn more about the Tail of the Dragon cleanup progress here and here.

Resources for Riding Tail of the Dragon

Tips on Riding Tail of the Dragon
If you've never run the Tail of the Dragon before or would just like to be a better rider read these Tips on Riding the Tail of the Dragon and other back roads posted on Killboy.com. Darryl Cannon (Killboy) is probably one of the best promoters of Tail of the Dragon. His photography and Tail of the Dragon blog are great places to see what's happening at the gap and learn about the Dragon and how to ride it.

North Carolina Highway 28

Not as well known as either Tail of the Dragon or the Cherohala Skyway, NC Hwy 28 runs roughly 110 miles from Deals Gap to Walhalla, SC. Unlike its two more famous siblings, Hwy 28 (also know as Hellbender 28 and Moonshiner 28) lacks the absurdly low speed limits and solid double yellows that plague these better know roads. What is doesn't lack is twisties, elevation changes and scenery!

See our NC Highway 28 Motorcyle Ride Review for more information on this lesser known, longer and more challenging motorcycle back road in the mountains of North Carolina.