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FALL 2017 ISSUE 02 / VOL. 02

Straddling the border between Tennessee and North Carolina, the Great Smoky Mountains are home to some of our favorite rides. On the western side are the infamous 318-curves-in-11-miles of U. S. Route 129 known as the Tail of the Dragon, the rollercoaster ride on North Carolina Route 28( aka Moonshiner 28 or Hellbender 28) and the magnificent Cherohala Skyway. Another is U. S. Route 441, which passes through the heart of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, from one tourist trap town to another( Gatlinburg to Cherokee). Most of the road was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s, including this elegant stone archway where the road loops over itself. It is a delightful ride through lush woodlands with rivers, waterfalls, rock formations and iconic views of misty-blue mountaintops. But since Great Smoky Mountains gets the most traffic of any national park, we recommend riding it early in the morning, preferably during an off-peak month.

Photo by Brian J. Nelson