Deal's Gap (AKA "The Dragon" or "Tail of the Dragon")

Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > North Carolina
Motorcycle Roads & Rides > Routes > United States > Tennessee

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 29 visitors

State: Tennessee
Date Submitted: July 1, 2003
Submitted by: Mark H.
Motorcycle Road Length: 11 Miles

Written Directions

Deal's gap is not the easiest road to find on a map because it is just a small 11 mile stretch that hugs the border of The Great Smoky Mountains National Park on its very sparsely populated southwest corner. Most of the road lies in Tennessee yet a small section of it crosses into North Carolina. Suggest you use the Online Map Link to get your bearings. The closest town to the north end of Deal's Gap is Tallahassee, TN and the closest town to the south end of the road is Tapoco, NC. And, keep in mind that when you get close to the road, all the locals can point you in the right direction if you are not sure.

Scenery

Beautiful Smoky Mountain scenery includes some lush forests and evergreen covered mountains.

Update/Addition from Michael S. McDonald: People from all walks of life are drawn to the seducing curves of the Dragon (other wise known as Tail of the Dragon) at Deal's Gap, also known as US Hwy 129. They make their pilgrimage to test their skills, or in some cases, to be bitten by the Dragon. The area surrounding the Dragon was one of the last areas of North Carolina to be settled due to its inhospitable terrain. The southern Appalachian Mountains are made up of two separate ranges; the eastern range is the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the western range is known as the Great Smoky Mountains. For thirty-six miles along the TN/NC border the GSM are more than 5k feet in altitude with 16 peaks stretching to more than 6k feet. All of this altitude translates to treacherous travel, especially for the pioneers in their day, but also for us as motor-sport enthusiasts today

Road Quality

318 curves in 11 miles - what more needs to be said? Well these just aren't any curves as there are many sharp turns, steep drop-offs, not many cars, lots of bikes ... overall a real challenging road. The road is mostly in good shape as its become a real tourist draw and the local government knows to keep the road in good shape and the people will keep coming. Its challenging and exciting for some, scary to beginning riders, be careful on this one.

Update/Addition from Michael S. McDonald: 318 curves in 11 miles. By the time you reach the plateau from which the end (otherwise known as the turn around) your will be spent but very eager to hit the tight turns that are banked to perfection. Pay very close attention to on coming cars and large trucks as the turns are hairpin and they do come into your lane!

Roadside Amenities

Not many pull-outs, one store at the end of ride, be sure to go in and see pictures of crashes that have happened along the road.

Update/Addition from Michael S. McDonald:

- GAS STATIONS : Deal's Gap Motorcycle Resort

- FOOD: Dragon's Den Grill, , located at the resort

- HOTEL: Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort

- REPAIRS: NONE, You can get some very minor repairs at the resort. Nearest

repair is Wheelers, 16 miles south or the 129 Pit Stop located in TN 12 miles

north of the Gap.

- PULL OFF'S/OVERLOOKS: 1, Dragon overlook.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather . - Nice Deal's Gap web site - Visit North Carolina web site.

Nickname (optional) Mark H.

Add a Photo Add a Video


Reviewed by Guest on April 3, 2011 (2 out of 3 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jeff
motorcycle_year: 2001
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I have ridden 10 hrs. 3 different times to ride this road. I want to go back again.
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Reviewed by GIJoe on January 3, 2012 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: GIJoe
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I have ridden the Dragon about 6 times, and it is still one of the best roads to test your skills on. NOT for the weak of heart, our group has taken novice riders on this road, but they are warned to be very careful, and DO NOT push their skill level . . . ride your ride and enjoy the experience!!
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Reviewed by MCR Contributor on December 28, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: DragonFan
Comment: Just read an article in the May 11 issue of Car and Driver. The article called "Chasing Tail" (page 76) was based on three sports coups (Audi TT RS, BMW-1 Series M, Infiniti IPL G37) being tested out on the Dragon's 318 curves in 11 miles. Among other things, it has some nice photos of the road and scenery as well as an interesting chart that show's that in addition to the turns, the Dragon's fun factor is increased by it's elevation gains as well ... in those 11 miles it rises from 800 ft above sea level to 2000 ft above sea level ... a 1200 ft elevation gain in only 11 miles!
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Reviewed by Felon on November 28, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Felon
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson Street Glide
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: It is not hard to find, hell you can't miss it. Take SR 28 from Franklin or US 129 from Robbinsville and it is at the intersection of those two! Everyone should ride it once, so you can know what everyone is talking about. But don't ride for a lot of scenery or you wil be part of the landscape. It is not for rubbernecking, it is technical and can be work (fun work). Hellbender 28 coming from the east is a much more scenic ride if that is what you like.
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Reviewed by Noica on November 5, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Noica
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Nice ride. I rode it the first time around 2002 on a rented bike from Pigeon Forge. A lot has changed in the past years...more bikes, more cars, more cops, more wrecks, and also more semi's trying to cut a few miles off of their trip (WATCH THE CURVES). When in the area, I usually ride the Foothills Parkway, Cherohala Skyway, Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail (Gatlinburg, TN.) and Great Smoky Mountain Parkway. You can make a loop around from Gatlinburg, through Townsend (great little sandwich shop in the gas station - great homemade pimento cheese), picnic on the side of the mountain just outside of Townsend, ride the Foothills Parkway, ride the 'Dragon' to Deals Gap (stop and take a short break), leave on NC 28 South and ride down past Fontana Village and Lake (check out the Fontana Dam overlook...real nice), head toward Cherokee, NC on 441, blow some money at Harrah's, and cruise through the Smoky Mountain Park back to Gatlinburg. About a good days ride with beautiful scenery and several rest stops.
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Reviewed by Pouge on September 19, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Pouge
motorcycle_year: '08
motorcycle_make: Road Star
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: This road is simply sensory overload. You have glimpses of grand vistas, more curves than you can count (but apparently someone did!), and the surrounding roads are just a plus. It also has a "bike week" feel to it in the warmer months due to the amount of bikes there. Riding a cruiser, I prefer to ride it uphill, slows easier and hits the curves better (for me anyways). It's also great to see the crotch rockets "slay" The Dragon
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Reviewed by flrider06 on August 17, 2011 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Flrider06
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: H D
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Deal's Gap is, without a doubt, a great ride, I recommend it to anyone who can make it to the area. With that said, I do think it's a little overrated. The scenery is beautiful, the curves require some skill, and the resort itself is a neat place but, it's only 11 miles. The road is patrolled and the speed limits are strictly enforced. As always, the most challenging part of the road is other riders/drivers. Riding during the week seems to be the best bet, traffic is low. I know several people who think other rides are much more beautiful and challenging. Still, I plan on going back to ride the "Tail" and explore some of the other roads in the area.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 8, 2010 (1 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: DWIGHT
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: WE RODE OVER FROM TEXAS TO RIDE THE TAIL OF THE DRAGON, CHEROHALA SKYWAY, AND BLUE RIDGE PARKWAY. IT IS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY TO RIDE IN. IF YOU RIDE THE DRAGON, YOU HAVE TO RIDE THE CHEROHALA SKYWAY TOO. YOU DON'T WANT TO MISS THE VIEWS!! THIS IS NOT A RIDE FOR FRESH BEGINNERS AND SPEED DEMONS. IF YOU WILL SIMPLY USE COMMON SENSE, STAY ALERT, AND OBEY THE SPEED LIMITS, YOU WILL HAVE NO PROBLEMS. WE HOPE TO COME BACK IN THE NEAR FUTURE. RIDE SAFE AND ENJOY YOURSELVES!!!
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Reviewed by Guest on June 28, 2010 (1 out of 2 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Digger
Comment: Two friends and I rode Deal's Gap in mid-June, and had a good time. We were on Harleys, and that seemed to be the ride-of-choice on our Monday. The weather was beautiful, the scenery was outstanding, and most of the bikers behaved themselves. As my friend says, "It's a good road...with a GREAT agent." In other words, we were a little underwhelmed that the storied Tail of the Dragon didn't live up to its widespread reputation. Don't get me wrong: the road grabbed our attention and demanded a degree of technical expertise. But I believe that if a rider can successfully negotiate some of the roads LEADING to US129, he/she will be successful on the Dragon itself.
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Reviewed by 2009hdflhx on January 15, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Rob
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Harley Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: This is a great technical ride that requires skill and concentration. Plenty to see if your eyes weren't glued to the road 99.9% of the time.
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Reviewed by colleen&mark on January 3, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Colleen
motorcycle_year: 2001
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: Myself and my husband have done Tail of the Dragon 4 times at 2 seperate visits. This is the most challenging and thrill ride I have done so far. I loved it! After the ride you end up at a motorcycle resort, which I thought was a great concept.Have a bite to eat or just people watch, then you can keep going onto other great rides in the area. Great senery and lots of turns!!!
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Reviewed by Sooner805 on January 2, 2012 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Spud
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Still one of the best rides in the nation for bikes. The scenery is great and the road surface is excellant. Took this ride before in June of 2010 on a weekend. Way too many sport bikes riding stupid but the only crash I saw was Harley rider and his female companion. A Goldwing almost crashed into me in a curve crossing the center line. So, maybe the sport bikes were not so bad after all. I took the trip this time in Dec. 2011 and it was great. Very few bikes at all and all of them serious safe and skilled. The Deals Gap Resort is closed during the winter months but Robinsonville NC has everything you need. I have made the trip from OK to the Dragon twice now and it is well worth it.
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Reviewed by jbarnes on November 13, 2011 (0 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: JL BARNES
motorcycle_year: 08
motorcycle_make: HARLEY ULTRA
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: Great time but very busy. Had a good ride from DG into TN and on to Gatlinburg.
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Reviewed by DBR on September 19, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: DBR
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Harley Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: My wife and I, have rode for many years. And have been on many, many roads. And we have rode the Dragon for many years also. Spring, Summer, and Fall. The Dragon is the best ride you could ever go on. But if you don't like to have fun or or even like to ride your motorcycle, or just can't ride. Please Please stay away. Stay far, far way. from Deals Gap or even the Great Smoky Mountains area. Because this ride area is for people who like to ride and have FUN.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 15, 2011 (0 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: trike lady
motorcycle_year: 1992
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: The Dragon is great fun, but do be careful & watch out for the "other guy". If you have time while in the area, The Foothills Parkway is great for a nice scenic ride & often overlooked.
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Reviewed by Guest on April 8, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: ncpiper
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: If your in the area it is a must do ride! Folks at Deals Gap are friendly and it is usually nothing but motorcycles of all types, That is where you pickup you tee-shirt and gas if you need some. The Scenery will make it hard to keep your eyes on the road so when you hop on you bike for the ride keep that in mind. The curves are amazing and it is better to go during the week then on the weekend as the Leo's are few and far between. The weekend however is loaded with them so keep that in mind when you make the trip.
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Reviewed by Guest on November 1, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Steve
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: As advertised. Not quite as busy as I expected it to be on a low 70's fall day that was beautiful. Great road, great scenery. Watch the four wheeled vehicles and sport bikes.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 29, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Trevor
motorcycle_year: 1993
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: I do a lot of touring on my bike averaging 15-20k miles per year. I've been from Georgia to Quebec and everywhere in the Smokies, Adirondacks, and Appalachians and no road compares to this one (and surrounding areas of Robbinsville) the pavement is amazing and you have fairly good line of sight without too many blind turns. As for the comments that say it's too congested, that is true during normal "business hours" where "hogs" do their part hogging the road from shoulder to shoulder. But for us sport guys go early or around dusk and you will not be disappointed. Even did a night run (have an hid which helped a lot compared to my friends stock lights) which was really intense.
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Reviewed by Guest on August 24, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: mike garvey
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: We loved it,ride it both ways,watch out for semis in your lane it can be tricky for a novice and yes the sport bikes love to come up and pass touring bikes i think the scenery was great but didnt get to see much ,the semi we met kept my eyes on the road ahead
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Reviewed by Guest on February 16, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bobby Torrey
motorcycle_year: 1996
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Loved the resort, but the road was a little scary. Lots of sport bikes. Would not recommend for the faint of heart.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 1, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Smokey Audi TT
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: OTHER
Comment: The best road I have driven on ever. As stated 318 "roller coaster" curves with almost no cross roads and no houses etc.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 15, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ed Persons
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Myself and two friends went from Columbus MS to top of the Blue Ridge Parkway, down to Cherokee and culminating in a run on the Dragon (129). We had my V Star 1100, a 1800 Goldwing and a Bergman Executive 650 and had an absolute blast.. The Berg has an unfair advantage, its faster than thought, I believe. Deals Gap store has all the trinkets and t-shirts you'll need uncluding "Dragon" water and gas. We're going back soon.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 8, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: JEFF
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: Very nice ride. keep your eyes open and keep your line. watch out for cars trucks and harley riders crossing the yellow line. I been 4 time in the last 2 months and every time i have almost been hit by a harley that blows the curve. and ive seen 3 harleys go down in front of me so please know the limits of your riding and your bike!
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Reviewed by Guest on July 10, 2009 (0 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Yvonne
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Other
Comment: Full of curves- yes. Lots of assorted bikes and fancy cars-yes. However, if you get car sick like I do... It was a nightmare of a ride. I wanted to shoot myself or at least have God smote my sick butt off my V-Rod. Rode all the way down. Stopped by a creek and tried to not throw up. Then, I had to do the whole ride again backwards. Never again... I can only imagine how much fun the ride could have been if I hadnt been car sick.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 16, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Jacky
motorcycle_year: 2004
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: Been to the Dragon 4 times in the last 3 years and it is a world class ride that deserves it's world wide reputation. I love turns and this road has more than I can ask for in it's short length. Only reason I didn't give it a 10 is because of the sometimes crowded conditions ... although I love seeing all the other bikers out there, sometimes I wish it was more of a less known hidden ride known only to the local riders. Either way, it's worth the trip no matter where you are coming from.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 21, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Ben
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Kawasaki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Crossed the mountain from Cherokee, along Foothills Pkwy, then on the Dragon Tail. Many cars crossing the mountain (Leave season). Not as bad on the Foothills Pkwy. A little crowded on the Tail. Heavily patrolled by Police. A must ride (I got the t-shirt from Deals), but it is more work than enjoyment. It's riding, not sight-seeing. On the Tail of the Dragon, you don't have time to gawk, unless you stop at overlooks.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 11, 2008 (0 out of 2 members found this review useful.)
Creator: K O Daniel
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Suzuki
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I have done a lot riding in my younger days, but I don't think I ever had as much fun as I did with the Dragon!!! We went on a Tuesday Just to get away from the Young and dumb, CR'S You Know the ones that have no respect. Wreck causing Morons! We Loved the Ride. You need to pay attention To the road marks, And skid marks To know something bad is up ahead. You Do that and you will do good. Say hello To the store staff, There great!! So if your there around about go do this thing ,
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Reviewed by Guest on July 6, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Dess
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Went to Deals Gap first time with another couple Labor Day 2006 & we girls rode with our husbands..wanted to see what we had ahead of us. We came back again Columbus Day weekend and we rode our own bikes...IT WAS AMAZING! Headed back up to that direction at the end of this month...If you're anywhere in the area on your bike and aren't faint of heart....DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reviewed by Guest on December 16, 2007 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Stevie
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Pay VERY close attention to your mirrors on this ride. Deals Gap has developed the reputation lately of being a "racetrack" for sport bikes. There are numerous documented cases of passing slower-moving riders on their own lane. Use extreme caution. Also, law enforcement has cracked down on the speed limits lately. No warnings are being given, but tickets issued liberally.
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