The Hellbender 28

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

Average Rating - This road has been rated by 19 visitors

State: North Carolina

Date Submitted: November 1, 2006
Submitted by: Lurch
Motorcycle Road Length: 22 Miles

Written Directions

Scenery

Heading north on the Hellbender 28, you find a completely different road experience with sweeping curves and drop offs, all lakeside in the Great Smoky Mountains. There are few drives in America that can equal the views as you travel this beautiful byway along Fontana Lake in North Carolina. The 22 mile stretch is surrounded by water and dense, forested mountains. The 22 mile stretch ends at Deals Gap and begins what is then called the famous "Dragon."

Road Quality

These two lane mountain side roads are in great shape. There is little commercial traffic which leaves plenty of wide open space for the cycling public.

Roadside Amenities

At the halfway point on this roadway, you come to Fontana Village at Fontana Dam, NC. The motorcycle friendly resort looks directly into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and offers a lodge, cabins, camping and even houseboats for rent. They have a great selection of restaurants, retail outlets and amenities for the vacationing cycle enthusiast. Many cycle clubs use this resort to base their events out of because the Hellbender 28 intersects the famous Dragon at Deals Gap. In addition, the resort has a great roadside pitstop called "Hellbender 28 Pitstop" with food, gear and plenty of great tee shirts. And, the route is not far from the Great Smoky Mountain National Park and its great amenities.

Additional Info

- View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo weather .

Nickname (optional) Lurch

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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: Add this one to a list of rides to visit while you are at the Tail of the Dragon. Beautiful scenery and a great road but it seems that every road in and around the Dragon are great. And while you are there don't forget Happy Valley road.
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Reviewed by chemlight_ninja on October 13, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: chemlight_ninja
motorcycle_year: 09
motorcycle_make: triumph
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: The road is great, the only reason I didn't give the road 5 stars is because there was quit a bit of gravel on the road. I stayed at Fontana Village Resort, the room was great. Service was fantastic and the beer was cold. A must for your trip to the Gap.
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Reviewed by Guest on March 13, 2011 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mike Francis
motorcycle_year: 2006
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: This is an awesome road that we use when we go to the Dragon. We normally travel from Cherokee over to the Dragon and this has a very flowing road with all types of scenery. Fun to ride.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 2, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Nate
Comment: Been on this ride several times and I really enjoy the beauty.I like the occasional floorboard scrapes also.Roll Tide Roll!
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Reviewed by Guest on August 9, 2010 (0 out of 1 members found this review useful.)
Creator: unknown
motorcycle_year: 2009
motorcycle_make: Triumph
motorcycle_type: Other
Comment: Coming from Canada, did the "250 hwy" then the "Blue Ridge Skyway" then "The Dragon". Big Mistake. The hype of the Dragon was a little bit of a let down due to all the Harleys stuck in first gear spewing unburnt fuel and after the first 2 roads AND the police presence - - Fortunately, this route saved the day. An enjoyable short ride with a good mixture of hills, corners, sweepers, scenery and boiled peanuts- - - who the hell eats boiled peanuts? Good with beer though! I recommend the guy selling them halfway down the route cooking them on an open fire. This road is complimented BY the Dragon. At least here you can get some speed up and enjoy!!! Harleys.........please move to the side and let us enjoy.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 8, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Cord Rinnarte
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: BMW
motorcycle_type: Sport
Comment: The road is fantastic. We stayed at Mountain Vista, right in Stecoah, so were right in the middle of fun. Great road and not as crazy as the Tail of the Dragon.
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Reviewed by Guest on June 1, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Aaron
motorcycle_year: 1984
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: I would have rated the road higher, but was really working htis weekend to keep it on the pavement. It was raining miserably hard, and visibility was extremely poor. The turns were still good fun, and whenI managed to catch a few minutes between rains clouds it was an absolute blast. Stayed at the Kickstand Lodge, and that was well worth the 8 hours riding it cost me to get there. Great folks right next to a great mountain road. Going again later this year.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 4, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Billy
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Sport-Touring
Comment: This road on this bike was like a slow dance with a soft woman that lets me lead. That was Aug. '09, I can't wait for this years dance. Ride with care and a smile everyone!
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Reviewed by Guest on April 8, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: MARK
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: did this one twice, stayed at the kickstand lodge on 28, a great place
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Reviewed by Guest on March 16, 2010 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Darryl Keen
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Roads are good without much traffic. Gas stops, stores, and civilization are far and few between. The ones we found had high gas prices. Didn't care for Fontanna Resort at all. Deals Gap guys were great. Great roads, good scenery but avoid the resort.
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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: Great ride. Enjoyed every mile. Fontama Dam was beautiful. Hope to return in the near future.
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Reviewed by Guest on October 2, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Wolfie
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Excellent warm-up leading to The Dragon. In some respects its better than Hwy129 due to the widely differing types of turns along this road. It has a mix of tight uphills/downhills, blind hairpins, and graceful turns. The scenery is especially beautiful as you near sunset with a fine mist settling over the water. Also very fun in a cage if that's all you brought with you that day.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 18, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Pookie
motorcycle_year: 2008
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: We started from Tellico Plains onto the Cherohala, turned north onto 129, went up and had lunch at "The Dragon" and then took 28 back to 74 and rode back home to Jacksonville, FL.. My wife liked the Hellbender better than the Dragon...I like them all.
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Reviewed by Guest on September 15, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Bill McKeever
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Yamaha
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: My wife and I agree that , that strech of road was one of the best scenic roads we've been on. We were lucky and got to run it during the week and the traffic was light, which added to it being a very enjoyable ride. The road is maintained very good which too, adds to enjoyment of the ride. Great state and great area.
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Reviewed by Guest on July 12, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: Mr.B
Comment: Nice road, and enjoyed it alot. I found it after the ride on dragon's Tail. I go up twice a year since I bought my bike new in 2006. I am returing this Oct.09 and bringing 9 other couples with me, 13 bikes. I will be bringing to ride the Dragon, The Skyway, and Hell Bender. Also a ride to Highlands, Franklin, Cashiers, and back through the Smokies! Oh yea, if the rocket bikes are pushing you, let them by, trust me, you will see the dumb ones again a litlle further down the road. Just wave as you go by! Good luck be safe and ride for the enjoyment!!!
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Reviewed by Guest on July 9, 2009 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: redwings
motorcycle_year: 2002
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: Great Ride, went with wife and a friend, had a blast, want to return with others form N.E. Texas and show them the whole route of the Dragon's tail, Hellbender and the Skyway finishing in Tellico for a nice cool shady ride and sit to have a rest,,,,,reccommend it for anyone and everyone.....Keep the rubber side down and dont let the speedsters make ya hurry, take your time and enjoy the AWESOME scenery.
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Reviewed by Guest on December 21, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: CARL
motorcycle_year: 2007
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Touring
Comment: THIS RIDE WAS BEAUTIFUL, WANT TO TAKE MY WIFE NEXT TIME AND TAKE MORE TIME. COULDN'T RIDE IT LIKE I COULD WITH MY PERSONAL BIKE, HAD A RENTAL, BUT STILL ENJOYED IT, JUST MOVED OVER FOR THE FASTER BIKES CAUSE I DIDN'T WANT THEM TO MISS OUT.
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Reviewed by Guest on May 7, 2008 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: patrick flanagan
motorcycle_year: 2005
motorcycle_make: Harley-Davidson
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: this is a very nice ride. Road it on 4/30/08 with some great friends some were new to riding and others had some experiance it went very well there is post card scenery at almost every turn an it was a good warm up to the dragon. Keeping in mind for everyone to remember to respect the road an ride within there limits, and dont let the impationt riders push them beyond them. there is plenty of places to stop and enjoy the scenery an take a break if you need. This is a high 9 on a 10 scale
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Reviewed by Guest on December 29, 2007 (0 out of 0 members found this review useful.)
Creator: banshee
motorcycle_year: 2003
motorcycle_make: Honda
motorcycle_type: Cruiser
Comment: I've been to this road twice in two years and will return again next year. Between the Hellbender, the Dragon, and the Cherohala... you can't get much better. Beautiful surroundings and you can get lost for days riding all the roads in the area. Plenty of places to stay and eat in the area.
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