Title:
The Hellbender 28
"Having the combination of the Hellbender 28 and the proximity
to the Dragon makes this a must-ride east of the Mississippi.":
Lurch
Great
Smoky Mountain National Park
State:
North Carolina
Submitted
By: Lurch
Date Submitted: Nov 06
Motorcycle Type: 06 HD Heritage Softail
Motorcycle Road Length: 22 Miles
Motorcycle
Road 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."
Motorcycle
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.
Motorcycle
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.
The
easiest way to find this route is to find
the town of Stecoah, NC and take "the Hellbender
28" (Hwy 28) all the way to where Hwy 28
and Hwy 129 meet (about 2 miles north of
the town of Tapoco, NC). Along the way you'll
travel lakeside along Fontana Lake for 12-13
miles to Fontana Village and the Hellbender
Pitstop on at the Fontana Dam. The last
9 miles takes you to the route's end at
the intersection of Hwy. 28 and Hwy. 129
… which is the home of the famous Dragon
(318 curves in 11 miles).
Additional
Information:
-
View the weather forecast for this area from Yahoo
weather.
Do you have any pictures of this area? Contribute a photo and show other riders what they’ll see along the way.
Have you ever filmed video along this ride or in the area? Contribute the video and show riders what the area looks like.
Comments page 1 of 0
Click here to add a rating and/or comment
redwings - 2002 Harley-Davidson
This user rated the route: 9 out of 10
Posted 421 days ago
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.
This user rated the route: 10 out of 10
Posted 350 days ago
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.
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!
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.
This user rated the route: 3 out of 10
Posted 171 days ago
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.
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
This user rated the route: 8 out of 10
Posted 25 days ago
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.
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.
This user rated the route: 10 out of 10
Posted 335 days ago
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.
This user rated the route: 8 out of 10
Posted 94 days ago
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.
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.
This user rated the route: 10 out of 10
Posted 353 days ago
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.
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!!!
