Tail of the Dragon

I've been there a half dozen times or so. Usually in a Subie.

My favorite time on the pavement was in a 3.3L XT-6. Outran an NSX.

But the off-road experience is more fun. There are criss-crossing Forest service roads that wind around it all over the place. All dirt and gravel. AWD makes for a wicked good time, and the bikers and white knuckled grannies don't follow you down those paths.

I prefer the Suches Loop in GA (Wolfpen Gap Road- highway 180/ 129).

GiantPurple Snorklewacker wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: So when is the GRM "Tales of the Tail" weekend?

When they close off the road and give us exclusive access, hill climb cars and put a keg at one end.

Look for the Chasing the Dragon Hill Climb #7 sponsored by CCR-SCCA late summer/early fall. While not on the Dragon, its on a dead end road just off of it.

Headed up that way over Memorial Day weekend for 3 days of mountain driving with a friend of mine, will be taking his S54 Z3 Roadster

In reply to Storz:

if you are doing the actual dragon prepare for heavy traffic

I like 28 down to Fontana dam. The dragon is fun if you go during the week, otherwise it's just putting along behind slow pokes.

Edit: Here is a time lapse I made from my last trip down there. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7iPoQ4F6I0

go to Killboy.com to see examples of how the Dragon can be especially on the weekend. Evidently one of the first things required when you buy a Harley is to take an oath to never pull over for another bike or car no matter how badly you ride. I have wasted many trips on the Dragon behind a poorly riden Harley. If you do visit, try to arrange some time on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Seems everything I read about the dragon indicates you'll have more fun on the trip there than on the actual road assuming you set your nav to avoid highways.

Everyone should do the Dragon ONCE but after that you do realize that there are other roads just as much fun. All the magazine bucket list articles have made the road way too popular. Even my ex-wife who drove the road very conservatively would get upset after following a cruiser who would not give ground the entire route and going no more than 5 mph in the curves would get upset when that same cruiser started to celebrate after completing the route

dont forget the semis https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6haNzNzWG-0

The Dragon is ridiculously overcrowded to a point where when I went I didn't have much fun. The most annoying thing is it was filled with 70 year old men on cruiser motorcycles when I went.

I know one guy who died on there and another who is in a coma now from a few weeks ago. If you go there stay in your side of the road in corners and be respectful for other drivers/bikers.

Everyone should do the Dragon ONCE but after that you do realize that there are other roads just as much fun.

There are as good or better roads around. I was on one in socal outside of San Diego in the mountains by the border that was amazing and there was 0 traffic. I don't know what road it is but I know how to get there and I would go again.

I've been there five or six times, always on a Tuesday or a Thursday. Traffic has almost never an issue. Going back in a few weeks and I cannot wait.

does anyone know if the dragon gets patrolled by police ... it would be fun try do a sprint run up and down the dragon ... does anyone know the best time, day to do this

neily wrote: does anyone know if the dragon gets patrolled by police ... it would be fun try do a sprint run up and down the dragon ... does anyone know the best time, day to do this

Both times I went I did not see one cop.

kanaric, you've been lucky .. it often is HEAVILY patrolled … especially the TN side

hearsay I know .. but so many reports there probably is some truth

In reply to neily:

There are residential driveways that open directly to the road.

Unless you'd like to flirt with sending someone to the graveyard, I do not recommend a sprint such as this. It's not a closed road.

You will see plenty of memorials in the trees of people who have tried.

And yes, it is patrolled.

Eh.. the Dragon is SO tight that you actually don't go that fast. Lots of people go off and just end up right off the road. The other roads nearby the dragon are much more dangerous.

That said, they are public roads. If you want to do a sprint, sign up for a hill climb event or go to your local autox or road course.

It is heavily patrolled by both local sheriff dept and the Tn Highway Patrol using marked and unmarked vehicles and motorcycles but mainly on the weekends and particularly on high traffic weekends ie Memorial Day weekend. The worst speed trap is at the bottom(on the Tn side) at the Tab Cat Creek crossing where there is a very large paved area and they will set up radar at the bottom of the mtn. Coasting off the mountain will put you over the speed limit at that point. The area along the lake is also highly patrolled. Early mornings, late evenings and mid-week are your best chances to miss the cops. BTW watch for the riders to pat their helmets as a warning but generally, if your sixth sense is telling you that this is a good place for a trap, it is.

In all my tours of the Dragon, I have received just one warning ticket when I came off the mountain too fast on a Friday afternoon. I told them that I had been to Robbinsville to meet a client for lunch. Luckily I was in a car that didnt have any dragon stickers yet.

whenry wrote: It is heavily patrolled by both local sheriff dept and the Tn Highway Patrol using marked and unmarked vehicles and motorcycles but mainly on the weekends and particularly on high traffic weekends ie Memorial Day weekend. The worst speed trap is at the bottom(on the Tn side) at the Tab Cat Creek crossing where there is a very large paved area and they will set up radar at the bottom of the mtn. Coasting off the mountain will put you over the speed limit at that point. The area along the lake is also highly patrolled. Early mornings, late evenings and mid-week are your best chances to miss the cops. BTW watch for the riders to pat their helmets as a warning but generally, if your sixth sense is telling you that this is a good place for a trap, it is. In all my tours of the Dragon, I have received just one warning ticket when I came off the mountain too fast on a Friday afternoon. I told them that I had been to Robbinsville to meet a client for lunch. Luckily I was in a car that didnt have any dragon stickers yet.

Yep. I got nailed there last year. In my experience, they don't use radar, and can simply tell how fast you're going by listening to engine speed somehow. You know, because they're magic.

I got a 51 in a 30, where i wasn't really watching my speed, just RPMs. GPS said speed limit was 40 (which, i don't really rely on), i was coasting down in 2nd gear engine braking because i was sick of riding my brakes behind the harley that blasted by easily doing 50mph+ in front of me that they didn't stop. GPS wasn't red, so i was going under 40mph. Engine speed says i was doing 33-34mph.

But yet... i was going way too fast because they could hear the car. More likely, it's because it wasn't a good old boy on a Harley or a 'Murican muscle car. (Mustangs blasted by going the other way easily exceeding 50-60mph, and they just got a wave.)

They were real moronic super trooper types, too. I'm crawling through there going 20mph in 5th gear next time.

In reply to neily:

Yup. I wish I had a screen capture handy to show my GoPro video of him sitting in a blind corner. Added an "Ooops" text for a few seconds.

chrispy wrote:

GiantPurple Snorklewacker wrote:

aussiesmg wrote: So when is the GRM "Tales of the Tail" weekend?

When they close off the road and give us exclusive access, hill climb cars and put a keg at one end.

Look for the Chasing the Dragon Hill Climb #7 sponsored by CCR-SCCA late summer/early fall. While not on the Dragon, its on a dead end road just off of it.

just curious how many runs do people usually get on the dragon

ProDarwin wrote: Eh.. the Dragon is SO tight that you actually don't go that fast. Lots of people go off and just end up right off the road. The other roads nearby the dragon are much more dangerous. That said, they are public roads. If you want to do a sprint, sign up for a hill climb event or go to your local autox or road course.

ive tried solo racing but the thing is you dont get a lot of runs and race tracks are expensive and most are not technical enough for a miata ... ill try hill clibs

keep in mind … the hill climb is not actually on the dragon .. it's on a side road

edit: chrispy beat me to it ….

Chasing the Dragon Hillclimb is held on the road to the Maple Springs Overlook near the entrance to Joyce Kilmer forest. Its a couple of miles west of 129. The number of runs is dependant on weather and timing issues but most drivers get 5-7 official runs over the 2 day event. It is a SCCA Class 4 Time Trial event so the car and driver need to be properly equipped. The website I linked to above has all the info you need. Its not a real technical road but allows for a good show.

neily wrote: race tracks are expensive and most are not technical enough for a miata ... ill try hill clibs

Um. Ok.

^^^ lol!
What flat straight tracks are you running??!

If I find a stretch of road like Tail of the Dragon, I'm keeping it to myself. (Well OK, maybe I'll tell you guys but that is IT).