Going to the smokies next week

[Guest]

Hi all, I am going to ride in the smokies next week. I plan on riding the Blue Ridge Parkway up to about Boone NC. Any suggestions on sights that I should go see ? I have done the dragon, Cherohala, and 441. Any good restaurants I should check out ?
Thanks,
Nick

[marvinsc]

Gonna be there as well, staying in Sweetwater TN.

[luvnwunderwoman]

Looks like we will have great weather after Saturday. I will probably stay in Gatlinburg, Cherokee, and Boone. That is not written in stone though as I plan to travel with no particular destination in mind. Just ride until I get tired then look for a motel.
Be safe,
Nick

[willie]

Marvin: Don't eat at the BBQ place in Sweetwater that is closest to I-75 if you're looking for good BBQ. Ate there on Tues and it was terrible.
Wunderwoman: You have a PM. If you are not set on getting on the BRP in Asheville, consider taking I-81 north instead and exiting onto Rte 70 East to 11E and then north on 321 to Boone. I suggest that you give serious thought to checking out some of the routes described at this website: http://www.southerndozen.com/therides.php
These roads are every bit as good as the Dragon but not full of LE and idiots.
Have a great ride!
Willie

[RageZro]

EDIT: My apologies for the thread hijack! I'll start another thread about this...

Willie, here is the very tentative route that Scott is talking about that was thrown together just based on squiggly lines on the map. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

And yes... we're trying to avoid the Dragon...

[willie]

I've ridden all the routes you have highlighted but its been over 10 yrs since I was on 2 wheels on the routes encompassing C, D, E & F. I've done them since in my car or truck and liked them. F to B, if I'm not mistaken, includes the Cherohala Skyway. THAT road is one of my all-time favs when it comes to scenery with the added bonus of having (or had) good pavement quality. However, IMHO, its become too popular and patrolled. Thats fine if you wanna just cruise along under 50 mph and take in the sights. I wasn't as impressed with the CDEF route because I'm not in to traffic and there always was some each time I was on that route. I'm also not a big fan of the Foothills Pkwy although it allows you to bypass the Dragon. Would you consider going further North to the Snake or NW to the Python (rte 209 off I-40)? If you did Rte 209, there are 2 VERY nice loops that would include passing through Hot Springs, NC where you could relax in a hot tub and/or get something good to eat.
Willie

[luvnwunderwoman]

My woman has a hissy fit when I unleash the Suzuki beast so on this trip I will be doing the speed limit. If you are young and on a new crotch rocket then do the dragon, but be prepared to pay the speeding ticket. This road is way too crowded on the weekend.
B to F is the Cherohola parkway and is one of my favorite routes. An easy twisty with lots of places to pull over. Make sure you have plenty of gas before you start.
F to E is a modern 4 lane and is pretty boring. I would suggest you take Hwy 19 instead.
I cant help you with the other routes.
Thanks for all the replies,
Nick

[RageZro]

Thanks Nick & Willie!

So as not to hijack this thread I started this thread for our possible routes, let me know what you guys think (I'm taking these last suggestion right now and going back over the last map); http://www.thegsresources.com/_forum...d.php?t=213798