Detour #39: Tail of the Dragon, USA

Road Trips

Mar 6

There are just three numbers you need to know when it comes to the Tail of the Dragon: 129, 11 and 318.

The first is the road number, US129, the second is the distance between Robbinsville, North Carolina and Marysville, Tennessee, and the third, the number of corners on this legendary road.

As for the name, some say it comes from local Cherokee legend, a water serpent known as Utkena that was rumoured to live in the mountains. Others say it simply reflects the sheer number of twists, turns and kinks in the road – also known as Deal’s Gap.

From sleepy Robbinsville, North Carolina the US129 slowly warms up with long, lazy turns along a riverbed, up past the dam where Harrison Ford filmed The Fugitive. Film fans may also recognise the road from Two-Lane Blacktop.

The Deal’s Gap Motorcycle Resort marks the start of The Dragon proper and caters largely to motorcyclists, with rooms for overnight guests, a grill, petrol station, and a huge assortment of themed merchandise. Just outside stands the Tree of Shame, which humiliates motorcyclists who did battle with The Dragon and lost, sacrificing mirrors, fairings, gas tanks, boots and helmets. At the base of the tree is a memorial to riders who died riding The Dragon. This stretch of US129 averages fewer than two casualties a year, which is remarkable considering the enthusiasm with which it’s used.

Within the first mile of leaving the resort you pass a sign welcoming you to the state of Tennessee, accompanied by a sign reminding you that the speed limit is 30 miles per hour. That sounds low, but such is the tortuous nature of The Dragon that many of its twists are taken in second gear.

US129 is beautifully constructed and maintained. The surface is racetrack-smooth, unbroken and the turns cambered. The corners continue the racetrack theme with names like Gravity Cavity, Brake-or-Bust Bend and Beginner’s End.

To avoid an early end yourself, you need to look as far as possible through each turn, keeping an eye out for dump trucks, SUVs staying out of their lanes, motorcyclists and wannabe Dragon slayers in tuner cars smoking tyres.

About eight miles up the Tail is the Dragon Overlook with incredible views over Calderwood Lake and the aptly-named Great Smoky Mountain National Park. It’s well worth a pause to catch your breath and take it all in before attacking the final few miles of the Dragon and earning your reward – how about a bumper sticker?

Words Nik Berg Twitter | Instagram
Photography Shutterstock / Barry Hayden