Seeing East Tennessee by motorcycle offers an unparalleled experience of winding mountain roads
and incredible vistas of the Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains. Our goal for each tour is to take you
off the beaten path and immerse you in the pure freedom of the road.
Alcoa • M ar y vi lle • Town se nd
TENNESSEE
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WELCOME
The open road is the motorcyclists’ frontier, and the
Smokies offers rides that follow scenic mountain ridges,
wind into valleys and combine exhilarating challenges
with majestic views. This spectacular 10-day tour lets you
experience the world-famous routes like The Tail of the
Dragon, off-the-beaten-path waterfalls and sunny stretches
of pastoral farmland. We’ll take a short trip to Lookout
Mountain and Ruby Falls near Chattanooga, where you’ll
get both panoramic views of the land and feel the spray
of a 145-foot underground waterfall. We won’t let you
leave before tasting Jack Daniel’s Whiskey at the distillery
or visiting Nashville, our famous capital, a.k.a. Music City
U.S.A, where you can soak in city lights and country sounds.
Your “Made in Tennessee” motorcycle adventure will end
with a calming cruise into the Cumberland Plateau and
Cumberland Valley to leave you wanting to come back again
soon to continue your Tennessee adventures.
EV Motorcycle Charging Units: With free charging at Tail
of the Dragon at Deal’s Gap and 18 free charging locations
in Townsend, plus additional locations in Maryville, you can
enjoy your sport without fuel costs and help reduce the
impact of fossil fuels on air quality in and around the Great
Smoky Mountains National Park. Visit www.plugshare.com
to view all the EV charging stations along your route.
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Day 1
Leave from Smoky Mountain
Harley-Davidson to “Slay the Dragon”
Our journey begins on scenic Tennessee back
roads, across the Foothills Parkway, with a
quick stop at Look Rock, an overlook with
stunning views of the western end of the
Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We’ll
then continue along back roads to the Crab
Trap for a lunch break in Tellico Plains, Tenn.
Our ride will then take us to one of the most
beautiful waterfalls in Tennessee – Bald River
Falls, just before crossing over the Cherohala
Skyway into North Carolina. We’ll stop at
a number of overlooks along the way to our
next destination – the world famous Hwy
129, better known as the Tail of the Dragon.
Before “slaying the dragon,” we will stop at
Deals Gap for photos and souvenirs. Then,
we’ll get ready to face the notorious elevenmile, 318-curve road. Once we near the end
of the dragon, we’ll make a stop at the scenic
overlook known as “The Wall” for stunning
views of the mountains and the Calderwood
Dam. We’ll end the day crossing the Foothills
Parkway, ending our tour at the Townsend
Visitors Center.
Waland
Foothills Pkwy
72
33
Smoky Mountain
National Park
411
129
115
68
TE
RO
NO
RT
H
N
CA
N
ES
LI
SE
E
NA
Tail of the Drago n
129
1134
165
Crab Trap
165
1127
Cherohala Skyway
Bald River Falls
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Day 2
Leave from the Townsend Visitors Center
“Waterfall Way”
This ride will begin in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park for a peaceful, scenic
morning ride along the Little River, witnessing the beauty “Made in Tennessee.” The
first two stops will be at waterfalls for photos: the beautiful Meigs Falls, followed by
The Sinks. We’ll continue into the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to Newfound
Gap, (elevation 5,049 feet), for spectacular views. This is the Tennessee / North
Carolina state line, and the home of the Rockefeller Memorial, where former president
Franklin D. Roosevelt dedicated the National Park in 1940. We’ll then descend down
the mountains into North Carolina to the southern end of the picturesque Blue Ridge
Parkway. On the Parkway, we’ll pass through tunnels carved into the mountains and
stop at more scenic overlooks for postcard-worthy photo opportunities. Afterward,
we’ll wind down to Maggie Valley, N.C. for lunch at the Salty Dog. In the afternoon,
we´ll head back on the Blue Ridge Parkway and ride to the next breathtaking stop at
Waterrock Knob. We’ll keep climbing higher in elevation until we reach the highest
elevation on the Parkway, 6,053 feet. From there, we´ll ride to our exit off the Parkway
to the Forest Heritage Scenic By-Way and into historic Waynesville, N.C.
To conclude the ride, we’ll ride back across the Great Smoky
Mountains National Park to Pigeon Forge, Tenn. Riders will
experience some lesser-known back roads as we make our
way back to the Townsend Visitors Center.
Douglas Lake
Newport
35
40
Sevierville
Smoky Mountain
National Park
Hartford
Pigeon Forge, TN
Townsend Visitors Center
TE
The Sinks
NN
ES
N
SE
E
TH
OR
CA
RO
LI
NA
40
Newfonnd Gap
441
276
Maggie Valley, NC
19
Waynesville, NC
Waterrock Knob
Fontana Lake
Santeetlah
Lake
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Day 3
Leave from the Townsend Visitors Center
“The Roads Less Traveled”
Leaving from the Townsend Visitors Center,
we will spend the morning riding some of the
lesser-known back roads through the heart of
historic moonshine country, to enjoy some
of the steep valleys and pastoral farmlands
of East Tennessee. Then we’ll head to Hot
Springs, N.C. for a real adrenaline burst,
when we ride the “Rattler.”
The 290 curves in 24 miles offer a thrilling
combination of winding roads, mountain
views and cultural scenery - a unique
experience “Made in Tennessee.” Lunch and
souvenirs will be at the historic Ferguson’s
General Store in Fines Creek, N.C., the
original home of the “Rattler.” Then we’ll
head back to Tennessee to ride the northeast
section of the Foothills Parkway and on to our
next great ride, the Copperhead. There, we’ll
experience 211 curves in 12 miles – no doubt
another thrill-seeker’s dream. Afterward,
we’ll ride through the valleys and foothills
of the Smokies to end the tour day at the
Townsend Visitors Center.
Douglas Lake
Newport
70
Hot Springs, NC
35
Sevierville
Smoky Mountain
National Park
Hartford
Pigeon Forge
321
Waland
321
Foothills Pkwy
321
Townsend Visitors Center
TE
NN
ES
N
E
SE
TH
OR
CA
RO
LI
NA
40
Fines Creek, NC
209
Fergusons Supply
& Gas station
Fontana Lake
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Day 4
Leave from the Townsend Visitors Center
“Taking on the Devil”
Leaving from the Townsend Visitors Center, we will ride north through the Tennessee
Valley to the Cumberland Plateau in the northern mountains of Tennessee to the Devil’s
Triangle. Along the way we’ll pass over the historic Tennessee River waterway, making
our way to Oak Ridge, Tenn. We’ll have a quaint lunch at the General Store in the quiet
little town of Petros, Tenn. As you enter the store, you will take a step back in time, as
the walls are lined with antiques and nostalgic collectibles. You’ll dine on some of the
best deli sandwiches in the state. After lunch, and along the way to Devil’s Triangle,
we’ll take a photo stop at the historic Brushy Mountain State Penitentiary, established
in 1896 and operated until 2009. (It is best known for housing the prisoner James
Earl Ray, the assassin of Martin Luther King Jr.) Riders will continue on
through the Triangle, passing through Frozen Head State Park and then back
down to the Tennessee Valley to end the tour day at
the Townsend Visitors Center.
Norris Lake
Cherokee Lake
Petros Grocery & Deli
Oliver Springs
Ho
lsto
nR
ive
r
Oak Ridge, TN
62
Cli
nc
iv
hR
er
French Bro
Douglas Lake
ad Riv er
40
58
40
Farragut
Te
ss
nne
140
ee
Riv
er
Alcoa
Maryville
321
Waland
321
Townsend Visitors Center
Smoky Mountain
National Park
TENNESSEE
NORTH CAROLINA
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Participants will fly into McGhee
Tyson Airport (TYS).
McGhee Tyson Airport
Alcoa, TN
www.tys.org
HOTELS
Hilton Knoxville Airport
2001 Alcoa Hwy
Alcoa, TN
865-970-4300
www.hiltonknoxvilleairport.com
Courtyard by Marriott
141 Furrow Way
Alcoa, TN
865-977-8333
www.marriott.com/tyskx
Holiday Inn Express
130 Associates Blvd
Alcoa, TN
865-981-9008
www.hiexpress.com
LaQuinta
126 Cusick Rd
Alcoa, TN
865-984-9350
www.lq.com
BED & BREAKFASTS
Gracehill Bed & Breakfast
1169 Little Round Top Way
Townsend, TN
1-866-448-3070
www.gracehillbandb.com
Chilhowee Inn Bed &
Breakfast
5291 Old Walland Hwy
Walland, TN
865-980-5623
www.chilhoweeinn.com
Richmont Inn
220 Winterberry Lane
Townsend, TN
1-866-267-7068
www.richmontinn.com
CABINS/COTTAGES
Butterfly Gap
4366 Butterfly Gap Rd
Maryville, TN
865-984-6021
www.butterflygap.com
101 Painted Trillium Way
Townsend, TN
1-888-448-9054
www.dogwoodcabins.com
TOUR GUIDE:
Groovy Tours
865-323-0142
www.SmokyMountain
MotorcycleTours.com
BIKE RENTALS
Smoky Mountain
Harley-Davidson
1820 W. Lamar Alexander Pkwy
Maryville, TN
865-977-1669
www.smh-d.com
GSM Motor Rentals
8459 State Hwy 73
Townsend, TN
865-448-6090
www.gsmmotorent.com
Dancing Bear Cabins
137 Apple Valley Way
Townsend, TN
1-800-369-0111
www.dancingbearlodge.com
www.tnvacation.com
@tnvacation • #madeintn
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Dogwood Cabins
Alcoa • Maryville • Townsend
TENNESSEE
www.smokymotorcyclerides.com
#smrides
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