Deals Gap (The Dragon) & Foothills Parkway Loop – Through the Park This ride runs about 175 miles in a loop, starting and ending at the Creekside Lodge. The loop includes Deals Gap (The world famous Tail of the Dragon) and the western segment of the scenic Foothills Parkway. The route takes you halfway around, and then through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Estimated riding time – 5:00 plus stops. Here’s the route: • Exit the Creekside Lodge and turn right onto Soco Rd (US 19 south). • Follow US 19 south about 16.5 miles to the traffic light at US 441 Business in Cherokee. • Turn left at the light onto US 441 Business south. • Follow US 441 Business south about 1 mile to its end at US 441. • Turn left at the traffic light onto US 441 south. • Follow US 441 south about 3.5 miles and keep right, merging onto the Great Smoky Mountains Expressway, US 74. • Follow US 74 (Great Smoky Mountains Expressway) west about 10 miles to the spot where it rejoins US 19. • Continue west on 19/74 about 5 miles to the turnoff for NC 28 north. • Turn right onto NC 28 north and follow it about 31 miles to the intersection with US 129 at Deals Gap. Deals Gap Since we have come about 68 miles to this point, it would be advisable to fuel up here There are not many other places to stop for fuel for the next 90 miles. There is a Deli/Shop/Gas Station here where you can get some food, souvenirs, etc., as well as gassing up the bike. Be sure to seek out the “Tree of Shame” here as well. This little monument will help you to understand that the Dragon does bite back! • After the fuel stop, exit the station turning right (north) onto US 129. The next 11 miles make up the famous “Dragon”. You will cross the border into Tennessee about 2 miles north of the gas station. • At the north end of the Dragon is the Calderwood Dam Overlook. You may want to gather there to re-group before either riding the Dragon again or continuing on the rest of the loop. • After a break at the overlook, follow US 129 north about another 4 miles, for a total of 15 miles (from NC 28), to the intersection of the Foothills Parkway. • Turn right on the Foothills Parkway. Enjoy the scenic views of the Great Smoky Mountains and the Tennessee Valley all the way to Knoxville. Follow the Foothills Parkway 17 miles to the end of the western segment at the intersection with US 321. • Turn right onto US 321 north and follow it about 7.5 miles into Townsend. • At Townsend, US 321 will turn to the left. Continue straight ahead onto TN 337/ 73 Scenic toward the Townsend entrance to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Follow TN 337 / 73 Scenic into the park. Continue to the intersection with Cades Cove Rd, about 2.25 miles after the US 321 turnoff. • Turn left on Little River Road and follow it about 17 miles to its end at US 441. This is a nice twisting road through the northern edge of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It follows the Little River on an old railroad grade, and ends at the Sugarlands Visitors Center at US 441. This would be a good place for a break stop. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park • Turn right onto US 441 south and follow it 32 miles through the park. US 441 is the main north/south route through the park, so traffic can sometimes get a little heavy. However, this is a very scenic ride, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the trip! After 13 miles, you’ll reach the peak of the Smokies and cross back into North Carolina. • Follow US 441 into Cherokee, NC, about 19 miles into NC. • At Cherokee, you’ll come to the intersection with US 19. Turn left to follow US 19 north. You may wish to fuel up in Cherokee. It has been about 90 miles since the stop at Deals Gap. It’s about 17.5 miles from the US 441/US 19 intersection back to the Creekside Lodge. • Follow US 19 north about 17.5 miles to the Creekside Lodge on the left. There are some challenging twists and turns on US 19 as it crosses the mountains at Soco Gap, so enjoy the ride! Rev. 2/11/08 9:50 AM Street Atlas USA® 2007 Plus Deals Gap & Foothills Parkway Loop Data use subject to license. TN Scale 1 : 375,000 0 2 4 6 8 10 mi © 2006 DeLorme. Street Atlas USA® 2007 Plus. MN (5.2°W) km 0 3 6 9 12 15 www.delorme.com 1" = 5.92 mi Data Zoom 9-1.