The Dragon

In Deal's Gap, North Carolina, there is a section of road called "The Dragon." It is about 14 miles long, and during 11 of these 14 miles one encounters 318 sharp curves.

The history of the road (as taken from : http://www.tailofthedragon.com ) is as follows:

"The original road was merely an animal track worn down by large herds of buffalo and then used by Indians for centuries. The first white men to use the trail probably came in the early 1700s.

In the 1800s the path became a crude roadway used to access Cades Cove via the Parsons Branch road (at mile 7.2 on Tail of the Dragon Map). As more settlers moved into the area landowners collected tolls on the road.

The roadway was originally designated as NC 108, at least in North Carolina. In 1934 it was renumbered as US 129 and was most likely paved for the first time around that date.

It was only lightly traveled, primarily by locals, until the 1990s. In early1992 Doug Snavely, hearing about a great ride in the Smokies, came up from Road Atlanta to see US 129 for himself. It was more exciting than he had ever imagined. He met Pete, owner of the Crossroads of Time which at the time catered to fishermen, hunters, and lost vacationers. Doug sold Pete on promoting the road to cyclists and got a job as Manager of the Crossroads.

Snavely began to publish the monthly Deals Gap Hot Lap newsletter on September 1, 1992. He also got the road mentioned in Rider Magazine. In the next few years motorcycle riding increased dramatically at the Dragon. Each year since then the number of motorcycles and sports cars has seemingly doubled. Today riders and drivers from across the US and Canada come to run the Dragon. There is always a show on the weekends.

Snavely also created the Deals Gap Riding Society. There are some 350 members from all over the United States. The organization more or less folded when Snavely left the Crossroads of Times. There is much to the story of Snavely and his few short years of employment at "The Gap" and many of the details will be found in his Deals Gap Hot Lap.

The Dragon, as many have found, is truly a unique road. In 14 miles there is only one intersection - NC 28 to Fontana Dam. There are no buildings other than the Crossroads of Time. There are 318 curves in the first 11 miles. There normally is very little traffic and the vehicles that do use this road are primarily motorcycles. It is remote - there is very little evidence of human population within 5 miles in any direction. Most of the roadway is bounded by United States Forest Service property.

Deals Gap, the name that many riders know the Dragon by, is actually the name of the gap between the mountains that the road follows. Deals Gap is located at the North Carolina and Tennessee State Line."

The S2000 Club often has meets centered around the navigation of this road. The twists of the road provide a unique "auto stimulation" session that brings out all the positive handling ability of the Honda S2000.

If you have Cable or DSL, you can get a feel for how this road is to drive by viewing this video, obviously taken by a motorcyclist as the road was navigated.

Here are some of the pictures of the event:

Photos may not be reproduced or used without permission of Eliot J. Deutsch

This Page Last Modified On July, 2003