Have you ever wanted to ride the Smoky Mountains in a relaxed pace? If so, this is the tour for you! Join MOA members Vance and Mari Harrelson for four nights and three days of pure riding pleasure in the Magical Smoky Mountains.
On this tour, not only will you ride the iconic roads of the Smokys, you will also have a chance to discover the side roads and places off the beaten path in the heart of the mountains. This is an “all-inclusive” tour that includes your lodging, meals and even your gas during the tour. All you need to do is check in on the first night and we’ll take it from there!
Your lodging destination for the tour will be the beautiful Freymont Inn, nestled in the heart of the best motorcycle roads east of the Mississippi River. The tour itinerary will include three day trips leaving and returning to your accommodations in Bryson City.
Start your morning with breakfast at the lodge before we head out to explore for the day. We will ride at a relaxed pace averaging 150 miles each day with regular breaks. If you and your passenger have always wanted to ride in the mountains, but don’t want to worry about “keeping up” with a fast group pace, this is the tour for you! There will always be plenty of time for exploring along the way.
Day One (Monday) – Arrival, dinner and tour overview
If you arrive early it is the perfect time to take a walk around this charming little mountain town just a short walk down the hill from the resort. The Smoky Mountain Railroad loads downtown for a scenic tour of the area.
Day Two (Tuesday) – Cherohala Skyway and Tail of The Dragon
Leaving the resort we take US 74/19 a short distance and bare right on NC 28. We will then ride through Robbinsville and on to the Cherohala Skyway (Chero for Cherokee and Hala for Nantahala). After a short ride on the Skyway watch for signs at the summit, Santeetlah Gap (5390 ft) as we head for our coffee and restroom stop at a beautiful overlook with a great opportunity for a picture. Once we leave the lookout we will take a meandering ride for a quick turnaround at Baby Falls and back to the spectacular Bald River Falls. After a quick photo op it’s back to the Cherohala Skyway descending the mountain and arriving at Iron Works Grille in Tellico Plains, TN for a wonderful riverside lunch.
Departing lunch we’ll wind our way through some beautiful farmland arriving in Vonore for a quick fuel stop and short break. We will then make our way onto TN 129 where we will make a short stop at a pull out for a little break and briefing before challenging the Tail of the Dragon. Experience the exhilarating Tail of the Dragon (318 Curves in 11 Miles) ending at the Pit Stop Resort where we will stop so you can visit the Tree of Shame, snap some pictures, and buy your souvenirs. Then it’s back on NC 129 past the Cheoah Dam on your left, also known as the Fugitive Dam where Harrison Ford jumped to avoid capture in the 1993 action thriller, The Fugitive. Note the beautiful Tapoco Lodge ahead as we travel along the Cheoah River where we will then wind through the beautiful back country along Yellow Creek Road and back to NC 28(Moonshiner 28 – made famous by the movie THUNDER ROAD, a true moonshiner’s road). That will lead us home to our resort for the evening.
Day two will experience an elevation change of approximately 3,400 feet and cover 193 miles. Actual riding time is approximately 5.5 hours.
Day Three (Wednesday) – Highlands, Wayah Road, Moonshiner 28 and the Fontana Dam Loop
Day three breakfast is available in the dining room beginning at 8am. Kickstands up for today’s ride at 9am. Leaving the resort we head south on US 74/19 along the Nantahala Gorge (Nantahala is called the Land of the Noon Day Sun, can you tell us why?), past the very popular NOC (Nantahala Outdoor Center) a regular hikers stop as the Appalachian Trail crosses at this point. This area is known for white water rafting and kayaking. Keep an eye out for the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad which runs along the river. We will then turn onto the famous Wayah Road and make a stop in the main raft put-in area with bathrooms for a short coffee break and stretch. Once we leave the put-in traveling along the river, be sure to watch for the trout fishermen and then the beautiful Nantahala Lake. At the end of Wayah Road we’ll take a short ride on the four lane US-64 into Franklin. Exiting we will then experience a thrilling narrow ride on US-64 past Bridal Veil Falls and into downtown Highlands. Here we will have lunch at the Mountain Fresh Grocery and have some free time to walk around the quaint little downtown shops.
We will retrace our route back to Franklin and then pick up another excellent section of NC-28 (Moonshiner 28) making our way back to the four lane US-74/19 for a fuel stop and short bathroom break. Then, it’s back on Moonshiner 28 to Fontana Dam. We will take a few minutes to walk up across the dam and learn a little history of what this dam meant to this beautiful area and another spectacular photo op. We will retrace our tracks down this stretch of Moonshiners 28 and on to our resort for the evening. Day two covers 170 miles and approximately 5 hours of actual riding time.
Day Four (Thursday) – Highlands For Lunch & the Moonshiner 28
Join the group for breakfast beginning at 8am with kickstands up at 9am. Leaving the resort, we will again travel US-74/19 and take the Great Smoky Mountain Expressway through the town of Cherokee and the Cherokee Indian Reservation. We will head to Maggie Valley and on to the Wheels Through Time Museum where you will have the opportunity to grab a snack from the back of the car and take some time to visit the museum. Then, it is off through the lesser known Gaddis Branch to Waynesville and out US-276 to the intersection NC-215 for a gas stop and then to Juke Box Junction for lunch.
After lunch we will follow NC-215 until it intersects the famous Blue Ridge Parkway. From there we will ride approximately 40 miles back to the town of Cherokee and into Bryson City. Then we are off to the Road to Nowhere, traversing a scenic 6-mile road that dead-ends at the 1,200 foot tunnel featured in the movie Alien Abduction. This road was originally built to provide the families displaced by the building of the Fontana Dam and creation of the Great Smoky Mountain Park with a road to get to those lost communities and cemeteries. Due to environmental issues the construction was halted and the road was never finished. During the summer the Park Service offers the residents ferry rides across Fontana Lake to visit family cemeteries and to family reunions, etc. The tunnel presents another awesome opportunity for pictures. We will then make our way back to our resort for our last night together. Approximately 142 miles today with an elevation change of 4,000 feet. Actual riding time is approximately 4.5 hours.
Day Five (Friday) – Departure to destinations of your choice
TOUR COST
Organizer
We are the BMW Motorcycle Owners of America. A group of 25,000 BMW motorcycle enthusiasts who started with the same spark for motorcycling that you did. Our history dates back over 40 years to five friends who formed a motorcycle club to stay in touch with each other. Today, we are a network of riders across all 50 United States and ten Canadian provinces. We have members on all seven continents and it isn’t possible to ride without finding a friendly face.