Deals Gap & vicinity

Doing a trip in July to the Deals Gap area. I figure a few days will be plenty there and then a trip to Wheels Times museum I heard was cool. Looking to find GPS routes that can be down loaded or points of interest.

Oh ya any good food recommendations .......like a destination to head for or cool places to stay.

As always thank u in advance

Are you going to EOM? Headquarters is Maggie Valley Inn. It is just up the road from Wheels Through Time. Definitely a good place to stay. WTT is a must if you are in the area. Awesome display of vintage motorcycles. If Dale or his son are there they love to start any of them for you. Their enthusiasm is contagious! As for routes, there is almost no bad way to go down there. If you want to ride the Dragon I would suggest doing it on a weekday or any day after 5 P.M. The Cherohala Skyway is a must also. Take the ride out to Bald River Falls on the eastern end of the Cherohala too. The Blue Ridge Parkway from Cherokee north is pretty awesome also. Also much better on a weekday. Can't help you with eats. I never put a lot of emphasis on that as I am there to ride.

Check this place out...

https://www.twowheelinn.com/

and this...

https://www.209therattler.com/map.html

Two Wheel Inn is a great place. The owners can help with where you ride and what to eat. Look up the diamond back i believe it is hyw 80 down the blue ridge parkway near little Switzerland. It was an awesome ride. Also check out the hwy 28 its called moonshiner 28 that was a really nice ride. There are a lot of good maps on the tail of the dragon web site.

Check with Wayne. He should have tons of routes from all the past EOMs.

Moonshiner 28 is an awesome road. Cherohala skyway is a don't miss while you're there. We stayed in Gatlinburg, TN last year and used that as our center hub for all of our rides. Resort town, touristy kind of place but liked the fact you could easily walk to the bars and restaurants at night.Lots of good maps and routes on the tail of the dragon website.

Isn't 226A the Diamondback... or maybe it's just part of the Diamondback. Whatever... 226A (around little Switzerland) is an awesome ride.

Yes it is a part of it. That is the eastern side of it. I came from Cherokee so the first part for me was 80. We ate at the restaurant on top of the mountain on 226 it had a great view and good food.

I see there is a Diamondback Loop. Must be what you speak of. Linky... btw... I hear that pavement has been fixed: https://www.diamondbacknc.com/

Thats it. I was there a few weeks ago and the road work was just on the west end and not very much of it. I wish i would have had my FJR then. I bought it a day after I got back.

I'm in Robinsville, NC as we speak. I'm staying at a beautiful 2 bed 1 bath brick home with a nice 2 car - carport in town for less $$ per night than most of the places in and around the area. Fully furnished kitchen, laundry, etc. Beautiful home right in town 100 yards off the road leading to the Dragon. Did I hit the jackpot or what? The owner, Teresa, just opened the home to short term rentals and I'm her first one. Found out about her through my friend Mary of Griffins Cabins, also in Robinsville (google search Griffins cabins) ...as Mary was booked and referred me to her friend. So here I am enjoying all the comforts of home each night while blasting around the dragon each day. Haven't asked Teresa's permission to advertize on the forum, but let me know by email ([email protected]) if you're interested and I can ask??? She gave me this amazing price because I'm not staying on the weekends. I assume she charges quite a bit more for short term weekend stays. She might do the same for you. It appears that she's negotiable.

Gary

darksider #44

Finest lodging in the area is Tapoco Lodge.

Spendy but worth every penny. The included meals are 5 star.

Literally at the foot of the dragon

Be advised, It's gated so you can't just swing by.

https://www.tapocolodge.com/

NC 28 from the Gap to Franklin. Stop for lunch at Fat Buddies BBQ (closed Sundays). Continue down to Warwoman Road, loop back to Franklin and hit Wayah Road & Tellico Road.

If you're going out to The Devil's Whip (NC 80) and / or Diamondback (NC 226A), include TN 143 / NC 261 across Roan Mountain and NC 197 in your trip. Check out blindkenny.com for action photos from the Whip.

NC 209 to Hot Springs and NC 212 / TN 352 to around Erwin is one of my personal favorites.

NC 215, NC 281, and US 276 in the Lake Toxaway / Brevard / Waynesville area are excellent.

All of these roads have way less traffic than The Dragon in July.

Bogart's in Waynesville and The Corner Kitchen in Asheville are truly excellent places to eat. Flipside Burger in Highlands is quite good. If you're feeling really ambitious, the best bacon cheeseburger I've ever had was at a former gas station in Sugar Grove, NC.

If you happen to slay the dragon during a heavy thunderstorm the traffic will be minimal and LEO aren't working radar.

Don't do that. All of the Dragon businesses and favored lodging are in NC, while all of those awesome Dragon photos and videos you see were shot on TN's part of the road. THP is just out there to collect TN's fair share.

While I'm here again I'll also mention that the restaurant at the Nantahala Outdoor Center does epic breakfasts.

We are heading that way in about a week and are staying at the Ironhorse lodge. it's a great place with a variety of lodging options, friendly and professional staff and a fantastic location.

I've ridden Deal's Gap many times. Thousands of miles. If you stay in Robbinsville, or somewhere therein, your ride route planning can be summed up in 4 simple steps:

1. Pull out the map.

2. Close your eyes and point to something on the map.

3. Go there. It matters not how you get there. All of the roads are fantastic and wonderful riding.

4. The next day, fold the map a different way and repeat steps 1-3.

That is all - bring the camera! Cheers!

I love staying at the Blue Ridge Motorcycle Camp near Cruso, NC. For those who don't camp (it seems like a lot of FJRers don't?), BRMC has cabins, too--ya just gotta reserve well in advance. I'll be there the first weekend in August for the NC Moto Guzzi Rally (lots of fun, don't have to be on a Guzzi, as I won't be )

https://www.blueridgemotorcyclecamp.com/