[Jimso4]

Ok -- I'm Planning 2009's big trip and it entails a ride through the Smokey Mountains National Park - after a ride along the Cherohala Skyway. My route through the park includes Parson Branch Road, Forge Creek, and Cades Cove Loop. The question I have is -- (drum roll please) -- Are these roads all paved? Their condition??

Lyn and I rode through the park in 2006, but took the main highway through it then, so I don't have any experience with the rest of the park...

Thanks!

Cheers.

http://www.jimnlyn.com

 

[srinehart]

The wife and i rode thru cades cove last year and was not very happy with it, it's a single lane and kind of ruff but cars are moving at a breath taking 5 miles an hour and you can't pass, you think they never saw a deer before. Everywhere else was great, you may want to cross over the smokies and ride part of the Blue ridge parkway. Another nice ride is to go from the base of the smokies and head toward Townsend, it's a nice ride.

 

[Jan Kokochak]

Ok -- I'm Planning 2009's big trip and it entails a ride through the Smokey Mountains National Park - after a ride along the Cherohala Skyway. My route through the park includes Parson Branch Road, Forge Creek, and Cades Cove Loop. The question I have is -- (drum roll please) -- Are these roads all paved? Their condition??

Lyn and I rode through the park in 2006, but took the main highway through it then, so I don't have any experience with the rest of the park...

Thanks!

Cheers.

http://www.jimnlyn.com

The Cherohala Shyway is paved the whole way, but there is one road up there that the GPS wanted me to take and it was gravel (route 81). No problem, I didn't turn onto that road, I just went straight. (ya right....straight). I mean I continued on ahead.

 

[Indymule]

Not sure on parson branch, it was closed when we were there. I would agree with srinehart, cades cove loop is in bad shape and the pace was mind numing. I won't make that mistake again.

cherohala is in great shape and little traffic, on the west end is a side road (can't remember the name) to a really nice waterfall.

 

[sammisgrammy]

+3 on Cade's Cove. It was a total waste of time, the road was rough, and I don't think that we ever hit 10 mph. People are nuts, they'd throw the car into park and chase the animals into the woods. Near the end a whole family, with kids 6-8 years old ran after a bear and cub, as if they were puppies or kittens. It's an amzing place to find stupidity personified:lol:

ps:we didn't see a bear at Cade's Cove, but there were a few running thru the amusement park area of Ober Gatlinburg.

 

[trekbiker61]

...on the west end is a side road (can't remember the name) to a really nice waterfall.

The road is "River Road" and it follows a beautiful whitewater river. The road is good and it is paved and there are many places to pull off for photos. There is easy access to Bald River Falls (pictured above) from the road. Actually, you can view the Falls from the bridge. There is also a trout hatchery past the falls. The road dead ends, more or less, at the NC line so you get to U-turn to come back out. There are some side roads but I wouldn't ride them on a Wing. Very steep, very twisty, and gravel in some places. If you stay on the main road you will have a good 30+ mile round trip through a usually quite, uncrowded, beautiful area.

 

[CBXMan]

+3 on Cade's Cove. It was a total waste of time, the road was rough, and I don't think that we ever hit 10 mph. People are nuts, they'd throw the car into park and chase the animals into the woods. Near the end a whole family, with kids 6-8 years old ran after a bear and cub, as if they were puppies or kittens. It's an amzing place to find stupidity personified:lol:

ps:we didn't see a bear at Cade's Cove, but there were a few running thru the amusement park area of Ober Gatlinburg.

?

 

[BigMick]

If you should wind up doing the Dragon into NC take a shortcut to the Cherohala through the Joyce Kilmer forest. Roads worthy of the dragon, very little traffic and some beautiful scenery. You wont be sorry.

 

[hobo]

Jim,
sounds like you've got a great trip planned. CADES COVE can be crowded @ times, but remember THE PARK is open 24/7. Take a ride @ SUNRISE & you should have it all mostly to yourselves. Same with the SKYWAY & DEALS GAP.
Yep, there's some unimproved short stretches of road, gravel, in the area, but it's not bad @ all. Give 'em a try. When the pavement ends, the adventure begins.
Enjoy your trip,
the hobo

 

[sammisgrammy]

?

"WE" didn't see them.....we just sat in traffic waiting for the idiots to come back to their vehicles. We saw a few deer and that was it

 

[Jimso4]

Thanks for the replys guys -
I modified the route to exclude these roads and to shorten the 600 mile day down some.

Now, Who can recommend must see sights around the Chesapeake Bay? Any good restaurants.

Cheers!

http://www.jimnlyn.com

 

[OldbikerTom]

My buddy and I went through Cades Cove a few years ago, both of us on Nomads and it was in June. The road is one lane and very rough in places, but the bad part is bumper to bumper traffic that doesn't move, well eventually. The people would stop and get out of their cars to photograph the deer. You would sit for long periods with the fans blasting you with hot air. It was late in the day and a female ranger was leaving her station in the rear of the cove. We stopped and let her in front of us. After a while you could tell she was getting impatient sitting in traffic, probably just wanted to go home. Meanwhile about a dozen people had abandoned their cars and were taking pictures of the deer. BTW, the deer are so tame they pay no attention to people. Finally my buddy let loose with a long blast from his air horns. The people looked up and apparently thought it was the ranger in her jeep that had blown the horn. They jumped back in their cars and traffic started moving. The young ranger looked at us in her large side view mirror, smiled, and very clearly mouthed the words "thank you."